New details emerge about 7272 Wisconsin redevelopment of Apex Building site in Bethesda (Photos)

As businesses close and tenants move out of the Apex Building in Bethesda, many new details have emerged about the Carr Properties mixed-use project that will replace it. There are also some very interesting new renderings of the proposed development. The preliminary and site plans, as well as an amendment to the project's sketch plan, will be reviewed by the Montgomery County Planning Board at its January 5 meeting.

One new detail is that the office and residential towers, on Wisconsin Avenue and Elm Street respectively, will sit atop a shared podium that will hold building entrances, retail and restaurant space and parking facilities for both. That parking arrangement is critical to the sketch plan amendment.

In that amendment, the developer is asking for a height increase from 250' to 290', on the legal basis that the 40' tall, four-level above-grade parking garage permits the height of such garages to be added to the maximum height of the project itself. Zoning Text Amendment 16-08, passed by the County Council, allows this height increase in exchange for the proposed garage, because the layout of the site does not allow for 4 levels of below-grade parking. The cross-section renderings do show three levels of below-grade parking, in addition to the 4 above-grade decks.

New details about the architecture of the project have been revealed. For the Wisconsin Avenue office tower, a five-story retail and parking base will sit beneath a "series of glass boxes" that alternate going up, so to allow for terraces. Behind that segment will be a more-traditionally massed part of the office tower, which will be closer to 290' (that full 290' height appears to be placed even further back, in the residential tower). The alternating front portion will not be as tall, in an attempt to address criticism from residents of Chevy Chase.

While primarily massed along Elm Street, the residential building will front on the Wisconsin Avenue plaza. A skybridge will connect its two towers, which will share a 4-to-6 story base. Interestingly, Carr is employing a number of "townhouse-like" residential units along the structured parking in that base, a trend first seen in the Flats 8300 development further up Wisconsin.

View from sidewalk at
Barnes and Noble on
Woodmont Avenue

The architect is giving equal attention to how the project will look from Woodmont Avenue at Bethesda Row.

Carr has also received conditional approval from the Historic Preservation Commission to relocate the historic Community Paint and Hardware building from the Apex site to Public Parking Lot 41 on Middleton Lane. The developer has said the temporary removal of the building is necessary in order to construct the large below-grade space for a movie theater tenant. Carr is negotiating with Regal Cinemas, which has the contractual right to have first consideration for the new theater space. For those interested, Carr continues to commit to having easy pedestrian access to the new development from the Woodmont Plaza below (where Haagen Dazs and the Landmark Bethesda Row Cinema are located).

The current numbers for the project stand as follows, if approved by the Planning Board: two 290' towers, 360800 SF of office space (Marriott is the most-rumored tenant, but the hotel giant will not publicly announce the location of its new Bethesda headquarters and hotel until next year), 14572 SF of retail and restaurant space (including the cineplex), and 480 residential units, 15% of which will be affordable MPDUs. There will be 7500 SF of public space, 5% more than is required by the County, and Carr has agreed to not include patio dining space in its calculation of that number.

While the County Council and Planning Board failed to require a replacement theater be included in the project, the developer is wise to try to get Regal or a competitor on board. With a new IMAX-quality cineplex, and the right array of dining options on the plaza level, Carr's development would be a serious competitor for the adjacent Bethesda Row development. Without the theater? Not so much.

November 2016 revised
traffic study

One condition of approval is to incorporate the recommendations of the Maryland State Highway Administration, as detailed in a letter mailed on December 19, regarding curb cut access to the site. The SHA letter also states the agency accepts the results of the revised November 2016 traffic study for the project, and will therefore not request any additional traffic studies.

View into entrance of
CCT bike facility under
7272 Wisconsin

There are many complex moving parts to the project, which has to incorporate new access to the Metro Red Line, a Purple Line light rail station and tunnel, and a segment of the Capital Crescent Trail and its own tunnel. Under the conditions, Carr is required to construct and maintain the portion of the CCT on its property, and remove snow or debris from it, unless it cedes those responsibilities to a third party. The agreement will also permit Carr to temporarily close its portion of the CCT for maintenance.

Two-level bike facility
with ramp access from CCT;
the facility will include parking
for more than 250 bikes

A bike station within the CCT space will provide parking for over 250 bikes, and will utilize a helical ramp system to maximize use of the space. There is an option for a third party to later add showers, changing rooms and other amenities to the bike station.

Tail tracks for Purple Line
shown at Woodmont Plaza end
of tunnel/station

One ongoing concern not yet resolved: the proximity of the Purple Line's tail tracks to the CCT at the Woodmont Plaza end of the tunnel.

A central feature will be
this public plaza at the
corner of Wisconsin Avenue
and Elm Street

The public space plaza is a central feature to the project, and likewise is a complicated piece, having to incorporate access to the Purple Line, Red Line and the buildings themselves. One new solution proposed by the project architect is to place the Purple Line station access within a green-roofed pavilion. The pavilion is designed to divide the plaza into "private" functions (primarily outdoor dining space) and public transit functions. That public side will handle the foot traffic coming from Wisconsin and Elm to access the two rail stations. It will also provide seating, landscaping and a "subtle water feature" to give people a place to relax or wait for someone.

Overall, assuming the movie theater remains part of the new development, this is a very promising project atop two rail stations. If Marriott moves into the site, it is likely to be one of the premiere properties in the D.C. region, and a new signature building for downtown Bethesda.