Westbard Square developer Regency Centers has announced that some of the approved retail space in the new Giant building under construction there will be dedicated to office uses. The second floor of the structure will be marketed for lease by boutique fitness and medical office tenants, the company says. Giant's new building, which will have the grocery store on the third level and retail/quick-service restaurant spaces on the ground level, is on-schedule for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2023.
Work on the new Giant building in the parking lot of the current Westwood Shopping Center is still in the very early stages, as you can see in these photos. Regency says drivers should anticipate temporary lane closures on Westbard Avenue along the shopping center property between the hours of 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM daily over the next few weeks. The sidewalk on the shopping center side of Westbard will be closed for the next two weeks along the construction site, as well.
Giant on the third level, how convenient.
ReplyDeleteWait -- I thought employers were clicking their heels about how many people could work remotely, because it requires *less* office space to be leased. Why in the world are developers building more, when moribund Bethesda already has a surplus of empty offices, doesn't it? What gives?
ReplyDeleteHopefully this development improves Bethesda nightlife. I'm not optimistic. Seems like it will be still be pretty moribund.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a fan of having grocery on upper levels. It means having to take an elevator down to parking with your basket.
ReplyDeleteMedical office space is likely the one type of office that is definitely viable moving forward. Walkable medical access in this new age of pandemic.
Nice to see the forested area between Kenwood Place Condos and the middle school is still there! Hope that doesn't get razed.
ReplyDeleteHaving the market on an upper level, allows a more active streetscape at ground level. Most markets have very little storefront area and glazing. There is a parking deck on the third level, so at least some folks can park on the same level as the market.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if they will install cart escalators, and a parallel people escalators, like the Safeway in Wheaton, or motorized ramps with cart locks like at the Whole Foods in Chevy Chase. These are both expensive, and not normally something you might see in a Giant.