A community meeting on the mixed-use proposal will be held on November 30 at 7:00 PM, at 4500 East-West Highway, Suite 200.
As I've long pointed out when this was on the front burner last year, no one can support demolishing the Regal and then claim to be an advocate of "smart growth", "walkable communities", or the restaurants within walking distance of the multiplex.
The removal of the Apex Building would allow for a better Purple Line station and elevator setup. But it would only be justifiable if the replacement building is A) the maximum height allowed, as it will be on top of two rail transit stations, B) includes more than the required number of affordable units, and C) also includes a replacement multi-screen cineplex. The Planning Board could easily accomplish this by making B and C prerequisites of approving A.
Otherwise, demolishing a 25-year-old building is absurd, with a reckless disregard for the damage this would do to the downtown Bethesda economy (not that that's stopped Montgomery County Councilmember Hans "Nighttime Economy" Riemer in the past).
Your arguements would be more effective if you got off your constant hobbyhorses.
ReplyDeleteWhat "reckless disregard for the damage" did the nighttime economy taskforce do to the downtown Bethesda economy?
ReplyDeleteWere you this upset when the Federal Building was gutted and all of its tenants displaced?
ReplyDeleteJust sign up for Netflix and chill
Downtown Bethesda requires a multi-plex cinema. Full stop.
ReplyDeleteJust like Rockville & Silver Spring.
Absolutely. And one that ties in better with Bethesda Row. The current theater doesn't connect and it seems a small percentage of that 20,000 don't contribute or participate in much of anything else around the theater.
DeleteLast time I checked the constitution didn't guarantee the right to a multi-plex cinema in every zip code. Dumb and dumberererer over here.
ReplyDelete10:21AM a night time economy requires it.
ReplyDeleteYes absolutely. But you can't force it. The county needs to provide a better incentive for private to build it.
DeleteLast I checked there is another one just a few hundred feet away.
ReplyDeleteAnd that one is much more convenient to the restaurants of Bethesda Row, than the Regal.
ReplyDeleteThe Regal is convenient to... Food Wine & Co. And that's it.
11:00: You're talking about Bethesda Row Cinema, which is a great theater, but good luck trying to see Star Wars there - it's an arthouse cineplex. Every downtown needs a mainstream cineplex showing the latest blockbusters. The study done for Towson showed a cineplex draws an additional 20,000 people to a commercial area on weekends. Not that I expect the folks behind the Nighttime Economy initiative to understand how the business world works. 6 nightspots have closed in downtown Bethesda alone since Riemer took office.
DeleteThe Regal is old (built 1990 or earlier) and small for a cineplex (10 screens). Time to replace it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with 6:25. No need to bash Riemer for this. If you want to bash him, point out how he's in the pockets of unions and that's why he voted in last week's resolution to _keep_ the county's liquor sales monopoly.
ReplyDeleteYou're opposition is relying on the assumption that the cinema won't be replaced. I'm sure the landowners would love to resign Regal as a tenant. Look at the theater that closed at Westfield Montgomery and was replaced with Arclight.
ReplyDelete4:10: I would be apt to support the plan if it includes space for Regal, or another cineplex chain.
DeleteShould the government be able to force tenant selection and buildout? Incentivize yes please. Force no thanks.
DeleteIt's downtown Bethesda's ugliest building. Or at least it was before the Trader Joe's building was remodeled. No one will miss it.
ReplyDelete5:54: It's actually one of the better looking office buildings downtown, easily in the top 10.
DeleteIMHO the Apex is pretty bad. Especially the garage entry / dumpster area. The little bank cutout is terrible too. And their programming of retail in the courtyard by the bank is atrocious - an eye doctor?!? And their restaurant outdoor space is poorly planned and under utilized.
DeleteThe TJ building is idiotic. The renovation is lipstick on a pig. Black lipstick. Ugh.
Which 6 "nightspots" closed in Bethesda, without being replaced by other "nightspots"?
ReplyDelete5:58: Virtually none of the 6 were replaced by nightspots - usually just restaurants, if they aren't simply standing vacant.
DeleteWhat are this 6?
DeleteWhere will the kids hangout if they close the theater and demolish the building and gathering space?
ReplyDeleteAsk your friends a Greenhill why the buildings are vacant!
ReplyDelete6:57: Greenhill didn't own the building Relic was in. Didn't own Ri-Ra's building, either, to name a few. The collapse of Bethesda's nightlife had nothing to do with Greenhill.
ReplyDeleteNot sure it has to do with Reimer either. :)
DeleteActually Douglas Development has quite a few of the dead spots in Woodmont Triangle. So both Douglas and Greenhill are vacant retail landlords in Bethesda.
DeleteTear down the Apex Building.
ReplyDeleteMove Community Paint & Hardware back where it belongs.
Daylight the railroad tracks.
What does it mean to daylight the railroad tracks?
DeleteRelic? Is that seriously your best argument? That bar/wannabe club was terrible from the start, which is the complete opposite of the thriving BlackFinn which was killed by Greenhill.
ReplyDeleteRi Ra in Clarendon closed in June. So it appears like the whole chain is struggling, not just the former Bethesda location.
ReplyDeleteAnd is Dyer still counting the Roof, which didn't exist when Riemer entered office, and which was replaced by another "nightspot"?
Wrol, you do know that folks grabbed dinner before/after movies at Regal Cinemas. That pumped money into the restaurants nearby, including on Bethesda Row.
ReplyDeleteYes certainly but the connection could be so much greater between the two. It's a dead zone now in the block between them.
DeleteI haven't been to the Regal since the Pizzeria Uno closed.
ReplyDeleteIt's a crappy theater for sure. Especially with iPic and Arclight options so close. And both with free parking.
DeleteMore reasons not to need to go to Bethesda anymore. So many better options close by.
That is the worst movie theater I have been to in the last 10 years. I'd rather to go to any other movie theater in a 15 mile radius.
ReplyDeleteAlso I hear the theater at Wheaton is being renovated to one of AMC's modern offerings. Another theater I'd go to before this one.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of dead Greenhill properties, I just peeked in the former Black Finn today. No construction activity whatsoever. Nowhere close to reopening as "De Tapas".
ReplyDeleteGreenhill's Potemkin village.
@ 7:48 PM - It's no surprise that the Regal is crappy. It's the third-oldest theater in lower Montgomery County and NW DC. Only the Uptown and the Avalon are older, but those are great classic theaters.
"Anonymous Anonymous said...
ReplyDeleteTear down the Apex Building.
Move Community Paint & Hardware back where it belongs.
Daylight the railroad tracks.
5:21 AM"
Intriguing plan. Where did Community Paint & Hardware use to be located? I can't quite picture it.
Actually here is a photo of Community Paint & Hardware and Big Wheel Bikes on Wisconsin before the Regal moved in (possibly the early 80s):
ReplyDeletehttps://www.pinterest.com/pin/310326230551079157/
How was this building historic again? Looks like a dump.
DeleteThe "De Tapas" signs just went up a week or so ago. They open in the Spring.
ReplyDeleteWhy all the hate about that and Greenhill? lol..give them a chance to open.
The rock star chef has had his Kapnos signs up for months and only recently started any movement inside. Are you gonna hate FRIT and Isabella about that?
On Regal: It was the best in it's day (remember when it was UA Bethesda?), but of course has declined. It's hard to keep up with places with IMAX and high tech auditoriums. It's not that bad though. It serves a need. High school students need places to go too.
It is right near the Metro, which is key for those without cars. Transit users need places like this on the Red Line. It also serves everyone downtown...very walkable.
@ 7:19 AM: "Actually Douglas Development has quite a few of the dead spots in Woodmont Triangle. So both Douglas and Greenhill are vacant retail landlords in Bethesda."
ReplyDeleteThe difference between Douglas and Greenhill is that the former has a number of vacant properties which are awaiting redevelopment to higher and better use, whereas the latter has vacant properties which are awaiting... actual tenants.
Wrol, you won't know the economic impact of losing 20,000 diners and shoppers until the Regal is torn down.
ReplyDelete6:13: Urban Heights is a restaurant. It's not functioning as a nightclub. Relic was popular, as were Ri-Ra and BlackFinn.
1:26: So it's just a coincidence that Riemer takes office in 2010, and 6 nightspots are shuttered during his first term?
I'm simply saying that this regal's problems may not allow it to reach 20k and it's impact could be improved with better design, integration, and other improvements.
DeleteWhat are the 6 nightclubs that closed? Did their problems causing them to close start after Riemer took office and as a result of any of his policy changes?
DeleteRoof wasn't functioning as a nightclub anymore than Urban Heights. So that might be a draw there.
DeleteBlackfinn certainly was very popular. What were the stated reasons for closing? Debt was it? To the county and to Greenhill?
Ri-Ra and Relic were never great. To-Ra was only ever busy much on St. Patrick's day. :)
I would think bars like caddies, brickside, even gringos contribute quite well to the nightlife. I'm not sure Bethesda needs more "nightclubs" to have a vibrant nightlife. Look at a place like Parva, it's a vacant dump most nights, bute three nights a week when it's functioning as a night club it attracts less than ideal clientele to Bethesda often resulting in street fights at 1:30 am. For Bethesda to create a Better nightlife it needs to re-develop smart and with venues that will bring the right crowds into the area. Demolishing the apex building and rebuilding with a better theater and better connection to Bethesda Row like Wrol suggests would be key. I can think of many many buildings in Bethesda that are better aesthetically and functionally than the Apex building. Both its facade and layout are terribly out dated. Robert, do you really think keeping that building as is is in the best interest of Bethedsa?
ReplyDeleteGeorge, there are far more buildings worse than the Apex than better in downtown Bethesda. A late 80s architecture is hardly "terribly outdated", and the corner plaza offers far more public space than any replacement proposal I've heard about.
DeleteIf the replacement building does not include a replacement cineplex, then I absolutely believe keeping the Apex is in the best interest of Bethesda. The economic damage to the "nighttime economy" would be tremendous.
Sure, the venues you mention contribute - but I'm talking about the ones that closed down, leaving dark and quiet corners and blocks downtown.
I think there are at least as many incidents outside of other nightspots as there are at The Parva. That's more of an alcohol and policing issue than a question of who is a "desirable" person.
It's a private building. It's their choice if they choose to have a theater or not.
DeleteIMHO it's ugly. Whew it's ugly.
DeleteThe corner plaza is useless as a public space. An eye doctor - ha.
Dyer, you birdbrain - Roof didn't exist at the time Riemer entered office. In fact, no "nightspot" or restaurant existed on that site previously. It was previously a furniture repair shop, abandoned for many years. So no net loss here.
ReplyDeleteAnd Parva opened after Riemer took office, and is still open. That one wasn't a "nightspot", either - it was several restaurants previously, most recently the Aangan Indian restaurant. That one's a gain for Riemer.
6:49: Duh, The Box didn't exist in 2010, either. It still closed. There absolutely was a net loss of total nightspots since he took office.
DeleteCan you list the losses and gains for us? Since we seem to all disagree. Clarify for us.
DeleteAnd what actions in office directly resulted in closures?
And as the evidence piles up once again Dyer disappears.
ReplyDelete4:00: Too late. You're super low energy.
DeleteWhat does that mean?
Delete6:16: True, but depending upon what the developer is asking for, the Planning Board and County Council also have a choice to approve it or not. And we certainly don't want any public funding going toward an action that will hurt the hospitality and retail sectors in downtown Bethesda.
ReplyDeleteIf the developer asks for what is allowable on the site today, and takes no public money, then you are correct, they can do whatever they want. If they want exceptions, or taxpayer investment, then we've got leverage and a say in the matter.
Hopefully the Maryland Restaurant Association and the County's new Economic Development entity will wake up and smell the popcorn this time around.
Didn't the Duball project on woodmont and battery have a "high end" restaurant requirement?
DeleteA bit reaching for the county to say that. Maybe retail sure. But to force the actual retailer is heavy handed
Wrol, I think you'd have to admit that it would be hard for Regal to improve if it's gone altogether. That's the immediate issue on the table here.
ReplyDeletesure it's better with than without. But that's not what I'm saying, simply that the theater and building have issues and redevelopment could fix a lot of those issues. ;)
Delete@ 4:10 PM - It's clear that you have no idea what the term "net" actually means.
ReplyDeleteInnumerate birdbrain.
The owners of The Box certainly didn't blame Riemer for their business's short life span.
ReplyDelete6:08: 9.9 out of 10 people you'd ask on the street couldn't even tell you who the guy is, much less know the impact his votes and policies had on small businesses countywide.
ReplyDeleteAnd you? Can you tell us the impact his votes and policies had?
DeleteTo help explain your hatred. Thanks.
So why the hatred for Reimer then? And specifically him. there are other council members. And a county executive. And lots and lots of other positions and roles in our local government.
Delete