Bethesda construction update - Hampden House apartment tower (Photos)

Here's a look at the latest progress on the construction of developer Saul Centers' Hampden House apartment tower at 7316 Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Bethesda. The building will hold 366 residential units, and 10,110-square-feet of retail and restaurant space. One ground floor retail space has been leased by designer lighting retailer Visual Comfort & Co.; two retail spaces remain available. A late 2025 delivery is anticipated for Hampden House.

Police seek suspects in Park Potomac assault

Montgomery County police are seeking the public's help in identifying and located multiple suspects in the June 22, 2024 aggravated assault at the Park Potomac development. Police say that as many as four suspects ganged up on the two adult victims around 4:10 PM that afternoon, in the 12500 block of Park Potomac Avenue. The suspects displayed unspecified weapons, and assaulted both victims.

Police describe the suspects as three or four Black females in their late teens. If you have any information about the suspects or this incident, you are asked to call police at (301) 279-8000. 

On Saint Elmo nearing the finish line in Bethesda

The construction process has been long, but On Saint Elmo is finally moving toward opening at 4915 St. Elmo Avenue in Bethesda. A sign crew was working to prepare the facade for installation of a permanent sign above the entrance this past weekend. Promising "coastal Mediterranean culinary and nightlife experiences," the restaurant and lounge will be led by chef partner Bryant Haren. A California native, Haren is a veteran of the Culinary Institute of America in New York, Del Mar at The Wharf in Washington, D.C., and BARCA Pier & Wine Bar in Alexandria.

Initial operating hours are anticipated to be 3:00 PM to 3:00 AM Tuesday through Saturday. Development of On Saint Elmo has been quite a journey, given that the space was first leased in May of 2022. Demolition of the former tenant TAPP'D Bethesda's interior began in July 2022. This space had two much more famous former tenants, Union Jack's and The Shark Club. 

The size of the venue gives On Saint Elmo great potential as a nightlife spot, if they can pull it off. Let's hope they can, as nightlife is nearly nonexistent in downtown Bethesda since the Montgomery County Council's disastrous 2012 "nighttime economy" initiative resulted in over 20 nightspots closing, cratering the nighttime economy altogether. Stay tuned for an opening date.

Ernesta to open at Bethesda Row

Ernesta, a custom rug retailer, has leased the storefront at 4816 Bethesda Avenue at Bethesda Row. The space was recently vacated by plant shop The Sill. Ernesta's claim to fame is selling carpets that are exactly the size you need, rather than selling them in standard rug sizes. "One-of-a-kind style requires one-of-a-kind sizing," is one of the company's mantras. 

Ernesta offers a variety of rug materials, including ones that are suitable for outdoor use, or are pet-friendly. Design assistants will be available to guide customers in a "warm and welcoming space." Ernesta currently has only one showroom, on the Upper East Side in Manhattan. The Bethesda Row showroom will open this fall.

More construction ahead inside Norfolk Ave. Starbucks in Bethesda

If you were annoyed by the construction being done inside the Starbucks at 7700 Norfolk Avenue in downtown Bethesda earlier this year, get ready to be annoyed again. More interior alterations are now planned for the coming months at the store. The interior of the Starbucks has already been reduced in size, to allow for the additions of an elevator and elevator lobby for the building the store is on the ground floor of. Not yet known, is whether the new round of construction will require any temporary closures like we saw during the early 2024 work.

Bethesda restaurant owners facing July 5 court date for unpaid rent

The saga of Zuma by Chef Ninja continues to play out at 4866 Cordell Avenue in downtown Bethesda. If back rent is not paid by this Friday, July 5, 2024, the stage will shift to the Maryland District Court in Rockville at 1:30 PM that afternoon. According to a court summons posted at the restaurant, the owners of Zuma have not paid rent to landlord Greendell, LLC from September 2023 through May 2024. Along with late fees, they allegedly now owe Greendell a grand total of $116,202.33. 

According to Maryland judicial records, the unpaid rent case remains open as of this morning. The same records state that a separate de novo appeal trial, in a tort case filed by Greendell against the Zuma owners, is currently scheduled for July 18 in Montgomery County Circuit Court.

Zuma opened in October 2023. By mid-January 2024, it had already closed. The landlord ordered the property sealed the last week of January, posting a notice declaring that the police would be called if anyone entered the premises. A month later, a court summons was posted at the restaurant, after process servers were unsuccessful in delivering the summons to the Zuma owners in person.