Construction of the St. Elmo Apartments has gotten off to a slower-than-expected start, due to some initial disagreements with an adjoining property owner about the excavation and shoring techniques to be used. There were signs of life at the site yesterday, however. A Crane Service Company mobile crane was brought in to assist.
Isn't that the same property that got sued by the property on the other side when it was being built?
ReplyDeleteSo I know folks like to complain about the rapid development in downtown Bethesda but I actually think most of it has been pretty smart to date. I do worry about it eventually going way overboard and ruining the charm of Bethesda though. My hope is after this wave things settle in and we leave it be for a while.
ReplyDeleteThere are a lot of plans that have been announced and haven’t started yet— especially those blocks by Benihana
ReplyDelete31 new high-rises are fully approved, partially approved or in the pipeline for approval in downtown Bethesda. Not including the six currently underway and one large remodeling project as 4800 Hampden Lane.
ReplyDeleteObviously all of these capers won’t get built, but if even half are completed, that will be 17 new high-rise towers between 7 and 31 stories tall. If two thirds get built, we will see about 25 new high-rises.
Many lots in downtown are currently way under developers based on allowable density. About five large lots along the east side Wisconsin in East Bethesda, including the CVS, Bennihanna, the Chase Bank Building, the funeral home, allow nine story buildings. The whole block including new CVS in the former bank building and the office building above the vacant Modell’s space is owned by a single developer and is zoned for up to 250’, across the street from heavy and light rail stations. The triangular parking lot above the Bethesda Landmark Theater is also zoned for up to 250’. Of course the Woodmont Triangle is filled with low rise buildings that would allow much more density.
It’s not unreasonable to assume that downtown Bethesda could have 40-50 new high-rises in the next few decades.
An anonymous poster said of Bethesda's building rate "I do worry about it eventually going way overboard and ruining the charm of Bethesda though." I think that train (maybe a light-rail!) pulled out of the station a long time ago. Change is inevitable, of course, and the people who live in any area (versus the county and developers) are the last ones to get any say (and then no one listens anyway). We moved from New York to Bethesda to live in a smaller, less complicated environment, and it has been great for the last 25 years we've been here. Now it's overdeveloped for what we were looking for, so eventually our retirement will take us elsewhere.
ReplyDelete9:45 AM
ReplyDeleteFor our retirement, we moved from southeast Michigan to downtown Bethesda, specifically because it is larger, and more complicated, giving us more options in a walkable, transit oriented community. More density means more housing options, more retail restaurant choices supported by more residents, office workers and hotel guests, more streetscape improvements, and new parks and urban plazas, including privately owned public spaces required by zoning. New developments are required to use green roofs for improved storm water efficiency, sustainable energy usage, and provide shade trees, benches, bike racks, pedestrian scaled streetlights along their street frontages. New developments are required to pay impact taxes for schools and park space.
A higher population density also supports more community events, art fairs, concerts and encourages the development of more entertainment venues like theaters and performing arts. Dense walkable communities and new ADA compliant housing encourages “aging in place” instead of isolation in retirement communities.
I guess to each his own. After 40 years of living in New York, downtown DC and then the old not-overdeveloped Bethesda was just our speed. We don't need more housing options (we can't afford to move within 20814 anymore), or more offices with inadequate parking provided (i.e. Marriot HQ), more shade trees get cut down every day in our neighborhood to squeeze the largest McMansions possible onto small lots, the schools are good but aren't well-funded and are overcrowded despite new taxes from the new developments, and as far as theaters, we lost 2 great entertainment movie theater venues to development since 2000.
ReplyDeleteIt's glass half-full or half-empty depending on a lot of factors. The Bethesda of 1996 was perfect for us. Despite all the great new stuff in Bethesda, it wouldn't be an option for us in 2022.