CVS Pharmacy is opening another store in downtown Bethesda. The new location will be at 7235 Wisconsin Avenue, a building that has previously served as a bank. PNC Bank (formerly Riggs Bank) closed its branch there after the building was sold to Guardian Realty in 2019.
CVS lost a full-size store further down Wisconsin Avenue in recent years, but retains stores at 6917 Arlington Road and 7809 Wisconsin Avenue, as well as at 4601 Sangamore Road in nearby Sumner. The new store would be directly across the street from The Wilson and The Elm, and the future Bethesda Purple Line station.
This will be a nice addition to the area and very convenient to get to.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised that Walgreen's hasn't opened another location in Bethesda besides that "mini-mart" location they currently have. This would have been a good location for a larger Walgreens. CVS needs some competition in Downtown Bethesda as a check on their prices.
Will there be a drive-thru?
ReplyDeleteThere is no drive-thru at that site. Parking will be a challenge as well, but a privately operated public underground deck does exist under the office building to the south, accessed off of Willow. Not sure if it has direct access to the former bank though. This looks like it will be a small urban format type store. I hope they don’t include opaque decals in the Wisconsin storefront, but alas this is likely.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if this signals that one of the other two remaining CVS drugstores are closing to make room for redevelopment. The one near the Marriott HQ certainly seems the most likely site to be redeveloped. The muffler shop will soon become a nine story multi-family residential building. The CVS site is also zoned for up to 90’.
Oddly the new CVS in the former bank, and adjacent office building (both owned by the same developer) are zoned for up to 250’, so I would imagine it will only be a short term lease. I wonder what might move into the former Modell’s? Certainly a highly visible location, across from the Wilson and Elm, and the new south entrance to the Metro, and of course the Purple Line and future BRT stations.
This location is just a half mile walk from the 7809 Wisconsin location. Surely CVS must think the northern spot is ripe for redevelopment in the near future, and closure. Also, I seriously doubt you will see a drive-thru added to this location, due to the circulation logistics, and the buildings current configuration.
ReplyDelete8:12 AM Modell's is missed. The location was great for transit users to shop at.
ReplyDeleteEasy in general to grab athletic gear when needed in a pinch.
Modell's space would be great for a competitor pharmacy.
@12:51 PM: I'd love to see a Walgreen's open where Modell's used to be.
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ReplyDeleteI sure hope the northern CVS is redeveloped. I don't know why the developer of the adjoining property didn't try to assemble the two. As for this future site, Guardian explicitly stated that they weren't planning on redevelopment any time soon.
Kudos to Dyer for getting the jump on this one, but the quote from CVS to Bethesda Beat, who did a follow-up, says construction is starting in 2022 and that it is too early to say when it will open. I guess maybe design and permitting will take some time, but the location is currently empty, and owned by Guardian Realty...who also own 7201 Wisconsin, formerly home to Modell’s, and currently home to Panera, plus six floors of meh office space above it.
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@anonynous 10:06 AMD: it’s a mortal certainty that the northern CVS will be redeveloped. As for 7201...Gardianjust lost Modell’s, there’s a bunch of office space in the building coming on the market in the near future, and the Panera opened there in 2013...possibly suggesting that lease could be up around the same time if it’s a 10-year lease. So I would still watch this space.
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