Thursday, February 01, 2018

Regency Centers unveils revised plan for Westbard property (Video+Photos)

Questions raised over
private meetings between
developer, groups

Developer Regency Centers held a required public meeting last night to unveil a revised plan for the redevelopment of property it owns along Westbard Avenue and Ridgefield Road. The new plan would stagger the construction of new buildings over a longer period of years than the original Equity One plan, which envisioned an almost-overnight transformation. It also promises, for now, a reduction of 350 units. Three buildings have been postponed, but two of those could be built at any time, and the third in 2027, unless Regency were to buy out tenant Bowlmor Lanes before then.
Illustration shows buildings removed
from the immediate plan; all 3 could
still be built in the future
Downplayed were the remaining two residential buildings that Regency will still build where Westwood Center II and Citgo I are located, and an EYA townhome development on the Manor Care site across Ridgefield. None of those structures were depicted in the renderings displayed at the back of the room last night at Westland Middle School in Bethesda, only in the massing illustration above that showed which buildings are being removed from the immediate plan.

Some of the housing units from the north side of Westbard are being shuffled over to the Westwood (Giant) Shopping Center property, to the floors above Regency's ground floor retail tenants. Parking will be structured, but a certain number of spaces will be available on open air rooftop parking levels. Residents at the shopping center will have their own residential parking on one level below their building. No numbers were given for how many residential and retail parking spaces will be provided in total.
Illustration of staging for
Phase I of the redevelopment,
which will keep all businesses in
place during construction of the new
Giant building, except Rite Aid and
Capital One Bank
Around late 2021, new Giant
(at left) standing next to existing
Giant store

There was good news and bad news for the popular small businesses in the shopping center. The good news is that Regency has proposed staging that will allow their portion of the shopping center to remain in place until the new building that will be anchored by a new Giant store is completed. The bad news is that no details were given on how many of those spaces in that Giant building will be for them to relocate into when the rest of the strip mall is demolished. Likewise, no promises were announced on making the rents for existing tenants affordable in the redeveloped center, and what the terms and commitments will be.
Phase I redevelopment plan for
Westwood Shopping Center

Regency was mum on the issue of the Moses African Cemetery, a historic black cemetery located on the Westwood Tower property. That property was sold by Regency to the Montgomery County Housing Opportunities Commission in December. The revelation that Regency had private meetings with some community leaders in recent months stirred many questions among the crowd. No snub generated more outrage among attendees than the exclusion of Macedonia Baptist Church, which is the last remaining structure from a lost black community on River Road, founded by former slaves from the adjacent Loughborough plantation after Maryland Emancipation.

Macedonia's Social Justice Director Marsha Coleman-Adebayo noted that all of the groups Regency met with were white, and that Macedonia received no communication from the developer about arranging a meeting. Past members of the church are buried in the Moses cemetery, and the church represents the descendants of those buried in it, as well.

"This is not the 1950s," Coleman-Adebayo said to a representative of Regency Centers. "You do not get to have segregated meetings in Bethesda, Maryland," she said to applause from the crowd that packed the room. There was disagreement over whether Regency would still have an access or parking easement on the cemetery site, even though it has sold the land. Coleman-Adebayo and church attorney Michele Rosenfeld's analysis suggested this would be the case; Regency denied the possibility, but did not otherwise respond to church officials' questions.
Regency claims the new plan will feature
350 fewer housing units than Equity One's;
that translates into 875 fewer people at Westbard
Several attendees demanded to know which groups Regency Centers had met with privately before last night. Regency said the groups were the Citizens Coordinating Committee on Friendship Heights, the Little Falls Watershed Association, Kenwood Place condominiums, Kenwood, and the Springfield Civic Association. Several Springfield residents challenged the latter assertion, noting that no meeting had been held. Regency amended the claim to say that they had met privately with the immediate past President of the Springfield Civic Association, Phyllis Edelman.
Regency said their new plan was partly inspired by a CCCFH blueprint drawn up by a couple of graduate students in 2009. That plan was panned by myself and others at the time, for being too urban and too big for a suburban area like Westbard, which is too far from Metro to qualify as transit-oriented development. It resembled Metro-proximate Bethesda Row, and in fact, the Regency plan as shown currently is actually less dense than the CCCFH 2009 proposal was. One recommendation by the Springfield Civic Association remains in the new plan, which is the realignment of Westbard Avenue to bypass Ridgefield Road to directly connect to River Road. Edelman had sought the realignment to reduce cut-through traffic into Springfield, and to correct the poorly-engineered turning angle that causes major problems for trucks making the right turn from River onto Ridgefield today.
Residents had asked since 2014 to keep one of the gas stations on Westbard Avenue, and the new plan will temporarily do that. But Regency would not commit last night to another major request from the community, to bury power lines along Westbard Avenue. This was often touted by Montgomery County officials as a benefit of redevelopment, and it was characterized as a requirement. Officials declined to force Regency or predecessor Equity One to underground the lines, leaving the decision in Regency's hands.
Springfield Neighborhood Park
In terms of green space, technically, the new plan increases the "civic green" to a half-acre. "In your generosity, you've gone from a third of an acre to a half-acre of green space - that's huge!" resident Sue Schumacher exuded sarcastically, eliciting a roar of laughter from the crowd. In reality, and when looked at in scale, the civic green still remains a lesser piece of the development. The Springfield Neighborhood Park is retained from Equity One's plan, and will be on what is today a parking area directly behind backyards on Ridgefield. Regency also said it will cede land strips to the County for the Willett Branch Greenway, but those were not illustrated on the displays, which focused on the Westwood Shopping Center.
One key difference in the new plan, is that Regency is using standard method development, instead of optional method. Not only does this somewhat simplify their approval process, but it also means they only have to provide 12.5% affordable housing, instead of the 15% under optional. That alone has reduced the number of units.
What are the takeaways from last night's unveiling?

1. The Save Westbard lawsuit was a winning move. While the neighborhood is still getting development far too dense and urban for a suburban neighborhood two miles from the nearest Metro station, the lawsuit clearly had a major impact for the better. The alternative many civic associations had voted on was to accept the "Berliner compromise" Equity One plan, and try to work with the developer. By funding and backing the lawsuit, the total 3000+ residents and cars that would have come into the neighborhood in about three years have been delayed perhaps up to a decade.

Unlike the Berliner compromise, the beloved small businesses in the Westwood Shopping Center now get to live another day, at least for two or three more years. Without the lawsuit, they would all have been closing this year. That is another big, temporary win if you are one of those business owners, workers or customers, and that alone was worth the money residents donated to the lawsuit (now we have to continue to press Regency on behalf of those businesses to ensure they get a fair shot at returning in the new property). Thanks to the lawsuit, the Giant building now appears to have small retail units those businesses could move into when the main part of the strip mall is demolished.

Thanks to the lawsuit, there will be more open-air parking available, where the Berliner compromise had virtually none. There will be a half-acre civic green instead of a third-of-an-acre, as laughable as that remains. There will be a gas station until 2027 next to Bowlmor, a key neighborhood amenity. 

Staging is really the key difference that the lawsuit achieved, even without a verdict yet. While there will still be significant traffic problems, the new crush of students generated by this Regency plan will be more staggered by a few years. So it can definitively be said that, while there is little popularity even for the new Regency plan, money spent on the lawsuit was money well spent. None of these key changes would have occurred by simply capitulating to the Berliner compromise.
2. Don't celebrate just yet. There is a bit of shell game here, depending how honest Regency and Montgomery County are being with us. Remember, HOC has approvals to build two buildings on its property right now, and could file for those at any time. What if Regency bought out Bowlmor's lease next year? Equity One previously announced they were delaying the tallest building proposed because they had discovered that Bowlmor's lease ran until 2027 (Last night, Regency claimed it runs for 20 years - unless Bowlmor reupped, which Equity One would never have allowed them to do, that has to be 20 years from 2007). And what if Regency files for that using optional method, with 15% or more affordable housing? Depending what configuration the HOC and Bowlmor site building ultimately take, with units now added to the shopping center site, could we end up with as many or more units under this plan as in Equity One's? What if Regency waits until a Purple Line extension to Westbard is "surprisingly" announced, and gets transit-station-level density through an amendment? Those questions are not answerable this morning, but there's at least a good chance that the overwhelming number proposed originally is at least postponed five to ten years.
3. The cemetery issue was left on the table. Regency was smart from a business standpoint to unload the Westwood Tower site to HOC. But by failing to simply sit down with Macedonia Baptist Church, rip the band-aid off and meet their demands to get this poisonous issue off the table going forward, the cemetery is going to remain a festering embarrassment for Regency and Montgomery County officials. In the grand scheme of things, it would have been a minor expense. Now, despite handing off the cemetery to supreme stonewaller HOC, Regency is still going to have their name in the press related to the cemetery. Macedonia is seeking reparations from the $20 million payday Regency got for selling their ancestors along with the cemetery, and even PNC Bank is now on the hot seat for financing the sale of those ancestors. Again, if you are a public official or a national company like Regency or PNC, for God's sake, just rip off the band-aid. This is going to balloon into a national scandal, with racial issues at the forefront, the way it's going right now.
4. Capital Properties is still waiting in the wings. They have 500-some units pre-approved under the Westbard sector plan for the Residences at the Capital Crescent Trail Because The Longest Apartment Building Name Ever is Better For Marketing Than "Park Bethesda" site.
The half-acre "civic green,"
which runs parallel to the major
access road for the center
5. The lawsuit. If the judge returns the Westbard sector plan to the Planning Board and County Council, all bets are off, although Regency attorney Erin Girard told County Executive candidate Robin Ficker last night that such a result would have no impact on their plan. Stay tuned!
6. Missed opportunities. Rather than stick with the general massing of Equity One's plan for the shopping center site, and the CCCFH plan, Regency could have scored major points by reconfiguring the massing to allow for a larger central park, which the retail and townhomes would have wrapped around. Equity One made an even bigger gaffe in 2014, by not bending Westbard Avenue to create enough room for a large park and water feature (such as a man-made lake or waterfall that could have been a nicely-disguised part of stormwater management) on one side. Instead, both developers have given us the three-boxes configuration.

Likewise, while the architecture depicted by Regency is a very slight improvement over the Equity One renderings, it is still not distinctive at all. It also doesn't reflect its location in a suburban, residential area. It looks very urban. Regency did mention the possibility of using the local stone similar to that found in homes and buildings in the area. But looking at the renderings right now, much more needs to be done to create a sense of place. What in these images says, "I'm at Westbard" or "Westwood Shopping Center?" vs. any other cookie cutter mixed-use development? Where is the Bethesda Lane? Where is the Muse Alley? The key test for any new urbanist development: Where is the spot that people will post selfies of themselves on Instagram at? If you don't have one, you've failed design-wise.

There's definitely still time for Regency to address these flaws, and improve the development.
EYA townhomes behind
the new shopping center



If you know how many cars pass
in and out of the two access points now
at Westwood Shopping Center, it's
hard to imagine sitting next to that
continuous stream of exhaust as
a pleasant "park" environment

Will there be enough parking?
We don't know yet

Regency says this "Jewel Box"
will be a coffee shop where
people will want to "linger"
outside with their coffees; a small
water feature is depicted

Civic green portion below the
Jewel Box

Continuing down the
civic green toward
Westbard Avenue



87 comments:

  1. Anonymous6:50 AM

    "The Save Westbard lawsuit was a winning move"

    Lol keep telling yourself that. It's more like the new buyer didn't want to expose itself to that much risk building all those units in a non-transit accessible neighborhood on the outskirts of Bethesda.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous7:10 AM

    I don't get it -- Regency sold off the land with the supposed cemetery. Why go after Regency when they no longer own the land?

    Using that logic, should't the church go after the original seller in the 1950s instead?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous7:13 AM

    Thanks for a great analysis!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous7:15 AM

    The Adebayos are Carpetbaggers. She is from Detroit, he is from Nigeria.

    ReplyDelete
  5. 7:15: Very few on the County Council or running for it are natives of Montgomery County - your point is?

    7:10: They made $20 million off of selling a cemetery that was part of a very public dispute for the last year.

    6:50: I don't have to "tell myself," all I have to do is review all the changes in the plan the lawsuit created. All I have to do is visit the dry cleaners or Westwood Pet Center in 2020, which would have otherwise been a hole in the ground without the lawsuit.

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  6. Anonymous7:21 AM

    Hopefully Bethesda residents will stay strong and united and get the best deal possible from the out of town developer.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous7:25 AM

    I still don't get it. If I own a piece of land, and I sell it, I'm generally no longer liable. Who cares the profit I made from selling it? That's not material.

    Now if they are contesting the seller didn't own the land in the first place and thus had no right to sell, that's a different story, but from what I understand that is not being contested.

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  8. Anonymous7:27 AM

    @ 7:21 AM - Westbard is only a tiny part of Bethesda.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous7:33 AM

      7:27am pretty substantial part.

      Delete
  9. Anonymous7:29 AM

    Have you thought of having a website makeover? This layout and scrolling on and on to read your post and pics, especially post this long, is not conducive to keeping readers attention. There are more visually stimulating and informative designs you should consider updating to.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous7:31 AM

    You complaining losers just made it worst!!! You complain about everything, all the old folks and losers like Dyer that don't have real jobs are complaining because they have nothing to do during the day, everything is a complaint now you have 2 giant parking structures good job losers!!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Maloney Concrete7:35 AM

      7:31am who are the intelligentsia that you think should decide everything for Bethesda residents?

      Delete
  11. Anonymous7:34 AM

    @7:33 Not really. Substantial parts of Bethesda would be the downtown area and Montgomery Mall area. Westbard is a strip mall among many.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous7:39 AM

      7:34am You admit Montgomery Mall is in Bethesda. You're making progress!

      Delete
    2. Montgomery Mall is not Bethesda. "North Bethesda" is not Bethesda.

      Delete
  12. Anonymous7:35 AM

    "Very few on the County Council or running for it are natives of Montgomery County - your point is?"

    Sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. If you use the term for some, you need to use it for all, Mr. Virginian.

    "They made $20 million off of selling a cemetery"

    I'm confused - are you saying that they made a profit of $20 million just for selling the part of that property that was alleged to have been the cemetery? Or a profit of $20 million on the sale of the whole property? Or that they sold the whole property for $20 million?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 7:35am Dyer is a life long Bethesda resident. I know you're angry about that part of his bio, but facts are facts.

      Delete
  13. Race-baiting is repugnant.

    ReplyDelete
  14. 7:35: You're the carpetbagger who doesn't understand that hardly any lifelong resident of Bethesda in modern times is born in Bethesda - Suburban Hospital doesn't offer those services, idiot.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Anonymous8:25 AM

    8:11 AM Give it up. Why do you insist on debating facts like that Dyer is a lifelong Bethesda resident?

    ReplyDelete
  16. Anonymous8:39 AM

    Expect increased troll activity/anonymous attacks from the developer's PR firm.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Anonymous8:51 AM

    I don't work with the developer or the PR firm. I am so fed up with these geezers who think it's still 1960 in Bethesda. The plan looks great and Westbard needs it exactly. These professional protestors will never be satisfied. Good luck to the developer. I hope they prevail against these whiny babies. Oh hello Robin Ficker. You stink too. Go get banned from another ball game why don't you?

    ReplyDelete
  18. Anonymous9:11 AM

    All the pathetic people who troll this site should just go away. Robert, I didn't understand the parking for Giant; is it multi-level (up or down) or just street level? It looks like there will be no underground parking, please correct me if I am wrong, thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anonymous9:13 AM

    @8:51 - Who's complaining? I don't see one post with any comments except for a group who attack Dyer in the most infantile way. Where are the geezer posts?

    ReplyDelete
  20. Anonymous9:15 AM

    Thanks very much for posting this information, Robert.

    ReplyDelete
  21. 9:11: It appears to be structured parking, where you can park on a covered parking deck on the lower part, or you can park on the rooftop that is open to the air, and walk into the store (apparently you take an elevator up, if you are coming from the lower levels).

    The only underground parking is one level under the apartment building, for residents only.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Anonymous10:00 AM

    Why does Dyer keep deleting comments that note that Holy Cross, Sibley, Takoma Adventist, Georgetown, GW, Washington Hospital Center and Providence Hospital are all closer than Alexandria?

    ReplyDelete
  23. Anonymous10:18 AM

    10:00 AM I'm sure the choice of where Dyer was delivered as a baby will be riveting chapter in your biography of Dyer. Now, back to the topic at hand (Westbard).

    ReplyDelete
  24. Anonymous10:20 AM

    10:00: Why don't you actually comment on the topic of the article, or shut up and go away? Nobody wants to hear your irrelevant babbling. Bob is 10x the man you are.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Anonymous10:44 AM

    They should to parking like the Giant on Arlington Road. Some surface parking, then plenty more on a garage directly under it. Take your pick.

    I prefer the garage, especially on cold days.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Agreed. I prefer shopping at Safeway and Harris Teeter because of the garage parking.

      Delete
  26. Anonymous10:50 AM

    Lots of cheering on The Short Bus for Robbie Retardo.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Anonymous11:02 AM

    that robin ficker delivers for you web site is hilarious considering the stupid things robin said about the pizza murderer. "he didn't do it. he doesn't like pizza." Yes, robin really delivers the nonsense.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Anonymous12:28 PM

    So this will take something like a decade to build out, then? How crappy. At least it'll give the NIMBYs a chance to die off before their precious acres of asphalt go away.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Anonymous12:55 PM

    12:32PM
    20817 zip code is Bethesda. Sorry.


    ReplyDelete
  30. Anonymous2:10 PM

    @12:32 Montgomery Mall is indeed Bethesda. The address is 7101 Democracy Blvd, Bethesda, MD 20817.

    In fact, the main Bethesda carrier post office, that serves all of 20817, is next to Home Depot right across from Montgomery Mall. You can't get more Bethesda than that.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Anonymous4:30 PM

    Westbard clearly needs one of the Trump children to negotiate a better deal. Keeping overhead power lines is no improvement. Enlarging greenspace from 1/4 to 1/3 acre is no victory and a complete joke to many. Make Westbard Great Again!

    ReplyDelete
  32. Anonymous5:59 PM

    Thank you for this very informative post, Robert. My question is about the cemetery. I understand it is now owned by HOC. What should the HOC do now, in your opinion? Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Anonymous8:13 PM

    If 6:06 PM religiously reads every piece of content Robert Dyer produces, I consider him a fan, not a troll.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Anonymous9:45 PM

    I'm surprised that a Retard like 8:13 could spell "religiously". Maybe he will get promoted from The Short Bus.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Anonymous10:39 PM

    First, thanks to Dyer for this analysis, which is far more complete and balanced than Bethesda Beat's. Dyer's account parallels what I heard at the meeting. The Bethesda Beat article is pretty much the developer's pitch, without caveats.

    A few points:

    -Westbard area residents need to put this plan in context. The Residences at Capital Crescent Trail will add 500 units. HOC could add around 120 units on its site, before any density bonuses. Add in Regency's 524 units and we're up to 1144 units-- only 17% less than originally proposed. That's a small reduction in residential units, not a sizable one.

    -Regency stated that Bowlmor would remain at its site under its long-term lease with Regency and invest in its business. What we don't know is what Bowlmor is empowered to do under its lease. Is Bowlmor entitled to expand its premises or build a new structure on its site? Remember: the site is zoned for a 110 foot residential tower (122 feet with density bonus.). The 110 foot residential tower can probably accommodate an estimated 200 housing units. The $1,000,000 question: will Bowlmor (or Regency) let that zoning go to waste? Hard to believe. If Bowlmor is entitled to expand its premises or build on its site, what will be built and how will the neighborhood be affected? Same question if Regency opts to buy out Bowlmor's lease-- which Equity One obviously intended to do.

    Westbard residents need to pause and evaluate this new scenario very carefully. It's not as if we haven't been sold down the Willett Branch before.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Anonymous10:58 PM

    RE the vile comments about the Adebayos, Macedonia Baptist Church and race-baiting:

    -The Adebayos have lived in the DC area for decades. Macedonia Baptist Church has been on River Road for the better part of 100 years. There is no justification for Regency failing to reach out to Macedonia and its leadership-- the Adebayos, Harvey Mathews and others-- at the same time that other stakeholders were consulted. To contend otherwise is a racist stance, and I do not use this term lightly.

    -To charge those who point this out with race-baiting is despicable. Macedonia Baptist Church has an important and credible concern about the treatment of the Westbard cemetery site. The site was acquired and owned until recently by Regency Centers, and now by the Housing Opprtunities Commission. Both of these organizations say that they want to be responsive to community concerns and recognize the history of the site. The church and its supporters are correct to demand that Regency and HOC give their words meaning and help to memorialize the cemetery and the African-American community that surrounded it.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Anonymous5:30 AM

    I lived in Springfield for many years.....the neighborhood is filled with. too many "do-gooders." I moved away from that part of town because of these self apporinted do gooders

    ReplyDelete
  38. 11:09: Only Ken Hartman and Regency theirs was better. But, seriously, how did their article exclude the quote of the night from Marsha Coleman-Adebayo? In fact, their article did not include any of the more devastating quotes regarding the cemetery. Those were easily among the most newsworthy points of the night.

    5:30: What were the "do-gooders" doing good at that made you leave?

    5:59: What HOC should do is, first, permanently cancel any plan to build on top of the cemetery. Second, they should allow for the cemetery delineation archaeological study the church has been asking for all along - but which the Planning Department actively worked to prevent. Third, Regency, HOC and Montgomery County should sit down with the church and work out a plan for the future of the cemetery and a museum, if not on the cemetery itself, perhaps in the retail unit that was set aside for Montgomery County government in the Westbard sector plan. It was stated that this unit would be reserved for whatever Montgomery County determined was the best use at that future date. Perhaps this would be the best use, as part of a comprehensive solution to restore dignity, and commemorate this sacred site and the legacy of slavery and the lost black community in Bethesda.

    ReplyDelete
  39. Anonymous5:47 AM

    The county should eat the cost of the land and proposed improvements?

    ReplyDelete
  40. 10:44: This will be something like that, except in this case, the Giant will be on the highest level of the building. So instead of the surface parking and store being at ground level like Bethesda Row, they both will be on the second or third floor - rooftop parking, essentially.

    After using the Safeway garage at 5000 Bradley, I've come to greatly appreciate the garage option when it is raining or cold myself. I think I will like having that option at Westwood, although I'm skeptical as to how many open spaces will be on the rooftop. And the turning ratios have to fit the big SUVs.

    The downside is that it is going to take longer to park, just the nature of a busy parking garage. It only takes about a minute to park and get in the store at Westwood now. It isn't much worse at Safeway on Bradley, but that's because, frankly, they have fewer customers than the Westbard Giant at any given time.

    ReplyDelete
  41. 5:47: First, they should find out which landowner sold the land without disclosing the cemetery. Park & Planning records indicate Tauber knew - did the Taubers tell Capital Properties when they sold that land to them? If so, did Capital tell Equity One?

    A crime was committed - one actually considered a crime against humanity by the international community. So we have to bring the folks responsible to justice.

    Then those entities should bear the cost, in my opinion. And Regency Centers just got $20 million for selling the bodies, knowing full well they were under there. Of course, they had to sell under HOC's contract. Everybody involved, including the County, shares blame here.

    So everyone is going to have to chip in, if the criminal parties who desecrated the cemetery - and failed to disclose the cemetery in a land sale - can't be brought to justice at this late date.

    ReplyDelete
  42. Saying they "got $20 million for selling the bodies" is not only ridiculous blame-leveling (that's never helpful), but incomplete information. Was there profit? How much did Regency pay for that portion? If they sold for $20M what was their cost basis? You need to know that too.

    You can't say for certain there are still graves there. By indications there could be, but there is no definitive confirmation; there just isn't. Until there is, most of your argument is speculation.

    See, you have these good ideas, like your response to 5:59, then you torch it with conspiracies, wild speculation and shame-blaming opinion.

    ReplyDelete
  43. Anonymous7:28 AM

    6:49 AM: "...a trip to the UN socialist one-world-government slammer." LOL

    ReplyDelete
  44. 7:25: You're the conspiracy theorist on this one. All legal records and documents indicate there are still bodies there. You have to go through a legal process to relocate graves. No such process was ever initiated for this cemetery. Therefore, to the law, the bodies are still there. All you have on your side is speculation, absolutely no documents. End of story.

    7:28: You forget, as George Warcrimes Bush proved, Americans with power don't get tried in international court. "LOL"

    ReplyDelete
  45. Like I said, by indications there could be (here's where your legal docs come in). But, the land was disturbed previously, and by people's memories, bodies were removed and...well, not treated respectfully.

    So. That's the truth. There may be, there could be, there should be...but without research/testing, you cannot say for certain they still are there.

    If you can't open your mind enough to see this, then you could be hurting the cause more than helping it.

    ReplyDelete
  46. Now, what about the cost basis of that $20 million sale?

    ReplyDelete
  47. Anonymous7:43 AM

    Oh, Dyer... the world - let alone Montgomery County or even Bethesda - does not revolve around Westbard. Someone wanting to build on your molehill is not the equivalent of the Iraq War. Try to develop some sense of perspective and proportion.

    ReplyDelete
  48. Anonymous7:45 AM

    All Dyer has is documents, no bodies. End of story. LOL

    ReplyDelete
  49. 7:39: I'm not hurting the cause to fact check the fake news assertion that the bodies were removed. It's a talking point, but a false one. It's pretty clear from the testimony of Mr. Bonds and the architect's son that a certain number of bodies were discovered while digging. The architect illegally re-interred a few at another black cemetery. But after finding 12, someone gave the order to relocate any further bodies down the slope from the building site. In a mass grave, by all indications. So they, and the undisturbed remains under the asphalt areas, are still there. The only ones they had to move were those within the footprint of the building. The cemetery is much larger than that.

    However, put all of that testimony aside, and the legal documents alone prove the bodies are still there.

    7:43: Can you at least go on the record that you don't believe desecration of graves is a crime against humanity?

    What I find so fascinating, is that the progressive liberals who claim I have a "political axe to grind" are criticizing me for pointing out the racist, right-wing and criminal things Montgomery County officials and their crony donors are doing! Do they believe in progressive values, or not?

    I could understand if I was posting about abortion or gun rights that these few folks would be upset. But it's remarkable how a so-called Democrat like you are strongly defending the desecration of black cemeteries by a $4B out-of-state corporation.

    You're going to be sitting at the kids' table at the next Democratic dinner, old sport!

    7:45: And the documents prove the bodies are there. End of story. You have ZIPPO documents to back up your racist spin.

    ReplyDelete
  50. The documents prove nothing. Because of the undocumented disturbances, they can only infer.
    You yourself just wrote it "by all indications."
    And yes, by henny-pennying and/or focusing on tangents, more harm than good could result.

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  51. Perfect example: where in 7:45's comment to you see racism?

    Your comment "You have ZIPPO documents to back up your racist spin." brings an unnecessary yet volatile "spin."

    ReplyDelete
  52. 8:34: Legal documents don't matter? Your theories and fake rumors trump legal documents? I thought you said people are relying on you for financial advice! For a court, legal documents are all that matters, and there are NONE showing removal of bodies.

    ReplyDelete
  53. This is pretty telling:

    First, off you have to get in an insult.

    Next, you change my words, accuse me of things I didn't say.

    And finally, you completely outed yourself as the "anonymous" poster who snarks at my work abilities.

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  54. Now, what about the cost basis of that $20 million sale?

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  55. Anonymous10:41 AM

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colma,_California#San_Francisco_cemetery_relocations

    "Colma [California] became the site for numerous cemeteries after San Francisco outlawed new interments within city limits in 1900, then evicted all existing cemeteries in 1912. Approximately 150,000 bodies were moved between 1920 and 1941 at a cost of $10 per grave and marker. Those who could not or did not afford the fee were reburied in mass graves, and the markers were recycled in various San Francisco public works."

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  56. Anonymous10:47 AM

    Dyer, do you think that the remains should be "respectfully" left piled up under a parking lot?

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  57. Anonymous11:04 AM

    In terms of Bethesda media, were are in 2018 AD.
    AD meaning "After Dyer".

    Before Dyer, we never had detailed reporting and analysis every step of the way for a particular redevelopment plan.

    Thank you Robert!

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  58. Anonymous12:06 PM

    11:04 - Please wipe your chin.

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  59. Anonymous2:47 PM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  60. Anonymous3:07 PM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  61. 3:07/2:47: Your biggest problem, neanderthal: none of what you are posting says the things you claim it says, *****.

    You totally make things up, which is called defamation, and I will sue the pants off you and anyone else who engages in such defamatory language.

    In the process, you have also endorsed a domestic terrorist group, and the use of violence and homicide against people who have different political opinions from you. Nice work, moron. And you say you're a Hans Riemer supporter? Wow, people need to rexamine a Councilman who has supporters like this.

    There's only so much longer you can hide behind that computer screen. I will find you. And then you're going to prison for felony threats, harassment, stalking, and defamation. Maybe Hans can give you some tips from his jail episode, *****.

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  62. At some point, I may have to actually put out a financial reward for the identity of this bigot. I know somebody reading this knows who this troll is. Just give me the name, so we can get this racist guy off the street, and into a jail cell where he belongs.

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  63. 9:03: You're the one who outed yourself. As the Natty Bo/Bart Simpson anonymous Twitter account guy, who defames me on Twitter. Because that is who I was battling on Rockville Nights on these topics, and you forgot you were under a different identity. #Oops

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  64. Anonymous6:52 AM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  65. 6:52: Exactly, and those direct quotes did not say what you claimed I had said. An argument about the legality of a group's actions is not an endorsement of the group.

    Come on, "Natty Bo," you know that.

    You just defamed me again. The City was held responsible for its failures in the official report, which totally backed up what I said. Whatever actions the suspect took are a separate issue from the city's failures.

    Be careful, Natty Bo, or you'll be in court once your identity is exposed. Thank God there were men who founded the country who weren't gutless cowards like you, that I have a right to criticize my government - a right which you would take away. Yet, the founders had the guts to sign their names, not hide behind a computer monitor with a Bart Simpson avatar.

    It's been a bad year for you. I understand that. But don't take it out on people like me, who unlike you, are actually in the streets fighting for justice and the community. Not in a dark room taking defamatory pot shots at people who are actually getting stuff done.

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  66. Anonymous7:27 AM

    Robert Dyer August 16, 2017 at 11:00 PM

    "We don't yet know all the facts about that tragic incident. What we do know for sure, is that his car should never have been able to drive on that street to begin with. Had the street been barricaded off, as the police chief has now admitted it should have been, the victim would still be alive today. I hope her family sues the pants off of the City of Charlottesville."

    http://www.rockvillenights.com/2017/07/rockville-confederate-statue-secretly.html

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  67. 7:27: That is a totally factual statement. What part of Crowd Control 101 do you not understand? You do realize the official report backed up what I said there 100%? God, what a moron.

    You actually think it was good they didn't barricade the event to vehicles, and prevent this tragedy? Shameful.

    I understand you are paid to post these comments. You and your boss will be finished professionally once your identity is exposed.

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  68. 8:11: Uh, which is why you barricade streets and close them to traffic during major events, moron. "Pedestrian mall?" There were other cars in the road! You do realize the report condemned the city for not barricading the streets? Did you even read the report? Are you knowledgeable on the topic? What does this topic have to do with Westbard, moron?

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  69. Keep on chasing your tail, Robert, and you'll be disappointed in the end.
    You spend an inordinate amount of time trying to figure me out.

    I'm just me. You're rattled that I say what I think and I tell the truth?

    “With integrity, you have nothing to fear, since you have nothing to hide. With integrity, you do the right thing, so you will have no guilt.” Zig Ziglar

    You completely outed yourself as the "Anonymous" poster who snarks at my work abilities and suggests I'm cheating my clients by posting here.
    You're just ticked off I caught you cloak-and-daggering.

    My last comment Friday was at 9:09AM (just after noon IRL, which was the last time I checked here until now. Those later comments? Not me.

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  70. 8:55: You're the one who was caught, referring to a conversation from another website that supposedly was a different "anonymous" troll. "Integrity?" You made up totally fake statements I never said, the opposite of integrity.

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  71. Like I've said repeatedly, if something is posted here with a link I may go read it.
    Even now, I have no idea what conversation you are referring to.

    If I mistakenly attributed a comment to you, that you did not say or infer, well of course I apologize. People make mistakes, I'm no different, nor are you. If I make a mistake I own it and apologize. I've done it several times on your blog. Wish I could say the same of you.

    One day I'll run into you somewhere, extend my hand and say "Hi there. I'm Anna Van Horn." Have your apologies ready.



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  72. Ack, my quote didn't come over.

    It is discouraging how many people are shocked by honesty and how few by deceit.--Noel Coward

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  73. Anonymous10:07 AM

    "One day I'll run into you somewhere, extend my hand and say 'Hi there. I'm Anna Van Horn.'"

    Only if Anna lurks the streets of Bethesda at 3 AM.

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  74. Anonymous10:11 AM

    OK, it's after 12:30 PM (EST), so we won't see Signed-Dyer for another 20 hours.

    The Sheepshill Sockpuppets will be arriving any minute now.

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  75. 9:28/1:54: As far as what I actually wrote, I stand by it 100% and it is 100% factual. It is a cut-and-dry, factual analysis of history, the law and the Constitution. I'm sorry you're so ignorant of all three. But nowhere in all of that spam you repeatedly cut-and-paste do I say any of the things you falsely accuse me of in your defamatory postings.

    You probably were instructed to goad me into saying something, but failing to do so, out of frustration you just want to keep posting the words associated with things you failed to get me to endorse because they are hot-button terms in the Trump era post August 2017.

    I get that. Unfortunately, you can't defame people with false statements. You've been warned to cease and desist.

    Your endorsement of violence against anyone you disagree with, justification of killing people you disagree with, and of domestic terrorism organizations makes you a monster and pariah in civil society. You want to "snuff out" Americans you disagree with? Scary stuff, "Natty Bo."

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  76. Anonymous6:44 AM

    "Unfortunately, you can't defame people with false statements. You've been warned to cease and desist."

    Says the guy who claims that Hans Riemer won his two elections by engaging in massive vote fraud involving tens of thousands illegal aliens voting in place of dead County residents.

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  77. 6:39: We're going to find you. And then you're going to prison.

    6:44: That was just one tactic used in two unfair elections, but the anomalies in polling place results - and the revelation that there are more names registered than actual eligible voters in MoCo - provide the evidence to support such a charge.

    Poll watchers can help crack down on that in 2018.

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  78. Anonymous7:17 AM

    "We're going to find you."

    "We"? You and Roald? LOL

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  79. 7:17: No, me and everyone else who is repulsed by you cyberbullying and defaming people who challenge the political machine in Montgomery County.

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  80. Anonymous8:23 PM

    Mr. Dyer - Could you please provide documentation of your claim that moving a cemetery is a "crime against humanity"? It's not listed under the UN's definition of the term.

    http://www.un.org/en/genocideprevention/crimes-against-humanity.html

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  81. Though not "born" in Bethesda, I remember when River Road was two lanes, Little Falls was a natural creek, not a road, and there was no shopping center at Westbard. Thank you Robert for the thorough presentation. With all the potential profit, in addition to the sorry state of what the unplanned development of the 1950's has left us with, we need to focus on the future.

    THERE WILL BE DEVELOPMENT. As neighbors we should focus on influencing that development to make the area better. The Equity One proposal was to bring in about 1000 new residential units. The new Regency plan has backed off to about 750 units that they plan to implement over a longer period of time in order to avoid too much pushback. Perhaps we will ultimately end up with less, but the bottom line is that the Westbard shopping center will be transformed into an URBAN RESIDENTIAL CENTER WITHOUT ADEQUATE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION.

    Traffic flow will become even more of a disaster than it is now unless the plan includes better pedestrian and bike routes plus frequent shuttle bus service to the Friendship Heights Metro. Additionally, the plan should include a large Montgomery County Parking Garage so that commuters from Virginia and other suburbs can park, take a free shuttle to Metro and avoid the River Road "parking lot" into the District.

    It is good news that Regency no longer owns the Macedonia Church cemetery. That area behind the HOC building which is also on the banks of Willett Branch can be naturalized with a respectful memorial to the African American community who lived and still live in the area.

    Where are the ideas to create senior housing in Westbard? Where are the ideas to create jobs in Westbard so that people don't have to commute from there? Where are the ideas to create better traffic flow, for example with a one-way circle around the Giant Shopping Center? Where are the ideas to create a pedestrian/bike path from Westbard to the Crescent Trail?

    Stop with the nagging and complaining and figure out how to make Westbard a great urban center rather than an urban center that is crammed into a poorly-planned suburban shopping center.

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