Demolition work is fully underway at the Westwood Center II mini-mall at 5110 Ridgefield Road in the Westbard area of Bethesda. It's interesting that the contractor has already destroyed a sizable piece of the garage parking deck at this first stage. I guess it could not support the weight of any of the demolition equipment that might have had an easier time reaching the upper floors from there.
What you can probably expect to happen after Westwood Center II is razed, if not sooner, will be the demolition of the vacant Manor Care Springhouse of Westwood nursing home across Ridgefield Road. That will likely be the construction staging area for the assisted-living development and road construction project that will be ongoing in the space where Westwood II and the already-demolished Citgo station stood.
Across Westbard Avenue, construction is still in a very early stage at the Westwood Shopping Center, which is being redeveloped into Westbard Square between now and 2027. By my observation, the extensive and complicated stormwater management infrastructure is taking awhile to complete. During the Westbard sector plan process, it was often noted that stormwater is a complex issue for this site. Not only does the system have to meet the latest requirements, but it also has to take into account and solve the many drainage issues that exist there today, including downflows from the Kenwood Place property.
The new Giant grocery store will open, and Westbard Avenue will be realigned to meet River Road, by late 2023, according to property owner Regency Centers. Demolition of the remaining original Westwood Shopping Center strip mall will begin shortly thereafter. A civic green "town square" will open to the public in early 2025. An EYA townhome development on the site of the Manor Care Springhouse of Westwood nursing home will welcome its first homeowners in 2026, as will the EYA townhouses on the upper parking lot area of the Westwood Shopping Center near Kenwood Place.
Throughout 2026, Regency will also take delivery of the new shops and apartments where the current Giant, Starbucks, etc. are located; and Springfield Park on the Westwood Shopping Center site will open. Between now and the completion of finishing touches on the Westbard Square development in 2027, there is no point where the Westwood Shopping Center site will be fully closed to the public. When the existing center is torn down, new retail and dining spaces will already be open in the new Giant building, underneath the grocery store.
Once again, the existing building is being demolished, not “destroyed”.
ReplyDelete