Exodus of the
ultra-rich from
Montgomery County
continues as the
County Council
refuses to act
The
flight of the rich from Montgomery County continues to be seen in the fate of retail in the wealthiest areas of the County. First our vaunted "Rodeo Drive of Montgomery County" in Chevy Chase became a
slum of empty storefronts, aging apartments and smashed-out bus shelters. Then the many vacant storefronts of Rockville and downtown Bethesda, when they could be filled, began to be replaced with decidedly downscale tenants like pop-up shops and tire showrooms. The latest turnabout is the leasing of the empty Lebanese Taverna - a large anchor restaurant deep-sixed by the closure of the nearby Regal Cinemas, which the County Council did not require the developer to replace - by...LensCrafters.
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| "Jeeves, set the GPS for Loudoun County!" |
LensCrafters, a fixture in indoor malls, is the largest eyewear chain in America. But it's certainly not in line with names like Warby Parker, Kate Spade and Williams Sonoma that we've come to expect at Bethesda Row. Landlord Federal Realty is also taking a similar approach to difficult times here to that of the also-shuttered Redwood space; the Lebanese Taverna space has been divided into two new units, the other still available for lease. There's no end in sight for the County's moribundity, either:
a follow-up report by the Sage Policy Group last week confirmed that Montgomery's economy remains utterly moribund, and forecasts an even-gloomier future.
Reality check:
The Montgomery County Council hasn't moved a muscle to address the crises facing our jurisdiction in the nearly two months since their term began. While they've had time to weigh in on the federal government shutdown, accuse County police officers of racial profiling, and shill for developers who want to turn single-family home neighborhoods into urban mixed-use zones, they haven't taken a single step to make the County more business-friendly, end our archaic government liquor monopoly, reduce congestion for automobile commuters, eliminate the achievement gap and sex scandals in MCPS, cut our record-high taxes, or attract a major corporate headquarters to the County for the first time in 20 years. Heckuva job, Brownie!
no matter how many times you delete it, it remains the truth.
ReplyDeleteI love the fact that I've so thoroughly won the debate on the actual issues, that all the cartel can post in the comments now are false statements and the wacko rantings of a crazy person. And cancel debates during the election. #Desperation
ReplyDeleteDyer's credibility is zero. It wouldn't matter if it was Versace or Burger King, he would still complain.
ReplyDeleteCase in point: He derided the replacement of the family-friendly Barnes & Noble with high-end Anthropologie, and now thinks Lenscrafters isn't fancy enough.
smh
God, you're so desperate to induce clicks, Bob. Why not just improve the quality of the articles rather than make these nutty, clickbait claims?
ReplyDeleteThat corner of Bethesda Row always seemed to be the least visible. Very little walk by traffic. Not very close to a parking elevator. Not much quality retail across Elm, and only a the huge Giant parking lot across Arlington. All of these cobineto create a very dead section of the otherwise vibrant streetscape around Bethesda Row.
ReplyDeleteI’m suprised any restaurant could survive very long at that corner. I wonder if Lebabense Taverna was subsidized by Federal Realty to help anchor that corner. Every time that I have gone there it seemed very empty. The restaurant itself was perhaps too large to ever feel like a dynamic and desireable eatery.
Did LensCrafters take the corner half, or the one facing only Arlington?
All "claims" are backed up with statistical and photographic evidence. Not to mention the Post and Sage Policy Group reports totally back up what I've been saying years before they figured it out: Our elected officials are not very smart, and our economy is moribund.
ReplyDelete6:51: The corner half.
ReplyDeleteI am curious. If you were elected to the county council, what measures would you have implemented? It’s easy to criticize, but I would honestly like to read your plan to fix what you claim is broken. Perhaps elected officials, and their appointees, could learn some new methodologiy that might help improve things.
ReplyDeleteDon’t just complain, and tell us you could have fixed this with some secret sauce if you were elected, but give us all a concise ten step plan to right the ship that you seem to belive is sinking.
Maybe folks would take you more seriously if you were more constructive.
Downscale tenants like tire shops? In your coverage of their ribbon cutting, you praised Roll by Goodyear for the "upscale experience": http://robertdyer.blogspot.com/2018/10/roll-by-goodyear-opens-in-bethesda.html
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised Warby Parker, also in the same development, didn't have a covenant with the landlord preventing them from renting any space in the same development to a competitor. That's quite common in retail leases.
ReplyDeleteWhen your council rep needs a walking tour of downtown Bethesda to get to know the area, you know you're in trouble.
ReplyDeleteThe downtown Bethesda plan has brought us Lenscrafters, tire stores, and big red Bs on every corner. I still haven't seen one public amenity or arts/entertainment addition coming as a result of the plan.
Dyer mentions the Sage Policy Group reports- I hope the Council reads it. The data is there. Residential development alone won't do it.
@7:22
ReplyDeleteNot defending the council, but the plan was passed like a year ago. Since when has anything in this county happened overnight? There also wasn't anything in the plan about requiring certain types of retail, which would be unreasonable and burdensome.
8:27 AM The plan was flawed. In the end, it appears to have been a developer's wish list. None of the development in the pipeline provide community benefits in terms of public space, arts/entertainment, etc.
ReplyDeleteI don't know who is moving in to all the high rise units going up in downtown Bethesda, but it's clearly not "hip" millennials. While Clarendon and U St/Petworth have vibrant nightlife, downtown Bethesda is sleepy once the restaurants slow down.
ReplyDeleteYou do realize that not accepting the truth and always feeling victimized is not healthy for anyone, including you.
ReplyDelete8:35
ReplyDeleteThe way I understand it every developer has to pay into a park fund. Marriott alone is supposed to pay over a million. The Farm Womens site is going to be developed with a park about as large as Elm Street Park.
Why is that the developer's job anyway? The county has some of the highest taxes in the country on residents and businesses. What do they do with all of it?
It's the inept county council that should have sole responsibility for providing parks, community centers, libraries, etc.
Trying to fleece businesses and developers to build what should have been built long ago is why the county's economy is tanking.
"they allowed a f'ing rug store"
ReplyDeleteSo you're for central planning?
The NoVa Cartel is moving the bottleneck at the end of the HOT lanes on the Beltway, from the Dulles Access Road, to the south side of the American Legion. Woo hoo!
ReplyDeleteI miss Giffords, Lowens, Shakeys and Maloney Concrete
ReplyDeleteLooks like Robert missed another store announcement.
ReplyDeleteFramebridge.com is opening a brick and mortar store in the small space that once was Capital Teas or more recently the pop up jewelry store that sold culteured Japanese pearls on Bethesda Avenue near Ourisman Honda. Only a very small 321 SF space, but nice to see an artsy place for folks to view and order custom picture frames. I think they have a few other physical stores, but they are mostly an online company. Perhaps a bit like the shadestore on Bethesda Lane.
Before Robert chimes in, yes, it is not a freaking movie theater, a bowling alley, or even a disco, but one less vacant storefront is always a good thing. Perhaps a nice place to walk by and window shop in the evening.
I also noted that survey stakes are in the ground in area near Ourisman Honda. So hopefully this spring they will complete their parking lot renovation, trail relocation, new screen walls, new parking lot lighting, new monument signage, new fiberglass mess parking deck screening and the creation of the new triangular pocket park and landscaping that was a negotiated settlement with the county to make up for the CCT easement encroachment issue. It will be nice to wrap up this section of Bethesda Avenue.