Friday, March 30, 2018

Developers unveil plans for Sunoco station property in downtown Bethesda (Photos)

Developers Donohoe and StonebridgeCarras unveiled redevelopment plans for the current site of a Sunoco gas station and car wash at 8280 Wisconsin Avenue at a public meeting last night in Bethesda. However, few specific details emerged, and no fully-developed renderings are available at this stage. The building was depicted as a simplistic cube. EwingCole will handle the eventual architectural design of the building, and the ubiquitous VIKA will be the engineering firm.
View of the building from two
blocks north on MD 355
Under the proposal's sketch plan, which the applicants' attorney Bob Dalrymple said would be submitted to Montgomery County within the next week, the Sunoco would be replaced with a 144' commercial office building. There would be two levels of garage parking, and no vehicular access from Wisconsin Avenue.
Sketch Plan
While the office market in moribund Montgomery County has been weak, the applicants say they have some advanced interest in this project from more than one potential office tenant. They - understandably - could not reveal those interested parties at last night's meeting, adding to the suspense and speculation. However, they did say that those parties' timeframes for occupancy line up perfectly with the expected timeline for delivery of 8280 Wisconsin.
One other point covered that has been the subject of speculation - the enticing potential to assemble a much-larger building site at this location. Donohoe already owns the Bethesda Medical Building adjacent to this parcel, and the Monocle Building directly behind the Sunoco has been on the market for a while now. Neither will be part of this project however. Asked if they had attempted to acquire the Monocle Building, the response was, "No comment."

Going forward, the project's sketch plan is expected to be reviewed by the Planning Board for approval in July. Site Plan and Preliminary Plan review could then occur in the fall. Groundbreaking for the building would not occur until Fall 2019, with delivery expected in the summer of 2021.

44 comments:

  1. Anonymous6:36 AM

    I think it’s just certain condo units for sale in the Monocle building, not sure the entire building is for sale.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous6:57 AM

    Am I the only one that think it’s ironic that a 50 year old that lives with his mother makes fun of others and calls them a hobo and a carpetbagger?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 6:57: You call people hobo and carpetbagger? You should know, as both terms apply to you.

      Delete
  3. Anonymous7:36 AM

    What's up with that dude's hands?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous8:07 AM

    Every day is Reader Appreciation Day on "Suburban (Not-Ready-for-Google) News Network".

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous8:10 AM

    Serious question: how many millions of sqft of office space need to be in MoCo's pipeline before your dumbass stops using the word "moribund?"

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 8:10: It's not the pipeline - it's having the tenants to fill it. Not a single major corporate HQ has relocated here in two decades! We're in serious trouble, Saul Alinsky.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous8:29 AM

      Your assertion that “major corporate HQ relocations” is the primary metric for the area’s economic activity continues to be laughable.

      Delete
  6. Anonymous8:17 AM

    Posting to give you more to delete. #censorship #insecure #littlebitcrazy

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous8:27 AM

    Does Dyer realize that "Fortune 500 headquarters" are not the only type of office space? In fact, that category comprises a tiny fraction of total office space. Also, Dyer does not seem to realize the role that telecommuting has in today's economy. Meaning that all those new apartments and condos are full of people working hard in the daytime economy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 8:27: It certainly is a tiny fraction in moribund Montgomery County! LOL

      Meanwhile, in vibrant Northern Virginia, it is a substantial fraction.

      Everyone in an apartment telecommutes? LOL You've come completely unhinged, old sport!

      Delete
  8. Anonymous8:31 AM

    I am starting a GoFundMe page to send Robert Dyer to Fredericksburg, Virginia.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous8:34 AM

    Robbie sharing the love with his readers on RockvilleNutz:

    Robert Dyer March 30, 2018 at 12:52 AM [LOL]: "You're the coward, hiding behind a computer screen in a dark room, taking shots at people who are actually getting things done. No one could be a bigger tool than the current County Council. I've whipped them in every debate, as can be seen on video, and they're so scared this year they've had to exclude me or cancel the debates altogether. Like you, they know I'll whip them in an actual public arena. Stay behind your computer, girly man."

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous8:35 AM

    @ 8;31am LOL...

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous8:45 AM

    Exclude you lmfao its because no one has time to do a charity debate with the #WESTBARDTARD, they have important things to take care of pal lets be real

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous9:03 AM

    #ISTANDWITHTARD

    ReplyDelete
  13. Anonymous9:04 AM

    #WESTBARDTARD

    ReplyDelete
  14. 8:34AM +1000 Example #19 of projecting onto others his own flaws.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Anonymous9:52 AM

    I guess the banks and major REITs have money to burn, or must be smoking crack, cuz they are firing on all cylinders in "moribund" B-town.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Rugby9:57 AM

    Looking forward to the real debates, in person, rather than folks trolling behind "anonymous". See everyone on the campaign trail!

    ReplyDelete
  17. NewRugby @ 9:57AM,
    I just found out it takes 5 sheep to make one wool sweater. I didn't even know you knew how to knit. Say hey to Roald, Elm, Woodmont and Tim, k?

    ReplyDelete
  18. Georgia Soros10:31 AM

    This comment section is infested with paid MoCo Crime Cartel trolls posting under multiple monikers. This reeks of desperation and their fear is palpable. Good!

    ReplyDelete
  19. 10:55 AM Don't bring NoVa into this, MoCo traffic provides enough gridlock to talk about.
    Look forward to seeing you on the campaign trail, Mr. Anonymous!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Anonymous11:22 AM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're complaining that Dyer removes offensive comments? Get real.

      And you're claiming everyone, other than you, is Dyer posting under aliases? You sound really paranoid! Seek help and stop commenting here.

      Delete
  21. FakeRugby @ 11:42. Like you should talk. You're always claiming that everyone not Dyer or the sheepshills are one lone person. Get real yourself.

    And do you really want to bring up accusing people of paranoia?...here?

    Plus, you never apologized for calling me a liar after I was proved correct.
    That was the day you lost any remaining respect regular readers had for you.

    ReplyDelete
  22. 11:56 AM No one has any proof that Dyer posts as anyone but himself. Why continue pushing that false narrative?

    If you disagree on issues, then stick to facts. Dyer is providing a well lit, safe environment for debate here. Of course he'll delete offensive comments.

    ReplyDelete
  23. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous1:24 PM

      1:17pm Nope, Dyer actually welcomes debate here.
      If you resort to personal attacks then your comment should be deleted.

      Dyer can't be so bad- you're consuming his content daily.

      Maybe, like most of us, you've figured out that Dyer is better than the local legacy print media?

      Delete
  24. Anonymous4:20 PM

    "While the office market in moribund Montgomery County has been weak"

    This project adds another 200,000 square feet of office space. That's in addition to the millions of square feet of office space already under construction or about to start construction in downtown Bethesda alone.

    You'd be far better off arguing about the loss of one of Bethesda's four remaining gas stations.

    ReplyDelete
  25. 4:20: How does adding more office space make the moribund office market less weak? It only makes it weaker because there is more empty space available. It's who fills the office space that generates revenue, not empty office space.

    I have been the preeminent critic of the Council and Planning Board for allowing Bethesda to lose almost all of its gas stations. In contrast, the District has a tough policy on conversion of gas stations. However, it would be ridiculous to single out Donohoe and StonebridgeCarras after allowing so many other developers to do it.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Anonymous5:54 AM

    Wow...Dyer thinks that developers are building "empty office space" for its own sake, not because they believe that they will have tenants to fill it?

    The dude blogging in Mom's Basement thinks he knows better than anyone else. LOL

    ReplyDelete
  27. Anxious to prove my point...he deleted this.

    1:24PM, No he doesn't. He deletes. If personal attacks were deleted, then he'd have to delete half his own comments.

    Those sites do not bad mouth, insult, or misrepresent other news sites or individuals who work for other sites. Nor do they personally attacks commenters.
    On the other sites, you don't see commenters giving personal attaboys to the authors and completely agreeing including believing speculative conspiracy stories.
    Other news sites don't question the businesses income/expenses, employee living locations and hours worked of their competitors.

    Debate? Pfft. His mind is like concrete, thoroughly mixed and permanently set.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Anonymous6:02 AM

    Riddle us this, Dyer: if the market is as moribund as you allege, then why are developers investing money in new buildings?

    ReplyDelete
  29. Anonymous6:22 AM

    The District of Columbia's "Gas Station Advisory Board" has not actually been constituted for the past 12 years now, and thus gas station owners have no one to actually petition if they want to change their properties to a different use.

    As a result, there are dozens of long-vacant gas stations all over the city, taking up land that can be put to much better use.

    https://ggwash.org/view/66310/dc-law-prevents-gas-stations-from-closing-but-the-city-cant-really-stop-you

    ReplyDelete
  30. Anonymous6:23 AM

    6:02 AM - Dyer: "Me smart, duhvelupurz DUMM!"

    ReplyDelete
  31. Anonymous6:45 AM

    Right on cue, Mr. Dyer takes the bait.

    "Rugby" whines that people complain about Mr. Dyer deleting offensive comments. I corrected "Rugby," explaining that what readers take issue with is the deleting of inoffensive comments that happen to disagree with Mr. Dyer's campaign narrative. Note that this comment was deleted.

    To prove my point, I later set a trap for Mr. Dyer in the form of a comment that said something nice about the county's economy. Here is a screenshot. Predictably, this comment has disappeared as well. Intriguingly, several legitimately offensive comments are left in place.

    "Dyer actually welcomes debate here." -- Objectively false. If this statement were true, Mr. Dyer would not (a) delete comments expressing opinions he disagrees with, and (b) post propaganda pieces with comments disabled altogether.

    Mr. Dyer is unfit for the position he seeks on the County Council.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Anonymous6:53 AM

    Odd how @ 1:17 PM says "comment removed by blog administrator", yet Anna @ 1:44 PM, and @ 3:47 PM were deleted without a trace.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Anonymous7:18 AM

    Here is another thing I don't understand. Dyer claims that Montgomery County residents "turn to him for local news, instead of the 'local legacy print media'", yet he blames the Post's "failure to cover him" for his losses in every election to date.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous3:22 PM

      7:18 am the Post covers Bethesda very sporadically. Certainly doesn't cover Bethesda development, transport, retail and restaurant beats like Dyer does.

      Delete
  34. Anonymous7:22 AM

    Narcissistic rage is a reaction to narcissistic injury, which is a perceived threat to a narcissist's self-esteem or self-worth. Narcissistic injury (or narcissistic scar) is a phrase used by Sigmund Freud in the 1920s; narcissistic wound and narcissistic blow are further, almost interchangeable terms. The term narcissistic rage was coined by Heinz Kohut [great-uncle of Hans Riemer] in 1972.

    Narcissistic injury occurs when a narcissist feels that their hidden, "true self" has been revealed. This may be the case when the narcissist experiences a "fall from grace", such as when their hidden behaviors or motivations are revealed, or when their importance is brought into question - for example, when Montgomery County's unelected tenth at-large Councilmember is shown to be a middle-aged loser still living in Mom's basement. Narcissistic injury is a cause of distress and can lead to dysregulation of behaviors as in narcissistic rage.

    Narcissistic rage occurs on a continuum, which may range from instances of aloofness and expressions of mild irritation or annoyance to serious outbursts, including threats of "five-finger death punches" and "bodyslamming through glass coffee tables". Narcissistic rage reactions are not limited to personality disorders and may be also seen in catatonic, paranoid delusion and depressive episodes. It has also been suggested that narcissists have two layers of rage. The first layer of rage can be thought of as a constant anger (towards someone else), with the second layer being a self-aimed wrath.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Anonymous2:32 PM

    "The term narcissistic rage was coined by Heinz Kohut [great-uncle of Hans Riemer] in 1972."

    LOL

    ReplyDelete
  36. Sigh. Robert's game of post and delete. We seem to play it often.

    "Well of course they don't. They have standards and rules and editors.
    This site is completely on the whim of the author.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Anonymous8:47 AM

    if this bldg. is approved, hopefully they add an extra lane of eastbound road given that the westbound land next to harris teeter is often blocked by delivery trucks.

    ReplyDelete