Monday, April 10, 2017

B.F. Saul acquires Violin House of Weaver property in East Bethesda

B.F. Saul has made an intriguing purchase at the border of downtown and East Bethesda. Through a shell company, the firm has acquired the Violin House of Weaver, located at 4706 Highland Avenue. The sale price was $1,840,752, according to real estate records.
The house was actually built
in 1927; the Weaver violin business
is what the "Since 1898" refers to
What is the plan for this property, which outwardly has the appearance of a single-family home, but sits adjacent to commercial uses and Delicia's Carryout? It's notable that the shell company is called Tilbury, LLC. Tilbury Street is the first cross-street on Highland east of Wisconsin Avenue. Equally-notable: the Bethesda Downtown Plan draft encourages demolition of the entire block, offering heights of 90' at the edge of a new greenway along the west side of Tilbury.
This graphic in the Bethesda
Downtown Plan draft says
you'll only get the greenway if
you demo the whole block
When you consider that B.F. Saul already owns the commercial property along the 8100 block of Wisconsin, and remember the LLC is called "Tilbury," the whole-block scenario certainly seems possible. The exact heights and zoning allowed for such a redevelopment won't be finalized until the Montgomery County Council approves the final Bethesda Downtown Plan, however.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

The plan is to knock down all those houses? Unreal. There goes that part of a pretty nice neighborhood. I recall there are also big changes coming to that county lot which is huge not to mention other above ground county parking lots in that area. Pretty soon you won't be able to fart in public things will be so tight against each other.

Anonymous said...

Oh great news if he assembles that group of nasty building down. How did you find out that Saul is behind the shell company? That's pretty cool.

Doesn't Weaver own the single family house next to it too? To fully take advantage of the supposed new greenway rules, wouldn't he have to acquire that house as well as the next one over? Also on the next block there's that terrible brick two story office and then the brand new Sandy Spring Builders parking lot, office, and then another single family home. He would be hard pressed to get all those!

Anonymous said...

That's Tilbury Street, not "Cheltenham Drive", Birdbrain!

Roald said...

"There goes the neighborhood."

Anonymous said...

What is the FAR allowed for this site Robert?

Robert Dyer said...

10:31: Let me check on that.

Anonymous said...

@1102 - did you find anything?

Anonymous said...

What is the FAR allowed for this site Robert?