Wednesday, May 31, 2017

Bethesda construction update: Cheval Bethesda ultra-luxury condos (Photos)

You can see close-up in the above photo the design technique that gives the Cheval Bethesda its distinctive folded-facade architectural effect. Just about all of the glass is also in place at this point.

Duball, LLC is the developer of the Cheval Bethesda. The 17-story tower will house 72 condo units, and 7000 SF of non-residential space. Prices will be in the ultra-luxury tier: From the $900,000s to over $2.5 million. Delivery is scheduled for later this year.

The Cheval Bethesda sales gallery is located at 7706 Woodmont Avenue.











80 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Bethesda crime update - Montgomery County not updating crime data"

And Robert Dyer is still not allowing comments on his crime reports.

A.S. said...

Robert I'd like to read more about the Silver Spring Transit Center. Would you be willing to tell me where you found all this information?

Anonymous said...

That silver spring transit center lawsuit was really old news posted here. The Post and Bethesda magazine both beat Dyer by about 12 hours. It almost looks like he got his information from the Post.

A.S. said...

Thanks 10:23. It seems pretty disappointing that the project over ran costs that badly. I wonder if decisions on the Purple Line will be impacted because of the mismanagement of so many of these projects.

I'm quite new to this blog. Robert is there anything that article is missing?

Anonymous said...

And now, on the SSTC article:

"New comments are not allowed."

"So this is how democracy dies - to thunderous applause."

Anonymous said...

10:33AM Why do you care? You're only a reader. Or are you..........

Anonymous said...

10:33AM what kind of a compulsive-disorder maniac keeps deleting the same off-topic comment in over and over again, knowing it will be posted once again?
Can somebody get this subhuman hobo a straitjacket? will a medium fit you?

Robert Dyer said...

10:17: The Bethesda Magazine article was #FakeNews, burying the fact that the County lost money bigtime in the settlement way down in the article with the briefest of mentions. Understandable, as they are the house organ for the MoCo cartel. Fortunately, people can turn to my site for the real story.

Robert Dyer said...

11:26: Hello, Dan.

Anonymous said...

12:01PM Guess again.

Anonymous said...

12:18 PM

Do you believe in climate change? I think Robert does, but I am not sure...

A.S. said...

Sorry Robert I'm a little confused. I thought when I was reading it the other article mentioned the settlement. I might be wrong though. I can't seem to find the article again, the comment that referenced it seems to be gone?

Can you explain why Bethesda Magazine is not a trustworthy source? New to the area and I was enjoying both sites.

Anonymous said...

12:35PM Of course I do.

Anonymous said...

Poor 1:02 PM,

They tried so hard and we all know its gonna get deleted or is going to get attacked by Dyer.

Anonymous said...

Hope they saved it for later!

Anonymous said...

Dyer, what would you have done differently if you had been on the County Council, overseeing the lawsuit, or overseeing the original construction contract?

Anonymous said...

What a dumb thing to try and blame Riemer for. You come across as desperate, Bob.

Andy Van Slyke said...

I doubt I'll ever subscribe to a local magazine. The info is months out of date by the time you get it. What Dyer reports today will be published by a magazine this Fall (if you're lucky).

And there there's the total lack of diversity on the magazine staff, topics covered and covers. Yuck!

No thanks! Bethesda turns to Dyer for news, dining reviews, traffic, development updates, etc.

Anonymous said...

...you understand Bethesda Magazine isn't only a hardcopy magazine, yes?

Anonymous said...

Why are comments blocked on the silver spring article? I have never seen that before.

Robert Dyer said...

12:40: If you examine the Bethesda Magazine article, you'll notice they only emphasized that the County is getting $25 million. The fact that they aren't getting the other $45 million in losses is not mentioned at all until many, many paragraphs down near the bottom, and then the subject is quickly changed.

So they tried their best to make the County sound good, when in fact the County caused a debacle with the transit center, then tried to sue to cover up their role but had a weak case, and then settled for an amount that leaves taxpayers holding the bag for $45 million.

If you're a real journalist, the story is the $45 million, not the $25 million. The other thing is, we don't know who the angel investors in the small and slightly-failing magazine are, and how the coverage may be affected by those conflicts of interest. Reporting in the magazine is reliably pro-MoCo-political-cartel, and it is their default house organ.

That's why, for the real story, you'll need to read this site, A.S.

Robert Dyer said...

7:32: Riemer isn't even mentioned in this article.

5:37: If I'd been on the Council, we wouldn't even have built this Soviet garage to begin with. Assuming I had been elected after it was already approved, I would have exercised my oversight authority as a Councilman.

Anonymous said...

Bethesda Beat: 18 articles in past two days.

Robert Dyer: 5 articles in past two days, two of which have comments blocked.

Anonymous said...

Dyer @ 5:18 - 7:32 is referring to your "Wah wah wah Hans ate my homework" excuse for having no crime report, then blocking comments on that breaking news article.

Anonymous said...

The real number is $25M, not $45M.
They were suing for damages of $20M
Damages aren't for reimbursement, they are above and beyond what was spent
The $20M was never an out-of-pocket expense for county taxpayers

It's still a huge cluster, but let's get the numbers right.

Anonymous said...

I wouldn't use # of posts published as a success metric.

Posting stuff like the infamous "f*** ton of mayo" article is nothing to brag about :)

Anonymous said...

"If I'd been on the Council, we wouldn't even have built this Soviet garage to begin with."

"Soviet" again. Irrelevant and childish remark. An expanded terminal was needed to integrate the existing Metrorail, Metrobus and Ride-On facilities, with the relocated MARC station, Greyhound bus terminal, and the coming Purple Line station, as well as to increase capacity for the former three. Would you have done nothing instead?

"Assuming I had been elected after it was already approved, I would have exercised my oversight..."

Non-answer. What specifically would you have done to prevent the construction errors and cost overruns?

Robert Dyer said...

Hysterical. Quantity of articles is hardly the measure of good journalism or compelling content. Most of the articles on the small and slightly-failing magazine are just turning around the press releases from the County that day. Why not just subscribe to the County email lists, if that's what you want to read?

In contrast, to have critical analysis and the full story (not the version the MoCo political cartel wants you to read in the magazine), residents are increasingly turning to my network of news websites.

5:32: Hans didn't eat my homework, he ate the crime data for the last week. Where is it? Isn't the County in violation of the open data law again, just as Riemer was when he illegally removed data files from the site?

5:34: That's a lie. They sued for $67 million in cost overruns and damages + $10 million in legal fees (see my article for the exact numbers), and they have now left us, the taxpayers, holding the bag for $45 million, including those $10 million in expensive lawyers. Heckuva job, Brownie!

6:12: "Childish remark?" Have you been to the damn thing? Just look at the picture of it at the top of my transit center article. Even Stalin would have rejected it. I would have done nothing, considering that I don't support the current iteration of the Purple Line, and the Transit Center is in the right-of-way for the unbuilt North Central Freeway.

Only the Council has access to the information, so how would I be able to comment on specific details? Their failure to use that information, and their oversight authority, is how we got in this mess.

Anonymous said...

"[T]he Center is in the right-of-way for the unbuilt North Central Freeway."

You are a fruitcake. No "right-of-way" was ever acquired, the proposal was taken completely off the books in 1973 and all funds related to it were redirected to Metro.

But keep on tilting at windmills. Keep on playing with your army of tin soldiers.

Robert Dyer said...

6:45: "No 'right-of-way' was ever acquired."

How do you think Montgomery County was able to build the transit center on that land, if it was "never acquired," Sherlock?

Slavery was once "on the books," and any other dumbass move by government can be corrected by future elected officials. Who needs "tin soldiers" when I have an army of readers who are fed up with the Montgomery County political cartel?

Anonymous said...

Dyer, you moron. The land on which the Sarbanes terminal sits was not acquired for the North Central Freeway. It was acquired specifically for the Silver Spring Metro station.

Robert Dyer said...

7:23: You said it was never acquired, "moron." It was acquired for the freeway, and then our Maoist County Council used it for the transit center. Your copy of the "Little Red Book" is well-worn, I'm sure.

Anonymous said...

"Hans didn't eat my homework, he ate the crime data for the last week. Where is it? Isn't the County in violation of the open data law again, just as Riemer was when he illegally removed data files from the site?"

1) Does the law compel the County to post crime (and other) data within a particular time period? If so, what is it?

2) Do you have a source for your Reimer allegations (re: removing data)?

Anonymous said...

"Our Maoist County Council used it for the transit center. Your copy of the "Little Red Book" is well-worn, I'm sure."

You are a Man-Baby. And the land was not acquired for the freeway.

Rugby said...

Wonder what Montgomery County is trying to hide by not releasing crime data?

Robert Dyer said...

8:21: It must be posted daily. My source for Riemer's lawbreaking is the Washington Post, and his own statements.

8:24: Yes it was acquired for the freeway. The Metro station wasn't even in the works back then.

Anonymous said...

No it wasn't. Nor was any other land. Quit lying.

Anonymous said...

Note well that Robert Dyer did not deny being a Man-Baby.

Anonymous said...

Don't tell me I'm lying when I'm not.

Look up what damages are. Call an attorney friend.
Damages DO NOT reimburse costs, whether paid or not.

Damages are ABOVE AND BEYOND any costs. Like pain and suffering.

County taxpayers ARE NOT on the hook for that $20M

You are the one who is mistaken (lying.)

Robert Dyer said...

9:54: Who owns Glover Archibold Park, then? Yep, that's what I thought.

10:19: Wrong! But there sure will be pain and suffering for any sitting councilmember running for office next year, when they have to explain leaving us with a $45 million tab for their transit center debacle.

#LockThemUp

Anonymous said...

Go ahead and continue to spout INCORRECT information that everyone knows is wrong.

You're the one it reflects badly on, not the rest of us who tried to help you not make a fool of yourself. Remember that. People tried to help you get it right.
I thought you'd have more integrity than that. Seems I was wrong.

Barwood Sucks said...

Are Berliner, Reamer, et al all going to say: "Well, we could have gotten millions more, but we decided to settle. It's just a few million dollars after all."
These fools will raise our taxes to pay for it I guess.

Anonymous said...

Saith St. Dyer:

"Who owns Glover Archibold Park, then? Yep, that's what I thought."

National Park Service. Who did you think it was?

"...a $45 million tab for their transit center debacle."

My God, you're a moron, Dyer. Why do you even bother engaging in conversation if every explanation goes in one ear and out the other?

#HaveHimCommited

Anonymous said...

Dyer @5:18 AM - "If I'd been on the Council, we wouldn't even have built this Soviet garage to begin with. Assuming I had been elected after it was already approved, I would have exercised my oversight authority as a Councilman."

Dyer's notion that as a long councilman he could block, deny or stop a contracted project such as the Transit Center should be noted by all. It is a complete fantasy on his part to believe he would have the authority or power to do such a thing.

What I do not doubt, however, is that if Dyer were elected to the Council, he would waste an enormous amount of Council and Council Staff time in being an impotent buttinski on hundreds of issues.

Anybody But Dyer

Fans of Impotent Buttisnki said...

Thanks for the inspiration @ 3:43. :)

Friends of Impotent Buttinski said...

@ 3:48, and "Buttinski".

Damn small screen + astigmatism.

Anonymous said...

"Eight Councilmembers voted for the resolution, and a majority of one voted against."

More likely: "Mr. Dyer moved that.... The motion died, for lack of a second."

Anonymous said...

What goes around comes around -- Politics 101

Dyer as a Councilman would find no cooperation in his efforts on any issue. Can you think of a State, County, or local civic organization that would want to ally with this polarizing blogger?

What concerns me most is that if elected Dyer would believe he had a right, if not a need, to involve himself in every aspect of County life. And he lacks any competence, temperament, judgement or wisdom to do so.

Anybody But Dyer

Anonymous said...

They'd be stuck in a death spin explaining damages over and over to no avail.

G. Money said...

5:38: But he's hired and fired musicians!

Anonymous said...

Right.........

Robert Dyer said...

12:46: You're the moron, arguing on multiple posts that land in the hands of government entities isn't in the hands of government entities. Park Police every day are guarding a federal highway facility in Bethesda, which you know as Little Falls Stream Valley Park. Wake up.

3:48: You're thinking about the way the Council operates now, where you have 9 people of the same party, and a majority of them within the same MoCo cartel faction of the Democratic Party.

So the discussion is very one-sided. Of course I alone could not win a 1-8 vote. However, if I can bring the missing arguments into the discussion, and slice and dice the arguments of the Council as I do when I debate them in elections, the press and public would then have that information in front of them. I can also tear apart stooges who come in to testify by cross-examining them. I was so effective at that in the Hearing Examiner phase on the Little Falls Place development, they had to delete most of the transcript to cover up all the stuff I brought out in the open, like the head of the development firm finally admitting - UNDER OATH - that the firm had lied about holding public meetings on the development.

5:14: Unlike me, you've never been an elected official on a body that votes on things. So, understandably, you don't comprehend how that works. There are issues I agree on with some on the Council, and some that I don't. In exchange for a needed vote on one of their issues, a smart Councilmember might very well vote for one of my priorities. That's how legislative bodies work.

4:57: In 2018, Hans Riemer will be in a "death spin explaining" why he left taxpayers with a $45 million tab for the transit center.

5:15: Damn right I have, unlike the Council, where only Sid Katz has any real=world business experience.

5:35: Said in the voice of a guy who's never accomplished anything other than drinking happy hour beers in disheveled Gap clothes after picking up laundry for the County Council. Sad!

Anna Van Horn said...

Nope, sorry. Just me again @5:35.
Did not realize that "right" would set you off so badly.
Live and learn.
Save that lovely insult for your alleged nemesis.

Not $45M. You can't be out of pocket for money never spent.
The rest of us tried to help you not make a fool of yourself. Remember that.

Anonymous said...

"Park Police every day are guarding a federal highway facility in Bethesda, which you know as Little Falls Stream Valley Park. Wake up."

Breaking news: Park police guarding a park!

And it's not federal land and never was.

Anonymous said...

Also, the word you want is "patrolling", not "guarding". No one's going to steal that park.

Anonymous said...

I love the way 5:35's one word triggers a 29-word response from Dyer.

Robert Dyer said...

7:27: Just shows how little you know. In fact, the federal government has authority over Little Falls Stream Valley Park, as it was set aside as a highway facility. When MoCo sold a chunk of the park to EYA, the sale had to be approved by the NCPC. You know, the "FEDERAL planning agency for the nation's capital."

7:29: The bicycle brigade of the MoCo cartel recently did steal part of the park, closing down 50% of the roadway taxpayers paid for.

7:15: Don't you think it's strange that your position on every issue is identical to those of the paid troll? While you're defending the County on the Silver Spring Transit Center debacle(!), do you want to put in a good word for Barwood Cab and the cable company?

Anonymous said...

http://www.montgomeryparks.org/parks-and-trails/little-falls-stream-valley-park/

Robert Dyer said...

8:26: What's the point of the link? The federal government still has final say over the parkland, as it's a highway right-of-way.

Anna Van Horn said...

8:16AM No, I don't think it's strange but obviously you do.
I'm not defending the county. I am trying to help you. You don't want to believe me and are too stubborn to ask anyone you do trust.

There's no reason to throw the tired old cab and cable BS at me as an attempt to insult me. What purpose does it serve? It doesn't insult me and it doesn't make you look good. So what's the point?


Daily Game:Don't confuse Popularity with Respect...

Anonymous said...

I hope Robert does have someone he feels comfortable talking about his problems with. This man is mentally deranged and I would not be surprised if losing in 2018 causes him to snap.

Robert Dyer said...

7:49: And the evidence that I am "deranged" would be....? Is it my successful news sites that so many are copying and trying to compete with? Is it the fact that I was on the Dean's list every semester in college? All clear signs of clinical derangement, I'm sure! What a nutjob.

Anonymous said...

So how exactly does your career as a "recording artist" and "administrative assistant" relate to your degree in Latin American History?

Robert Dyer said...

8:24: Actually quite well. I've recorded Spanish-language material, and my knowledge of Latin America is a tremendous asset as an activist and candidate in Montgomery County. In comparison, Helpless Hans and the rest of our current County Council think watching "Maid in Manhattan" makes you an expert on Latino issues.

"Cuando driving tu carro, fasteno your seato belto." - Random County Councilmember on the Council's Spanish radio station they illegally control

#LockThemUp

Bill Castner said...

Dyer @ 8:16 AM - "7:29: The bicycle brigade of the MoCo cartel recently did steal part of the park, closing down 50% of the roadway taxpayers paid for."

It is news to us all that bicycle riders do not have to pay taxes.
It is news to us all that the creation of bike lanes is a theft of property by the County.

Good luck in any future election with a platform plank to remove all bike lanes in the County to stop this theft to taxpayers.

Good luck in any future election with a platform plank that current Council members should be locked up for having stolen County property for the creation of bike lanes.

Robert Dyer said...

8:47: None of this is true. There are already bike lanes and trails on and around Little Falls Parkway. What happened is, the Parks department illegally used trail maintenance funds for a "road diet" project on the Parkway. Those funds can only be used to maintain trails, not for road projects.

They did not create bike lanes, as they already exist. What they did do was shut down 2 of the 4 lanes on the parkway that taxpayers paid to build, intentionally causing backups and creating a new safety hazard with all of the poles blocking the view of people emerging from the trail.

The Council has oversight, and so far has not objected to this illegal use of taxpayer funds. They could be jailed for that. I never said they would be jailed for creating bike lanes. That is a total fiction on your part.

I've never, ever stated that "all bike lanes" should be removed. In fact, it is illegal under Maryland state law to remove an existing bike facility without replacing it. I knew that, and the Council did not during a debate.

Might help to have councilmembers who know the law, and also know when it's being broken.

G. Money said...

6:04: Hiring and firing musicians isn't proof of any sort of business experience. People hire musicians all the time for weddings, corporate events, etc. Sometimes they fire them as well. Does anyone planning a wedding therefore have business experience?

You hired and fired musicians to play with you on a self-made metal album, right? So how is that a business? Did you make any money on it? What does firing musicians tell us, other than that you did a poor job of hiring? Why were they fired?

Anonymous said...

At what local venues have you or your band played? What songs did you play there?

Anonymous said...

"[T]he Council's Spanish radio station they illegally control... #LockThem Up"

I'd love to know what this bit of random gibberish is about.

Robert Dyer said...

7:53: The County Council is using taxpayer money in a deal with Radio America WACA 1540 AM to take control of their airwaves at least once a week to broadcast propaganda featuring the Council.

It is a political use (one recent episode's topic was Donald Trump, with George Leventhal weighing in as a valiant hero who would protect immigrants from the "evil dictator Trump") funded with taxpayer money.

Importantly, political challengers are not allowed to appear on this program, and there is no "equal time," an FCC violation.

#LockThemUp

Anonymous said...

You could not be more wrong. Everyone thanks you for that comedic treasure.

Robert Dyer said...

7:42: Explain how I'm wrong. Everything just stated is a fact.

#LockThemUp

Anonymous said...

Did Leventhal actually say "evil dictator Trump"?

Anonymous said...

"Council's Spanish radio station they illegally control"

Lie.

Anonymous said...

The FCC's "Equal Time" Rule pertains only to candidates making campaign statements, not to goverment officials giving news announcements via the airwaves.

Robert Dyer said...

10:16: And "Donald Trump is a very, very bad man" is a Montgomery County government "news announcement?"

No, sir.

George Leventhal is an active candidate for County Executive, and he was using the airtime to make campaign statements about the president.

Illegal.

#LockThemUp

10:01: Truth. You can't campaign using taxpayer money, and political broadcasts must have equal time under FCC rules.

#LockThemUp

Anonymous said...

Leventhal is not running against Trump, and Trump is in fact a very very bad man.

Robert Dyer said...

8:20: Leventhal (and others) are campaigning on the radio station using taxpayer money. Not only do they need to compensate the taxpayers by paying for their airtime, but under FCC rules, they must give election challengers equal time.

This will be an issue in the 2018 campaign, for sure. Especially because the radio station is privately-owned, and doesn't even have the veneer of being a "public access channel," which are already abused by the Council.

#LockThemUp

Anonymous said...

"political broadcasts must have equal time under FCC rules."

Wrong. If that were actually true, Rush Limbaugh's show would never have been allowed on the air.

Robert Dyer said...

12:07: Wrong again. Rush Limbaugh isn't holding or running for office. The Council program is campaigning by active candidates, and demands equal time under FCC rules. They also cannot use taxpayer funds to campaign on the radio.