The lights are on, but nobody's home at the old Marriott International headquarters at 10400 Fernwood Road in Bethesda. Operations have officially moved south to the new corporate headquarters at 7750 Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Bethesda. A drape has been placed over the Marriott sign out front. While the site would have been ideal for another corporate HQ, thanks to Montgomery County's moribund economy it will instead be redeveloped as a retirement community. Heckuva job, Brownie!
Not sure how many corporations would want to move their HQ to a 1970’s suburban office location, with no direct mass transit connections. Not much hope to carve this up into a speculative, multi-tenant office park, at least in this new normal.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that a large senior housing complex is perhaps the highest and best use for this type of site. They are saving a good bit of money by reusing the large existing parking decks.
This would be a great spot for another HQ...in 1970. I'll take the billion dollar redevelopment and 650 new jobs, thank you.
ReplyDeleteAt least it isn't another retail bank branch location.
ReplyDeleteThere's a lot of office buildings around there. It has direct access to I-270, a huge mall nearby, and the Mont Mall transit center. Sure, it's not Metro, but any big company could easily afford to run a private shuttle service to the White Flint metro.
ReplyDeleteObviously the location is good, if they can justify housing there. Instead more office space is disappearing because no companies want to move to anti-business MoCo when Fairfax and Loudoun are nearby also vying for their business.
I was surprised to see the new apartments at Rockville Town Square has a senior element. At all hours you'll see a bunch of old folks sitting outside chatting. This is across from the Regal and Cambria.
ReplyDelete"no companies want to move to anti-business MoCo"
ReplyDeleteExplain all the new office buildings opening and under construction in downtown Bethesda, P&R, up and down 270 in Rockville and Gaithersburg, etc., then.
Also explain how this blog's entries are more than 5-to-1 of new businesses opening or new buildings being constructed in MO Co vs. businesses closing.
ReplyDeleteNot sure why the normal business cycle is not enough explanation for folks as to why businesses succeed or not.
@12:57 PM: Explain to us who's filling those office buildings. MoCo doesn't have leadership that creates favorable conditions for businesses to open here. This isn't surprising to me. The leadership can't even preserve public safety for people to live here. Why would businesses want to put their people here given that?
ReplyDelete@9:30AM Looks like you FAILED to answer the question, and asking another question does not offer a reason. You connie's are hilarious in your use of this technique, when you don't have an answer or solution. MoCo has more public safety officers than Fairfax and some other VA jurisdiction the last I read. OH WAIT! You didn't see this in your alternative facts news sources now did you?
ReplyDelete8L39 You're right, 8:39, MoCO is the absolute best place on the entire planet to conduct business. It's also the very safest, virtually zero crime. And the public schools are the crown jewel and envy of the world, even India. And companies are pouring into the County with ultra high paying easy jobs and filling the coffers of government so taxes are extremely low. We have the most modern, under budget, public transportation system that makes complete sense, is cheap, and simple and efficient to use. Our public parking garages are Tiffany when it comes to construction standards. Lemme see, what did I miss? I mean, it's a regular Shangri-La here, right?
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