Tuesday, December 01, 2015

Carr Properties unveils redevelopment plans for Apex Building in Bethesda (Photos)

DC development firm Carr Properties unveiled two potential visions for the redevelopment of the Apex Building in downtown Bethesda, which it reportedly purchased for $105.5 million, at a public meeting last night. The Montgomery County Council approved a minor master plan amendment in February 2014 to facilitate potential redevelopment of the building, allow for a better Purple Line station beneath it, and to preserve space for a Capital Crescent Trail tunnel underneath Wisconsin Avenue.
Close-up of proposed Red Line
and Purple Line station access at
SW corner of Wisconsin Avenue
and Elm Street
Attorney Bob Harris, of Bethesda's Lerch, Early & Brewer, said last night that he believes two plans his client has developed will accomplish both of those goals. Developed by Shalom Baranes Associates, the plans envision breaking up the site into 3 buildings. Two residential buildings will hold about 600 units, and a third building fronting Wisconsin will house 350,000 SF of office space, Harris said. Retail would front both Wisconsin and Elm Street, and include "a potential retail user below grade," SBA principal Robert Sponseller, AIA, said. 
Attorney Bob Harris and
Shalom Baranes Associates
principal Robert Sponseller, AIA,
present Carr's sketch plan
The potentially-good news is that Sponseller said Carr is leaving open the possibility for Regal Cinemas to be that "potential retail user." Space sufficient for a multiscreen cineplex will be part of the design, a smart acknowledgement of the critical role Regal Cinemas plays in the downtown Bethesda economy. However, Harris and Sponseller stressed that the renderings and specifics are preliminary, and are not meant to represent the final design of the structures.
Urban plaza shown at upper right of
floorplan rendering; this version
of the plan requires removal of the
United Bank/Community Hardware
building at the southeast corner of
the property
But Carr representatives said the better of the two plans will require relocation of the historic Community Paint and Hardware building at 7250 Wisconsin Avenue. Now a United Bank, and relocated once before to accommodate the Apex Building, the building started in the 1890s as Wilson's Store. It is widely believed to be the only remaining structure from that early period in downtown Bethesda's history.
Rendering of basic plaza
area; not meant to be detailed
rendering of the actual space
View from helicopter hovering
over Wisconsin Avenue
Moving the store again would have two major benefits - it would allow for an "urban plaza" that would retain the public use element currently found in the Apex Building's outdoor plaza at the same corner. That would also permit more direct access to the future Purple Line and current Metro Red Line, via elevators and stairs that would take transit users to a mezzanine connecting to both rail lines. Residents of the two residential buildings would get access from the plaza to their homes, and another 100-150' of retail frontage would open up at the corner.

A second major benefit would be room for more screens in the cineplex, which another SBA architect told me would make the return of Regal or a competing theater chain much more viable. Without that space, the project would be less appealing (fewer screens = less profit, and a less competitive product in a greater Bethesda market with up to 16 screens) to a potential cineplex tenant. It was not immediately known how many screens could fit into a space limited by the hardware store remaining.

Sponseller also said the hardware store is "a real choke point" for the Wisconsin streetscape, currently limiting how wide the sidewalk can be for pedestrians. Removing it would allow for wider sidewalks in front of the new development, he said.

"It's just a better plan," Sponseller said, but it could be "even better" if the County approves a proposed 290' height limit for the Apex site at 7272 Wisconsin. Both plans shown last night presume a 250' height, and an 8 F.A.R. (floor area ratio = total square feet of a building, divided by the total square feet of the lot it's located on) under current zoning rules. Asked whether Carr planned to move the hardware store, or simply demolish it, Harris said that "hasn't been decided."
Plan "B", if Community
Hardware building remains
on site (the red building at
lower left corner; click to
enlarge for greater detail)
Sponseller argued that using multiple buildings on the site would "scale the project to its [urban] context," and allow the Maryland Transit Administration "a better staging design than what's currently being bid" for the Purple Line station. He also noted that the site is currently "underdeveloped in its retail potential," saying the best of the two plans would remedy that, while fostering a continuous activated streetscape to the retail and restaurant hub of Federal Realty's Bethesda Row.

Loading and parking would be consolidated into a single curb cut on Wisconsin, roughly near the current Apex garage curb cut. A second parking entrance would be off of Elm Street. A Capital Crescent Trail tunnel under Wisconsin was in both plans shown last night.
Montgomery County Council
Deputy Administrator Glenn Orlin
discusses timing and staging for
construction of the Purple Line
Glenn Orlin, Deputy Adminstrator for the County Council, was in attendance at the meeting, and assured residents that a 5' tunnel under Wisconsin will be part of the Purple Line facility regardless of whether or not the Apex Building is redeveloped. However, that tunnel has been strongly criticized by cycling advocates, as it would require cyclists to walk their bikes through the tunnel. Orlin said construction of the Purple Line station is anticipated to begin in December 2016.

That means the pressure is on to get approvals for the Apex redevelopment, which would have to be timed with the Purple Line station construction to achieve the stated goals of staging and a better station. Harris said Carr is already in talks with the MTA, and that he will be filing the sketch plan immediately, in hopes of a February review by the Montgomery County Planning Board.
Footprints of the 3 buildings,
should Community Hardware
remain on-site (red building
at lower-right)
Should the maximum height be boosted to 290' after the plan is filed, Harris said Carr will file an amendment to request the greater height. He said Carr's project could go forward even if the Purple Line were canceled, and that traffic studies done during the Minor Master Plan Amendment process showed that a development of this density could be accommodated.

A woman who works in the Apex Building asked how soon it could be demolished. Harris joked that she should plan to go to work today, but his serious answer predicted that demolition could come at least a year from now.

Several residents of the adjacent Town of Chevy Chase expressed concerns about the building height, and its impact on Elm St. Park and single-family homes. Harris said it "would have no impact on the park," arguing that the existing Bethesda Crossing building is already more directly impacting that location. "There will be no light coming down that street," a resident predicted. "I'm skeptical of that," Harris replied.

After the presentation, another Chevy Chase resident pointed to an example shown that he said he preferred over the massing shown for the building on Wisconsin. The photograph showed a building similar in height to the Apex, and taller buildings directly behind it.

"This is a very complicated project," Sponseller summarized during his presentation.

32 comments:

Anonymous said...

No theater / retail entrance from the Bethesda Row side? It would connect the theater and add so much vibrancy to the restaurants and retail in the Row. Come on Carr!!!

Anonymous said...

No way it's 105 Billion, million more likely.

Robert Dyer said...

4:29: You're correct, it was million, not billion. Sorry for the typo.

Anonymous said...

I'm surprised that the didn't say that the proposed height of the building was 290 billion feet.

Anonymous said...

A win all-around. And the Council/Leggett rightfully concluded that giving the property owner a $70M handout to encourage the sale was unnecessary.

Anonymous said...

Maybe Chevy Chase should be infilled with urban buildings at this point. It would make life easier on everybody.

George Hayduke said...

Hopefully the old curmudgeons living in the Town of Chevy Chase won't attack this proposal like they have everything else related to the Purple Line. That Apex building is pretty terrible and it will be nice to have it replaced with something better hopefully it will go through. Hard to judge from the site plan but I have to assume it will be better than that awkward courtyard currently serving as the main entry to the site.

jojopuppyfish said...

Thanks for covering this Robert

Anonymous said...

I'm all for anything that makes the Purple Line go more smoothly, but what's so bad about the Apex building? It seems to be in good shape from what I saw.

Maybe it's just my fond memories of going to the movies at KB Theatres as a kid.

Anonymous said...

It's probably "in good shape" but it's fugly and the harsh corners create bad ch'i for the neighborhood.

Anonymous said...

Let's continue to encourage Carr to include the theater as part of the project.

Anonymous said...

Only if it has three IMAX theaters. Otherwise unacceptable.

Anonymous said...

IMAX is a given.

Steve D. said...

The Community Paint and Hardware Store is designated in the master plan for historic preservation. Where exactly would they move it to? It's not like there's lots of vacant real estate on that area. If the Apex building could build around the store, I'm sure Carr can too.

Anonymous said...

I think we can safely say that nothing about that site is historic or necessarily well preserved. If it was still a paint store with old town charm. Sure. What it is now? No. I did not know anything about its history until this news in the last month and I doubt I would have for another five years. Just because something hasn't been torn down yet does not mean it is historic.

Anonymous said...

I think most agree it's lost any historic value of note. Hence the allowance to move it.

weski said...

I'm so glad that you reported on this as it's hard to get info from other online sources in a timely fashion. The current Apex building is a bastard building as is, so the plan looks like a much improved situation, although access to Woodmont would be a good idea. I think the parking/loading needs to be revisited, but opening more retail on both Wisconsin & Elm would be a vast improvement.

Anonymous said...

Save the historic store. So little of Old Bethesda remains.

Anonymous said...

So what do you want from old Bethesda and why? Do you prefer we go back to the way it was?

Anonymous said...

I think it's that many of us miss the charm,and quirkiness that was old Bethesda. Almost like Georgetown lite. :)

Speaking just for myself, I worry that Bethesda in 10 years won't live up to the hype. i.e. downtown Rockville.

Anonymous said...

I get missing charm and quirkiness, but look how much has changed with everything and everywhere. Not much we can do but hang on for the ride and reminisce about things we used to love as well as what makes us happy now. I for one will take smartphones and internet connectivity over the olden days charm of pay phones and MSDOS.

Anonymous said...

When I think Georgetown I do not think of quirkiness or charm. Maybe Takoma Park checks those boxes, but having a chain bank in what use to be an old paint store in a boring old building will not bring you anywhere closer to that.

Anonymous said...

We will not rest until the Hot Shoppes and McDonald's Raw Bar are reopened! In their original locations!

Steve D. said...

There's less than 10 downtown Bethesda buildings designated for historical preservation (also the post office, farmer's market, blues club, Sun Trust bank, etc). The least we can do is keep them intact to save a little Bethesda character while everything else converts to bland glass towers.

I wish the hardware store were filled by something more interesting than a bank, but if they take good care of it I guess that's what's most important.

Anonymous said...

I'm not sure I'm on the same page. Something like the hardware store just impedes progress. Historical buildings like the blues club are still useful moving forward

Anonymous said...

OMG!!! McDonald's Raw Bar - haven't thought about that place in forever!

As much as I love the old Community Paint bldg, the end really came at the last build up. Stuck in a place it doesn't belong, creating a logistical mess. Leaving people to wonder WTF it's doing there rather than awww, history. It needs to go.

Steve D. said...

if the hardware store looks out of place now, it is because it is an interesting structure surrounded by blandness.

In the words of the Bethesda master plan, the hardware store "is the only remaining commercial structure from Bethesda’s early crossroads history. The two-story frame store was built in 1890, on the site of the original Rockville Pike toll booth, and is a good example of turn-of-the-century rural village commercial architecture. Originally the community’s general store and post office, this property became a popular hardware store for several generations of Bethesda families in the 20th century."

If it can serve 21st generations as a bank, why not?

Anonymous said...

Out of place because of new development around it to suit our needs, yeah. Ugly and old and decrepit, also yeah.

We are no longer a rural village.
IMHO.

Anonymous said...

Even dyer would admit the one story historic building doesn't fit the urban environment of downtown Bethesda. Maybe they can put it in the suburban Westbard!

Steve D. said...

Apart from the whole last remaining original structure bit, the fact that it doesn't fit is why it is interesting. You'd think some people would like every building in Bethesda to look exactly the same. Might as well live in Montgomery Mall.

Anonymous said...

You are certainly entitled to that opinion. But the planners and developers (and people by extension) have agreed it no longer serves an important purpose at that spot and can go.

Anonymous said...

I wonder what local company would want to move there once it is developed? Looks like a nice location for a hotel as well.