Bethesda construction update: 4909 Auburn Avenue apartments (Video + Photos)

Construction has advanced substantially on the 4909 Auburn Avenue apartments in downtown Bethesda since my last update. Where November found very little structural work erected in the graded excavation area, concrete pillars have now been poured over the entire lower garage level.  This site was formerly home to the Auburn Professional Building. 

4909 Auburn Avenue, an 11-story apartment building, will house 167 residential units, ground-level retail/restaurant space, 3 levels of underground parking, and a pass-through that creates a new pedestrian connection between Imagination Stage and Battery Lane Urban Park. Potomac Development Group is the developer, BCT Design Group is the architect, and Donohoe is the construction contractor.

Tea Spa opens in new Bethesda location

Tea Spa has opened in its new downtown Bethesda space at 4931 Cordell Avenue. That was formerly home to Sax Realty, which closed in 2019. Tea Spa offers massage, facial, nail, waxing, acupuncture, infrared sauna and reiki/energy healing services. The local chain also has locations in Rockville, Wheaton and Gaithersburg.

Washington Gas Woodmont Triangle project continues (Photos)

A major Washington Gas utility project continued in the Woodmont Triangle neighborhood of downtown Bethesda Thursday. Washington Gas employees closed off Fairmont Avenue between Wisconsin and Woodmont Avenues Thursday afternoon to dig under the street. By mid-evening, the work on Fairmont had ended. Be prepared for lane or street closures in the Woodmont Triangle area, as the project continues.

Bethesda's Metropolitan Public Parking Garage 49 to switch payment systems January 3

Beginning January 3, 2023, there will be a new payment system inside the Metropolitan Public Parking Garage 49 at 4805 Edgemoor Lane in downtown Bethesda. The Montgomery County Department of Transportation has announced that it will implement a new Pay-by-Plate system of payment that day, replacing the existing cashier system. Garage patrons will enter their tag number into a payment station, or using a downloadable app for a touchless option. Hours of operation will remain the same.

As of yesterday, the new payment stations were in place, but with covers over them. MCDOT has an instructional video online for those who are unfamiliar with Pay-by-Plate systems, which can help you be prepared and save time when you use the new system in Garage 49. Now about those elevators...

Sweetgreen renovations fall behind schedule at Bethesda Row

Sweetgreen has missed its target reopening date at 4831 Bethesda Avenue at Bethesda Row. The fast-casual salad restaurant has been undergoing extensive renovations, and had been due to reopen December 27. That did not happen, and the windows are covered with brown paper. No new reopening date was posted Thursday evening. There will apparently be a new logo sign over the storefront, as the existing one has now been removed.

Cubasi Bistro unplugged in Bethesda

It's not looking good for a reopening of Cubasi Bistro at 4710-A Bethesda Avenue, in The Seasons apartment tower. Diners have been finding the restaurant dark for more than a week. One reader reported that there had been a shortage of staff, a problem affecting many businesses since 2020. However, as of this afternoon, the electronic menu screens behind the counter have been ripped off the wall, and refrigerated beverage cases in the front of the restaurant are visibly unplugged and empty.

Los Ricos will be the new restaurant at the Hyatt Regency Bethesda

Los Ricos will fill the vacant Daily Grill space at the Hyatt Regency Bethesda hotel at 1 Bethesda Metro Center. The Tex-Mex restaurant will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner, a hotel employee says. It will open by summer at the latest, but could debut by spring if construction moves swiftly. 

The Daily Grill closed during the pandemic lockdown of 2020, but the hotel announced the closure was permanent in May of 2021. At that time, the hotel promised it would fill the space with an "exciting new restaurant" in 2022. Los Ricos has now been confirmed as the replacement, but construction has not begun yet, and the interior of the Daily Grill still needs to be demolished.

Renderings courtesy of Hyatt Regency Bethesda

Papaya opens at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Papaya has opened at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The women's boutique chain specializes in fashions for the teenage or petite customer. Prices are kept low by eliminating the middleman; all apparel and accessories are shipped straight to Papaya from the manufacturers themselves. The company has 79 locations nationwide. Look for Papaya on Level 2, next to AT&T.

Adonni's Desserts opens at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Adonni's Desserts has opened in the Dining Terrace food court at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. It serves treats usually found at fairs or carnivals, such as fried Oreos and funnel cake fries. Other desserts include warm cookies, sweet potato pie, warm brownies, cake, bread pudding, banana pudding, warm muffins and cookie cups. Come in from the cold for a hot apple cider or hot chocolate at Adonni's Desserts, which is across from 7-Eleven at the food court.

See's Candies closes at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

See's Candies has closed at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The store was a pop-up shop for the holiday shopping season. See's Candies knows what it's doing, as the company had generated $401 million in revenue by the time last December came to an end. But don't they know Christmas doesn't end until January 6?

Residents create petition to remove bike lanes from Old Georgetown Road in Bethesda

The new bike lanes on Old Georgetown Road in Bethesda have been a controversial topic of discussion since their recent installation took many residents by surprise. Drivers have complained of traffic backups, and their anger is compounded by seeing the bike lanes sitting unused alongside two lanes jammed with automobiles. Similar to the negative impacts of the Little Falls Parkway "road diet," the major state highway has become nearly impassable at times for emergency vehicles, presenting a danger to public safety as response times increase on a major route used to reach multi-alarm fires and Suburban Hospital. Now one resident has created a petition to have the lanes removed.

"The bike lanes must be removed without delay," the petition says. It cites the above issues, as well as cut-through traffic in the surrounding neighborhoods, and snow removal problems. The bike lanes were added by the State Highway Administration at the request of Montgomery County elected officials, after the tragic deaths of two young cyclists on the road. As of this writing, there are already 2,584 signatures on the petition to have the bike lanes removed.

Delhi Spice now open for delivery, takeout orders in Bethesda

Good news for fans of Indian cuisine in downtown Bethesda. Not only did Bethesda-averse dining critic Tom Sietsema just recognize Passage to India as one of his current favorites, but the new Delhi Spice is now open for delivery and takeout orders at 4925 Bethesda Avenue. Window decorations have been added since my first report last week. The owner reports that the restaurant's sign will be installed soon. 

Indoor dining will also be available soon. In addition to a popular selection of Indian favorites, the menu features some specialties from the south of India. Delivery is available from GrubHub, or DoorDash or Uber Eats.

WSSC repairs Bethesda water main break (Photos)

A WSSC crew was dispatched last evening to repair a serious water main break at the intersection of Wisconsin Avenue and Bethesda Avenue. The utility had to address dozens of such breaks across the region during the Siberian cold snap affecting the area over the last few days. Water streaming down Bethesda Avenue made it all the way to Bethesda Row, with slush and ice forming in the bikeway and travel lanes. Conditions were hazardous for pedestrians, drivers and cyclists alike, which I think got this repair prioritized higher on the WSSC's list as a result.

Construction of RASA Indian restaurant begins at Montrose Crossing (Photos)

Construction is underway at the future location of RASA at 12033 Rockville Pike, in the Montrose Crossing shopping center. This will be the fifth location of the local Indian restaurant chain in the Washington, D.C. region. It replaces Slapfish, which closed in November. Signage for RASA has been installed above the storefront, and you can see that the Slapfish interior has been gutted to make way for the new interior fit-out.

8200 Wisconsin apartment tower in Bethesda is being sold

The owner of 8200 Wisconsin Avenue, a high-rise apartment building in downtown Bethesda, has informed tenants that it is in the process of selling the property. Brown Development, LLC says it has entered into a sale contract with an unidentified buyer. It expects the sale to close in March or April of 2023. Tenants had to be informed under Montgomery County code 53A, as any recognized tenant organization has the right of first refusal to buy their building if it is put up for sale.

8200's future will be dependant upon who the unknown buyer turns out to be, unless tenants organize to buy it themselves. It could continue as a rental property with no interruption to tenants. The building could be renovated, or gutted, and turned into condos. Or, it could be entirely demolished, as today's zoning would allow a taller building there. 

Bethesda real estate firm Donohoe owns the adjacent medical building and Exxon gas station. This would certainly make for a nice third lot to assemble for a major mixed-use development between Battery Lane and The Bethesdan hotel. It could include a renovated 8200, or a larger building that incorporates its property. I've heard no indication that Donohoe is the buyer, however, but such an acquisition would certainly increase their options for redevelopment there.

Armed carjacking in downtown Bethesda on Christmas Eve

Montgomery County police responded to a report of an armed carjacking in downtown Bethesda late on Christmas Eve. The carjacking was reported in the 7200 block of Woodmont Avenue at 10:33 PM Saturday. Reporter Alan Henney tweeted that two male suspects, wielding at least one firearm, carjacked a gray Toyota RAV4 with Maryland tags. The incident took place at the intersection of Woodmont Avenue and Elm Street at Bethesda Row.