Here's a look at the latest progress at the Westbard Square construction site at 5400 Westbard Avenue in Bethesda. Stacks of Owens Corning PINK R11 fiberglass insulation can be seen on the second level of the future Giant building. It does appear that the clock face at the front corner of the building is an actual clock; it just has tiny hands. Delivery of this Phase 1 building is scheduled for Q3 2023. All businesses in the Westwood Shopping Center remain open during the construction.
So much nicer than what was there before, and oriented to the street rather than that ugly asphalt desert behind.
ReplyDeleteYears from now, we will all look back and laugh at the previous opposition to this project.
The main reason the current shopping center has its back to the street is that the developer also built Kenwood Place, in which he himself lived. Loading dock views would not have been a good selling point for the apartments there.
ReplyDeleteThe main reason the current shopping center has its back to the street is that it was designed by a bad architect. The street was there well before the shopping center and apartments. This was just a terrible idea.
ReplyDeleteThe street was irrelevant to the decision. The property owner did not want to look out his window at dumpsters and loading docks, so he oriented the storefronts to face his apartment building development. It certainly wasn't ideal for the rest of us, and it is a very unusual configuration, I agree.
ReplyDeleteSo the developer and property owner decided he would rather overlook a huge parking lot and a strip mall? In my opinion, the vision for this site was flawed, and a much more appropriate design solution could be utilized without turning your backside to the only main street in the area. I suppose back when this was built, suburban shopping center design did not really seek any design excellence, but still, this idea of burying your retail storefronts on an interior parking lot seems illogical.
ReplyDeleteI believe the architect was John D'Epagnier, the father of a high school classmate of mine. His name was on the Westwood sign at the old intersection of River and Ridgefield. Is that who you are thinking of Robert? Because I don't believe he lived at Kenwood Place.
ReplyDeleteOops, I see you are talking about the owner, not the architect, 114 mentioned the architect. Never mind.
ReplyDelete