Monday, July 01, 2019

Bethesda construction update: 4747 Bethesda Avenue (Photos)

Here's a look at JBG Smith's 4747 Bethesda Avenue Class A office building, where most of the construction is now going on inside, rather than outside.











21 comments:

Anonymous said...

Odd that you didn’t report that this trophy speculative office building is nearly fully leased, and not even completed. I guess you like to bury the good news to reinforce your moribund dialog.

Anonymous said...

Odd that you, 11:43 AM, didn’t mention that the developer tried to get an anchor tenant and failed. To begin construction, the developer had to move its own HQ there.
Or perhaps, 11:43 AM, you are a malicious fool who gets off on attacking Dyer with no justification.

Anonymous said...

The gas leaks they are causing are strictly outside tho'...

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Anonymous said...

7:04 PM

So you all me a “malicious fool” when I simply ask why Robert failed to report a very positive aspect to this important project. Many of the readers of this blog constantly point out that he almost NEVER reports anything good about development in Bethesda. Always sticking to his moribund opinion that the city and county are failing, mostly, it seems he believes, is because he was not elected to public office.

This was always a speculative project. The fact that JBG Smith is choosing to move from Chevy Chase to locate their HQ here in Bethesda, instead of in the millions of vacant space they own in NoVa, speaks volumes to why Bethesda is such a desirable corporate location. If JBG Smith was simply trying to pump up their office occupancy numbers, one would think they would be moving to their massive National Landing project. As one of the leading developers of office and multi-family residential, they obviously want to lead by example and place their HQ in a premier walkable community like Bethesda.

If he chooses to express only his moribund theories, many here of will continue to point out that, in reality, this not a failing city and county.

Anonymous said...

Of course we need reporters who look at all sides of an issue, but Robert has chosen only the dark side. We all hope he can realize this and put forward a more fair assessment of development news. It need not sugar-coat, or ignore important problems, but he really needs to be more cohesive in his reportage. Constructive criticism is healthy.

Anonymous said...

Robert Dyer: "Back in our dimension, [Sen. Joe] McCarthy was a patriotic American who was on the way to routing out the Communists in Hollywood, the media, and government. Unfortunately, like the Kennedys, he began to get too close to the core conspiracy, such as the highest-level foreign agents and Fellow Travelers in the White House and Deep State. He certainly passed away, but not likely from natural causes."

Anonymous said...

Wonder if BTB realizes that the executives for JBG live in the Bethesda, CC and Potomac areas? This is why their HQ is moving.

Robert Dyer said...

4:53: The County is clearly failing, by every relevant economic development benchmark, from job creation to new business starts to business growth. We are at rock bottom in the region. Montgomery County has failed to attract a major corporate HQ in over 20 years.

County revenues are declining despite record high taxes, as the wealthy flee to lower-tax jurisdictions, a misguided greedy focus on residential development generates more expenses than revenue for government, and because the County is forgoing all of that commercial/business revenue that is instead going to Northern Virginia.

I've been reporting on the County's moribund economy for years. Recently, I was joined by the Washington Post, Washington Business Journal, Sage Policy Group, and even County Councilmember Hans Riemer's own former chief of staff(!!) in declaring the County moribund. That's quite a lineup, and strongly vouches for my credibility and integrity in what I've been reporting all along.

Why would JBG go to National Landing? They've had a huge victory and success in attracting Amazon there, arguably the deal of the century in the DC area. Locating in 4747 doesn't pump up their occupancy numbers, because the recently-built office building they are leaving will now have a large vacancy, and is in Montgomery County, too.

There's nothing wrong or bad about a high-quality and successful company like JBG moving into their own building; it's when Astroturf cheerleaders for the Council and cartel try to use it to claim that Bethesda is somehow "killing it" in office space lease-ups that we have to clarify the facts, which are no Fortune 500s, and several developers are moving themselves into their own buildings after finding low demand and firms skipping us for Virginia.

5:00: I've always given credit where credit is due. There are many positive reports about local business and even development each week.

In contrast, my competitors controlled by the MoCo political cartel have "chosen only the light side," reporting rose-colored glasses tinted fake good news about our corrupt and criminal elected officials and the cartel.

We all hope the public can realize this, and demand they "put forward a more fair assessment" of our declining county and disgraceful, corrupt officials in their reportage.

Remember: I'm still literally the only journalist to investigate and expose corruption and criminal acts by County officials. Not even the Post will do it - not surprising, since they've been caught colluding with the MoCo cartel.

Anna said...

You just stated that you believe that the local government, local politicians, local media outlets, & national media outlets are actively, purposely conspiring against you.

1) And they think you are THAT IMPORTANT because...why?

Robert Dyer said...

5:08: I stand by those statements 110%. Are you actually disputing any of those facts? And are you so low-IQ that you actually find the official Kennedy assassination narratives credible? If so, I've got a bridge to sell you.

5:11: JBG was already in Chevy Chase.

Robert Dyer said...

5:28: Wrong - they're conspiring to assist their sugar daddies in the cartel to profit. Their actions to suppress my websites, divert readership to competing websites they fund, and prevent me from being elected are only because I'm challenging and exposing their corruption. I'm the only critical voice in the local press. Period.

Anonymous said...

Remember when Robert Dyer tried to blame the Flower Branch explosion on the County Council?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/maryland-news/how-federal-investigators-pieced-together-the-deadly-flower-branch-explosion/2019/06/28/ef21308a-9789-11e9-916d-9c61607d8190_story.html?utm_term=.4d5482006106

Robert Dyer said...

5:49: I didn't "try" - the Council was to blame, despite the fake news claims otherwise. We'll learn more about why the feds tried to blame Washington Gas when the FBI investigates the MoCo cartel.

Anonymous said...

I guess, according to your post above, office developers should not take up space in their own buildings, but, I would assume you are suggesting they should lease their corporate office space in a competitors office building. This makes tons of sense Robert! Perhaps you should become a developer...

Anonymous said...

Robbie, I'd love to hear your explanation of why the Montgomery County Council is responsible for Washington Gas's defective gas pressure regulator at the Flower Branch apartments.

Robert Dyer said...

9:10: It's far from settled - Washington Gas disputed that claim. It appears the cartel is trying to make Washington Gas the fall guy to protect County officials, an unfortunate trend with the feds when it comes to MoCo. The FBI can perhaps shed light on why the feds are so scared of the MoCo cartel.

Remember when Jeff Sessions folded up like a card table after MoCo government gave him a very light poke about his weekly report on specific criminals let go by sanctuary jurisdictions. He literally stopped the weekly report, after announcing it to great fanfare. Why would he do that? We need to learn what blackmail the MoCo cartel holds over the feds.

Anonymous said...

"Remember when Jeff Sessions folded up like a card table after MoCo government gave him a very light poke about his weekly report on specific criminals let go by sanctuary jurisdictions. He literally stopped the weekly report, after announcing it to great fanfare. Why would he do that?"

A better question would be, "when did he do that?"

Robert Dyer said...

9:37: Were you out of the country at the time? It was huge nationwide news. You've done this before, Saul Alinsky. Do you need documentation for the moon landing and Nixon's resignation, as well? Good God.

Anna said...

He's basically the granddaddy of community organizing. He had no political party leanings, but since he organized on the poor and middle class, if often bad-mouthed by Conservatives.

Interestingly, as much as Dyer uses his name as a slur towards others, if you look at Alinsky's Rules for Radicals, you'll notice that Dyer employs more of these tactics than he may realize or admit.. (he calls out #4 often on this blog)


1. “Power is not only what you have, but what the enemy thinks you have.”
2. “Never go outside the expertise of your people.”
3. “Whenever possible, go outside the expertise of the enemy.”
4. “Make the enemy live up to its own book of rules.” If the rule is that every letter gets a reply, send 30,000 letters. You can kill them with this because no one can possibly obey all of their own rules.
5. “Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon.”
6. “A good tactic is one your people enjoy.”
7. “A tactic that drags on too long becomes a drag.”
8. “Keep the pressure on. Never let up.”
9. “The threat is usually more terrifying than the thing itself.” Imagination and ego can dream up many more consequences than any activist.
10. "The major premise for tactics is the development of operations that will maintain a constant pressure upon the opposition."
11. “If you push a negative hard enough, it will push through and become a positive.”
12. “The price of a successful attack is a constructive alternative.”
13. “Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it.” Cut off the support network and isolate the target from sympathy. Go after people and not institutions; people hurt faster than institutions.

Anonymous said...

"4. 'Make the enemy live up to its own book of rules.' If the rule is that every letter gets a reply, send 30,000 letters. You can kill them with this because no one can possibly obey all of their own rules."

Well, this is very interesting, Anna. Thanks for posting. It seems that Robert Dyer only posts 21% of the text of this Rule (by word count). And it's quite ironic, given that Dyer never actually posts any of his "commenting rules" anywhere on his blog.