Developer JBG Smith is applying to Montgomery County to amend the site plan for its 7900 Wisconsin Avenue mixed-use project, which has been branded as 8001 Woodmont for marketing purposes. The company is seeking a reduction in unit and retail areas, modifications to the building's footprint and the locations of its doors, ability to reconfigure the bicycle storage room, a "modest reduction" in public use space, "minor" modifications to stormwater and landscaping elements, the addition of a wheelchair ramp, a "minor reconfiguration of program and circulation elements," garage floor additions, and minor changes in facade elements.
The number of residential units appears to have dropped from 450 apartments to 322, and the number of parking spaces from 445 to 340. Considering that the building is nearing its mid-2020 delivery, and the units are already built, a reduction in number would seem to suggest the units will now be larger in size. The application has been filed with the Montgomery County Planning Department, and will be reviewed by the Planning Board.
This doesn't make sense. They aren't magically deleting 100 parking spaces from the already built garage. Are they converting a bunch to tandem spaces? Wouldn't that imply units with more bedrooms? Wouldn't that completely alter the formulas re, e.g. school impact, upon which the project was approved? Can someone with actual knowledge of the planning process chime in?
ReplyDeleteThe original plans were approved for up to 450 units. Most developers give themselves a bit of headroom to adjust the unit size. The statement of justification submitted to the planning board does indeed indicate that the units were revised to reflect “market conditions”. The parking plans do indeed show lots more tandem parking spaces, and the floor plans do show a much higher percentage of larger units, especially on the Wisconsin elevation. They actually expanded the parking level from 3.5 to 4 full levels, but with a much more simple circulation layout. It’s actually a bit more parking spaces per unit on the new plans, slightly more that 1 space per unit. It looks like they show a reciprocal parking arrangement where the fist underground level has spaces for the small market shared with visitor spaces for residents. Two special oversized elevators extend from the market to this level with about 38 spaces.
ReplyDeleteSince this project was entitled well before Marriott decided to move to downtown, just down the street from this building, I suspect JBG Smith has decided to market these units to a more executive tenant, perhaps many from Marriott. The proposed amenities with multiple rooftop terraces and a large pool on level two, above the Trader Joe’s, seek to place this building as a premier product.
Although it has an interesting plan, the location still seems a bit odd to me. Most of the units face a very busy and noisy street. The pedestrian passage looks cool, but doesn’t really connect to anything on either end. It seems like more of a device to get more surface area for units on the deep block, and not really a sting urban planning idea.
The combination of the rustic stone cladding on the base, with the sleek metal and glass facade above seem odd to me. The big gesture of the sweeping brick clad wall is sort of cool, but seems like it is not well integrated into the whole composition.
It doesn’t look like they are going to allow any access to the roof of the small retail building on the north end. This seems like a missed opportunity to create a fun space overlooking the pedestrian passage.
Lastly, I am really troubled by the articulation on the primary glass facades. A seeming to me like a random composition of large and small windows, some with clerestories, some with shallow sun shades, lots of random opaque metal panels, and random fake metal balconies. The last of which are not installed yet. It seems like a largely schizophrenic assembly of unrelated ideas. They seem to be trying very hard to be funky and cool, instead of a timeless and well proportioned facade. Once tenants move in with a variety of window treatments and bike stored on the balconies, I suspect that the final product will be very chaotic.
I do look forward to seeing the cladding on the ceiling of the pedestrian passage. The plans and renderings look like a triangulated surface of reflective metal panels are proposed to create and artful soffit. Another idea that doesn’t seem to fit well with the whole building, but perhaps it will be a nice landmark feature for the building.
They're increasing the market-rate two bedroom units by 63 and decreasing the one bedrooms by 138. All studios have been nixed.
ReplyDeleteOMG THIS MEANS MORE CHIRLDEN IN BETHESDA !!!
ReplyDeleteWERE DOOOOMED !!!!!!
Maybe they’ll eliminate teirs of the building to let sunlight into the “Triangle “. Wishful thinking but the park and planning “f’d” up by not giving more height and stepping the floors wedding cake style as the the building grew in height . What a shame, all we have and will have are canyons filled with shade and shadows.
ReplyDelete9:05 thanks for the detailed explanation. I'm not a fan of the masonry facade either, the earth-tone materials in renderings looked way better. I do like the treatment of the glass curtain sections though.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the changes, JBG never seems to be able to make up their mind. At one point they switched to condos at 7770 Norfolk across the street...then switched back to apartments.
I'm surprised that the two cranes have been up so long after topping out. At last count, downtown Bethesda has 11 cranes up now: 2 at Avocet, 2 at Marriott HQ, 2 at 7900, 1 at Purple Line/Red Line entrance, 2 at Wilson/Elm, 1 at Edgemont II, 1 at Maizon. Looks like 7607 Old Georgetown and Metro Tower will be next.