Long-delayed Bethesda gas station redevelopment to launch with groundbreaking today

A vacant former Exxon gas station will finally get a fresh start after several failed attempts by multiple developers and landowners. Developer Greystar will hold a groundbreaking this afternoon for its approved redevelopment plan at 7340 Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Bethesda. A tent has been set up on the site ahead of the event. The apartment tower will include 315,000 gross square feet of development, 300 to 308 residential units, ground floor retail, and around 158 parking spaces (.52 spaces per unit).

Dinner with Santa at Millie's Spring Valley December 18 & 19, 2023

Santa Claus is coming to town in Spring Valley this month. He will make two special appearances on back-to-back nights a few days before Christmas at Millie's at 4866 Massachusetts Avenue NW on December 18 and 19, 2023. The occasion will be Dinner with Santa, and will be held from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM both evenings. Enjoy your meal along with hot chocolate and candy canes, and a special visit by St. Nick himself. A professional photographer will be on-hand to document Santa's interactions with attendees. Call (202) 733-5789 for reservations and any questions. 

MDSHA installing traffic signals at Bethesda intersection where 2 pedestrians were struck in 2019 (Photos)

The Maryland State Highway Administration is installing new traffic signals on Wisconsin Avenue (MD 355) at Middleton Lane in downtown Bethesda. Two pedestrians were struck in the crosswalk there in 2019, but residents of East Bethesda had been asking for the signal long before that. State Highway engineers initially concluded additional signals were not warranted there, but announced they would install crossing signals at three intersections after the 2019 incident. The signals that have been installed are not yet operational, so it is currently unclear if they will operate with other timed signals along MD 355 and additional signals facing Middleton, or only when activated by pedestrians seeking to cross.

Bethesda construction update - 2 Bethesda Metro Center (Photos)

Here's a look at the progress on the relocated entrance to the 2 Bethesda Metro Center office tower on Woodmont Avenue. The main entrance is being moved from North Lane to this spot at the corner of North and Woodmont. The change is part of a major renovation of the property, which includes a new restaurant - Pisco y Nazca Ceviche Gastrobar, a new rear plaza, and a new fitness and conference center. It's a tough time for office property owners, and many are upgrading their properties, as buildings around the world fight over a shrunken on-site workforce in the work-from-home era.

Donutchew opens at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda (Photos)

Donutchew has opened in the Dining Terrace food court at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The mochi donut chain's product is denser - and as the name suggests, chewier - than a traditional donut. They are made with glutinous rice flour, as opposed to the enriched wheat flour of a Krispy Kreme donut. Donutchew is in a kiosk that has seen heavy turnover in the last couple of years, but the company has had early success with its Rio Lakefront location in Gaithersburg.

Renato's restaurant for sale in Potomac

Renato's at River Falls at 10120 River Road in the Potomac Village Shopping Center is being marketed for sale. The asking price for the popular Italian restaurant is $400,000. Whoever purchases the business could keep Renato's going, or open a new restaurant or retail concept in the space. 

Renato's remains open for business. According to the sales listing, the owner passed away two years ago and "no management has been in place" since. The condo's size is 2500-square-feet.

Update on Mandi Mediterranean Bar Grill Lounge in Bethesda + menu (Photos)

Mandi Mediterranean Bar Grill Lounge looks like it's ready to open any day now at 4906 St. Elmo Avenue in Bethesda. The tables are set in the dining room. See a photo of the menu - which isn't even on the restaurant's unfinished website as of this writing - below. Mandi's operating hours will be 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM Monday through Saturday, and 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM on Sundays.

Bethesda Row Giant implements new 2-hour parking limit

New signs have been posted in the parking lot of the Bethesda Row Giant grocery store, warning of a 2-hour parking time limit. Vehicles parked more than two hours in the lot, or those left by "walk-off" drivers who go somewhere besides Giant after parking, will be towed at the vehicle owner's expense. How aggressive the enforcement will be remains to be seen in the coming weeks. In the previous decade, downtown Bethesda was the scene of tense debate over predatory towing schemes driven by profit, versus the need to keep spaces open for business patrons.

Plans to construct Bethesda's tallest building appear to be on hold

A proposal to build a 315'-tall apartment tower at 7820 Wisconsin Avenue in Bethesda appears to have hit another snag. One of several properties assembled for the mixed-use project recently went back on the market, seeking a "long-term" tenant. A new online listing reveals what "long-term" means in this case. The vacant EagleBank building at 7815 Woodmont Avenue is now available for a 10-year lease term, at a negotiable rate.

Bethesda-based AMR Commercial, LLC is suggesting several possible uses for the 3 units within the former bank headquarters, such as a bank, restaurant, medical or veterinary clinic, retail store or brewery. The building has a drive-thru, which provides a ready-to-go amenity for a bank, drugstore or fast food restaurant. All 3 of the spaces can potentially be leased separately, combined in any way, or fully-filled by one large tenant.

Unless plans change again, this would mean that we won't see any redevelopment of this site for at least a decade, or it will be a smaller-scale project that excludes the bank building. If so, that would be good news for nearby residents, and for customers of the busy 7-Eleven. The high-rise plan was controversial, as a late change drastically reduced the public green space that was originally proposed, Montgomery County failed to realize the planned expansion of Veterans Park onto the site, and the undesirable functions of the building were located to face residents of the Fairmont Plaza condos rather than toward the commercial and office buildings in the opposite direction.

Strong-arm robbery in downtown Bethesda

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a strong-arm robbery in downtown Bethesda last night, November 25, 2023. The robbery was reported along the street in the 7600 block of Old Georgetown Road at 8:10 PM Saturday night. That is outside of the Metropolitan apartments.

Giant sign installed at future Westbard Square development in Bethesda (Photos)

A large Giant logo sign has been installed on the front of the new retail building at Westbard Square at 5400 Westbard Avenue in Bethesda. The supermarket is the anchor tenant for the soon-to-open Phase 1 of the development. Other tenants on board at the Regency Centers property are Starbucks, Voorthuis Opticians, Westwood Barber Shop and the Montgomery County government liquor store, Oak Barrel & Vine.

Cross-block passageway opens to public at The Camille in Bethesda (Photos)

A cross-block passageway under The Camille apartments at 7000 Wisconsin Avenue in Bethesda has opened to the public. The cut-through provides a pedestrian route between Wisconsin and the alleyway behind the building. Illuminated sculptures hang from the ceiling of the passage, which is well-lit at night. The Camille has recently opened to welcome its first tenants; a retail space on the ground level remains available for lease.

Wyrd Ryds loading in inventory at new Bethesda store ahead of December 1 opening

The scooters and e-bikes are appearing inside the future Wyrd Ryds showroom at 4825 Fairmont Avenue in Bethesda. They've also got plenty of spare tires in stock, which might be in demand, given the number of construction sites riders may encounter around town. A sign inside the store appears to be awaiting installation on the exterior of the store. This is Wyrd Ryds' first Maryland location. Wyrd Ryds is currently scheduled to open Friday, December 1, 2023.

AMC Montgomery 16 theater to add recliners at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

AMC's acquisition of the former ArcLight Cinemas at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda came with great hopes that the cineplex chain would upgrade some of the outdated elements of the theater, now known as AMC Montgomery 16. That's finally about to happen. AMC says it is moving forward with a plan to replace the fixed, cloth seats in the 16 auditoriums of the complex with its current recliner model. 

The company says it will spend nearly $3 million on the seats, and some other minor updates to the cineplex, which are expected to begin early next year. AMC notes that the addition of recliners will reduce the total number of seats in each auditorium. The renovation plan tells us that AMC is committed to keeping this theater open for a long time to come.

Giorgetti opening at the Collection at Chevy Chase

Italian furniture brand Giorgetti, is "coming soon" to the Collection at Chevy Chase in Friendship Heights, according to signage posted in its future storefront. It will be located next to Joy by Seven Reasons at the Chevy Chase Land Co.-owned property. The company says the American market is increasingly essential for Italian furniture makers, but that the middlemen who dominate the home furnishing sector here are unfit to represent fine Italian products. Its solution is to open its own retail showrooms in the United States, and sell directly to customers. The first three flagship stores will be this one in Chevy Chase, one in Miami, and one in New York City.

Westbard Square parking garage signage installed in Bethesda (Photos)

Wondering where you'll park at the new Westbard Square development? Signage is now up at the entrance of the parking garage at the future development at 5400 Westbard Avenue in Bethesda. Don't try to drive in just yet, though. Metal barricades are still blocking the entrance. When it does open, don't forget to thank the Monopoly Guy for free parking.

Cellaxs Phone Repair opening at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Cellaxs Phone Repair is coming soon to Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. Signage has been installed at its future space, which was once home to The Fix, on Level 2 near the food court. Cellaxs repairs screens, buttons, speakers and water damage on your phone. Battery replacement, tablet repairs and free diagnosis of your phone's problems are among the other services offered by the device repair chain nationwide. 

Armed robbery at Amazon Fresh in Friendship Heights

Montgomery County police are seeking the public's help in identifying and locating four suspects in the November 20, 2023 armed robbery of the Amazon Fresh store at the Collection at Chevy Chase in Friendship Heights. Detectives say four people entered the store sometime prior to 12:43 PM Monday, and began to fill bags with merchandise. When an employee approached two of the suspects, one of them raised his shirt to display a handgun in his waistband, and announced that this was an armed robbery of the store.

The employee backed away, and allowed the suspects to leave with bags filled with merchandise of undisclosed value. When the suspects were last seen, they were carrying their bags toward the Friendship Heights Metro station. Police have now released surveillance footage of the four suspects.

Suspect one is described by police as a Black male with a medium build, approximately 6-feet, 1-inch tall and 180 pounds with a beard. Suspect two is described as a Black female, approximately 5-feet, 2-inches tall and 220 pounds. Her hair was dyed orange and worn in braids. Suspect three and four are described as two Black males, one with a medium build and the other with a beard.

Detectives are asking anyone with information regarding this crime or the suspects involved to call Crime Solvers of Montgomery County toll-free at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477). A reward of up to $10,000 is being offered for information that leads to the arrest of the suspects. Callers may remain anonymous.  

Contents of White Flint restaurant to be auctioned off next month

The contents of a Mediterranean restaurant in the White Flint area will be auctioned off next month. While the restaurant is not named in the online auction listing, the interior photos look like TooSso Pakistani Kitchen, which closed earlier this fall at 5290 Randolph Road at Loehmann's Plaza. Among the items up for grabs to the highest bidder are TooSso's menu board, a decorative antique door, a tandoori oven, and even the restaurant's broom and dustpan. To register and place a bid, see the online auction listing. The auction begins closing December 15, 2023 at 10:07 AM.

Montgomery County Board of Elections votes to not follow anyone on social media

Montgomery County Board of Elections
President David A. Naimon

The Montgomery County Board of Elections voted unanimously yesterday to not follow anyone on social media, part of a new social media policy the board passed via that vote. While the board encourages residents, voters and political candidates to follow its accounts on social media, commissioners decided that its own accounts should not follow anyone, and should not "like" social media posts. The board said it made the policy change to emphasize its commitment to free and fair elections, and equal treatment of all candidates and ballot question debates. 

“As a non-partisan organization, the Board must ensure that all candidates, political parties and voters are treated fairly and that no candidate or supporter or opponent of a ballot question receives or is perceived to receive preferential treatment,” Board President David A. Naimon said in a statement after the vote. “The mission of the Board is simple - - free, fair, and transparent elections for all candidates and voters.”

For official information about the 2024 elections, including how to register to vote and/or volunteer to serve as an election worker, follow the Montgomery County Board of Elections on X at @777vote (https://twitter.com/777vote), on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/777vote/, or on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/777vote/. Information also continues to be available on the BOE website at www.777vote.org, and by phone at 240-777-8500.

Giant, Voorthuis signage installed at Westbard Square in Bethesda (Photos)

Sign installers are busy at the future Westbard Square development in Bethesda as Thanksgiving week gets underway. The first Westbard Square branding for the Regency Centers development has been installed on the new Giant building. It's above the future Westwood Barber Shop space along Westbard Avenue. There is some illumination of it from below, but it does not yet light up. Also installed but not lit is the first Giant logo sign, on the side facing the current Giant store. 

Giant's signage elsewhere on the building refers to the new grocery store's pharmacy, a feature not previously offered at the Westwood Giant. Starbucks is listed, but it's unclear if that sign is referring to the actual Starbucks that will be in the ground floor of the building, or to a smaller Starbucks counter inside the Giant store. Giant tried operating a small Starbucks at this location earlier this century, but the presence of a full-blown Starbucks in the same shopping center seemed to limit the demand, and Giant ended up removing the Starbucks counter near the front entrance of the store.

Voorthuis Opticians has its logo and trademark glass frame signage in place, and it was lit last night. One other exterior addition is the stonework behind the "Westbard Square" logo. That is a nod to the locally-quarried stone found on many Bethesda buildings and homes built in the 20th century.

Stairs up to Giant

Lighting fixtures visible inside
the new Giant store space