The property home to La Madeleine until recently at 7607 Old Georgetown Road in downtown Bethesda is entering the Maryland Department of the Environment's Voluntary Cleanup Program. This means that there are contaminants in the soil and/or groundwater beneath the building. It seems unlikely that the restaurant use would have produced such materials, but current or past industrial uses nearby could have migrated into soil or water at the site. The property is going to be redeveloped with residential housing.
So it looks like this is a precursor to building abatement and demo for the 22 story mixed use apartment/retail building. I count six other big projects in downtown that have already removed existing tenants, with some actually starting demo, and could start up soon. Artena, Toll Brothers at 8008 Wisconsin, 7000 Wisconsin, BF Saul’s Metro Tower, Claiborne and St. Elmo.
ReplyDeleteNot sure if Artena, 8008 and St. Elmo will be delayed.
If all of these capers move forward, we could soon have seven more construction cranes in downtown, building 11 to 25 story high-rises.
All of these developers are clearly playing a long game, as they won’t be completed and ready to lease apartments, or sell condos, until 2023, even if they start this spring. Once 8100 Woodmont, The Elm, Zom and The Edge open up this spring/summer, their will be quite a lull in the availability of new construction. Of course the Cheval, Stonehall, Hampden Row and Lauren condos still have quite a few unsold new units.