tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28521945.post430236972481395309..comments2024-03-28T10:19:27.839-07:00Comments on Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row: EQUITY ONE UNVEILS WESTBARD REDEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL (PHOTOS)Robert Dyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975969463714952623noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28521945.post-69472938112699233902018-07-12T11:18:19.691-07:002018-07-12T11:18:19.691-07:00I mean, I don't mind "concrete canyons&qu...I mean, I don't mind "concrete canyons" and in some ways I think this kind of plan looks worse with very low-rise buildings unless they're quite varied in façade and small-lot. I can easily picture a redevelopment looking better, not worse, with taller buildings because it feels more "enclosed"-compare the courtyard at Bethesda Row to the streets adjoining it. Otherwise, I don't mind this plan but it should have more green space(maybe along Westwood Boulevard and around the current tower) and maybe widen the center road for a square. I think part of the issue TBH is that this is a relatively small parcel and doesn't encompass a lot of the area-you could get a lot of "Bang for your buck" if the plan worked with the county to improve foot crossings across River Road to the current Whole Foods lot and to add in foot paths across the commercial area to the towhouses along Little Falls Parkway and to Westbard MS and Little Falls Library, so it's easy to walk to those and to existing civic buildings.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28521945.post-15056847533014576012015-02-21T11:49:22.438-08:002015-02-21T11:49:22.438-08:00Oh, I see, the transportation problem will be solv...Oh, I see, the transportation problem will be solved with shuttle buses to the local metro stops. This is the new "Urban " form of Planes, Trains, & Automobiles. Brilliant! ADKINSnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28521945.post-12994037281865698282015-02-08T06:40:03.680-08:002015-02-08T06:40:03.680-08:00ok, so now I will start going to Sangamore Safeway...ok, so now I will start going to Sangamore Safeway. I HATE parking garages, especially for grocery shoppingAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28521945.post-15470697445955142132015-02-06T23:26:51.382-08:002015-02-06T23:26:51.382-08:006:46: Neither. The buildings are grandfathered, bu...6:46: Neither. The buildings are grandfathered, but could not be built today.<br /><br />In Montgomery County, the MoCo political machine considers anyone with basic common sense to be strange. The guy with all the fake facts, false info and no knowledge of the Westbard area, and who thinks the low-density suburbs nowhere near Metro should be urbanized, telling me *I'm* strange. "ROFL"Robert Dyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01975969463714952623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28521945.post-30735709544452622362015-02-06T20:00:47.954-08:002015-02-06T20:00:47.954-08:00I think the garage at the Bethesda Row Giant is a ...I think the garage at the Bethesda Row Giant is a good example of a garage done right. Since it's directly under the store, it's a short walk up to the store. Hopefully they do similar at Westbard.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28521945.post-64727566995321154792015-02-06T18:46:22.454-08:002015-02-06T18:46:22.454-08:00A building that is higher than the existing code p...A building that is higher than the existing code permits for newer buildings is the equivalent of a bordello? That's an odd analogy. You're either implying that those three buildings are literally illegal but no one has gotten around to tearing them down, or that there are bordellos around here from decades ago that have been legally "grandfathered". Or possibly both. Who knows. Your mind works in strange ways.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28521945.post-60951706995223338662015-02-06T18:12:25.141-08:002015-02-06T18:12:25.141-08:005:29: Bordellos exist, but that doesn't make a...5:29: Bordellos exist, but that doesn't make adding new ones legal. "LOL" "LOL"<br />Lifelong resident trumps carpetbagger any day of the week.<br /><br />I've never honked at the (now-vacant) nursing home's residents. I think you're projecting your behavior onto others. Robert Dyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01975969463714952623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28521945.post-18362320815449930642015-02-06T17:48:07.693-08:002015-02-06T17:48:07.693-08:00As a life-long resident of Greenacres and living d...As a life-long resident of Greenacres and living directly on River Road I am very concerned about the increased TRAFFIC this is going to create heading into DC. My parents have already sacrificed part of their front lawn for the previous expansion of River Road 50+/ years ago. I think a fair estimate of 600 new units would mean at least 600 more cars on our roads. Are you kidding me??? How is this plan going to benefit anyone when you can't go from point A to point B? The cranes, flatbeds, and dump trucks will be parked in the travel lanes all day everyday for years, just like Bethesda! Has anyone involved in this plan ever spent even 1 day in this community?ADKINSnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28521945.post-42158059671075294322015-02-06T17:29:22.217-08:002015-02-06T17:29:22.217-08:00"Non-conforming", therefore they don'..."Non-conforming", therefore they don't exist. LOL<br /><br />Also, you need more on your resume than just "lifelong resident".<br /><br />And admit it, you'd honk at nursing home residents if they got in your way while making a right-turn-on-red.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28521945.post-6341958362191411272015-02-06T15:09:21.360-08:002015-02-06T15:09:21.360-08:002:56: Great job making a fool of yourself. No home...2:56: Great job making a fool of yourself. No homes border on The Kenwood or Westwood Tower. No single-family homes are adjacent to Park Bethesda. All 3 buildings are non-conforming high-rises - you couldn't build any of them today.<br /><br />The buildings planned for the nursing home and Westwood Center II sites are 75', not 3 stories.<br /><br />You'd think that you would be smart enough not to challenge a lifelong resident with completely fake information. Robert Dyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01975969463714952623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28521945.post-50474948986672939572015-02-06T15:02:48.846-08:002015-02-06T15:02:48.846-08:002:32: If you did your homework, you would know the...2:32: If you did your homework, you would know there are no residents in the nursing home - it closed two months ago.Robert Dyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01975969463714952623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28521945.post-91989520303796524572015-02-06T14:56:16.355-08:002015-02-06T14:56:16.355-08:00"Actually, the single-family homes are yards ..."Actually, the single-family homes are yards away from this project on Westbard and Ridgefield, not blocks. Some houses border the shopping center and the nursing home. You're obviously not familiar with the area. If you'd done your homework, you would know that."<br /><br />And other homes border the 17-story Kenwood Condominium, the 16-story HOC apartments, and the 10-story Park Bethesda.<br /><br />And the nursing home itself, as well as the commercial building right across the street are both three stories, so by Dyer's definition Ridgefield Street is already a "concrete canyon".<br /><br />You'd think that Dyer would actually know his own neighborhod.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28521945.post-17148388079278238152015-02-06T14:32:15.314-08:002015-02-06T14:32:15.314-08:00If Westbard Avenue is widened, and as a result, pe...If Westbard Avenue is widened, and as a result, pedestrians take longer to cross it, does that mean that Dyer will have to honk longer when he is making a right-turn-on-red onto Westbard and he encounters one of the residents of the nursing home in a wheelchair in the crosswalk?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28521945.post-61334492369678692232015-02-06T13:53:57.670-08:002015-02-06T13:53:57.670-08:00"if you want to avoid pedestrians"
Are ..."if you want to avoid pedestrians"<br /><br />Are you the type of person that honks at pedestrians who are legally crossing a crosswalk while you're trying to make a right turn on a red light?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28521945.post-57817860226393368742015-02-06T13:12:18.296-08:002015-02-06T13:12:18.296-08:006:40: And there are no pedestrians and shopping ca...6:40: And there are no pedestrians and shopping carts in garages? As it stands now, you can take the road parallel to the Kenwood Place Westbard Circle if you want to avoid pedestrians. You can get around much faster now than you can on Bethesda Avenue. Robert Dyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01975969463714952623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28521945.post-8116065882930157862015-02-06T13:06:33.407-08:002015-02-06T13:06:33.407-08:004:34: Nope. The vistas are of trees in Kenwood, So...4:34: Nope. The vistas are of trees in Kenwood, Somerset, Green Acres and the Westland/Little Falls Library site. And, most significantly, of Little Falls Stream Valley Park (although that's a little bit smaller than it was before your folks on the County Council sold part of it for private profit). #Oops<br /><br />Actually, the single-family homes are yards away from this project on Westbard and Ridgefield, not blocks. Some houses border the shopping center and the nursing home. You're obviously not familiar with the area. If you'd done your homework, you would know that.<br /><br />Yes, I do have all my bases covered. Robert Dyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01975969463714952623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28521945.post-50202678526443598482015-02-06T06:40:30.721-08:002015-02-06T06:40:30.721-08:00@ 4:34 AM
Beat me to it. I was going to make the ...@ 4:34 AM<br /><br />Beat me to it. I was going to make the same comment about pedestrians in parking lots. Not to mention runaway shopping carts.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28521945.post-70833940649268766672015-02-06T04:34:08.924-08:002015-02-06T04:34:08.924-08:00"Right now you can actually see a good distan..."Right now you can actually see a good distance from many points on Westbard Avenue. Not so with this walled-in canyon design."<br /><br />Oh, those fabulous vistas of Westbard's car repair shops that will be utterly destroyed by 4-story buildings.<br /><br />"[T]he buildings across Westbard...appear to be at least as tall as Upstairs, definitely inappropriate for this suburban residential location at Westbard."<br /><br />Except that Upstairs is just one block away from the "suburban residential location at Edgemoor", which is actually closer than these proposed buildings would be to the single-family-home areas of Westbard.<br /><br />"[A] Bethesda Avenue situation...jaywalkers darting out from behind parked cars, people crawling around trying to get street parking"<br /><br />This is exactly what you encounter in a surface parking lot, except that the pedestrians aren't labeled "jaywalkers" in that situation.<br /><br />"[D]oes Westbard actually look wider in this rendering? Meaning that it will take longer to cross?"<br /><br />LOL, looks like you've got all your bases covered.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28521945.post-49561617562045606402015-02-05T22:51:15.631-08:002015-02-05T22:51:15.631-08:006:44: There are definitely several traffic circula...6:44: There are definitely several traffic circulation issues in the plan that will have to be worked out during the process.Robert Dyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01975969463714952623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28521945.post-78999612778139036882015-02-05T22:49:33.033-08:002015-02-05T22:49:33.033-08:007:52: I've actually had another resident tell ...7:52: I've actually had another resident tell me today that they will do that, as well. They shouldn't underestimate people's preference for surface parking, especially in the suburbs.Robert Dyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01975969463714952623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28521945.post-28645204176184798012015-02-05T19:52:58.119-08:002015-02-05T19:52:58.119-08:00This will be great for the Little Falls shopping c...This will be great for the Little Falls shopping center on Sangamore---we'll all go there!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28521945.post-44407059225603296982015-02-05T18:44:22.121-08:002015-02-05T18:44:22.121-08:00I agree that the buildings planned for Ridgefield ...I agree that the buildings planned for Ridgefield Rd are indeed too high and may I point out that it is a *very* bad idea to have, as it appears on the drawings of the buildings that will replace Manor Care, only one vehicle exit from those condominiums and that directly onto Westbard Ave. Yes, cut-through traffic from River Rd. to Mass. Ave. will probably be reduced by the realignment of the Westbard/Ridgefield intersection, but it will in some part be replaced by all the traffic generated from those new condominiums. Those cars will almost certainly all exit onto Westbard and immediately turn left into the new Westbard/Ridgefield intersection. This could all be avoided by having another entry/exit from those condos directly onto River Rd.<br /><br />And while I am at it, I also feel that any on-street parking along Westbard Ave. south of the Westbard/Ridgefield intersection is another really poor idea. People will double park waiting for someone to pull out so they can get that space. Further exacerbating traffic flow is the fact that so many people are *so* poor at parallel parking that they will hold up traffic while they back up/go forward/backup until they finally get into the spot. That area should be a 100%, 24/7 no-parking zone. Period.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28521945.post-65336904760051426702015-02-05T18:42:54.619-08:002015-02-05T18:42:54.619-08:003:00: True. Also, I'm wondering, does Westbard...3:00: True. Also, I'm wondering, does Westbard actually look wider in this rendering? Meaning that it will take longer to cross? The median shown would provide a pedestrian refuge that isn't there today, though. I know a lot has been said about it being difficult to cross Rockville Pike in White Flint, but I've never had a problem. Then the "solution" involves adding medians and two BRT lanes, thereby making the crossing more difficult, not less. <br /><br />Hopefully the new alignment of Ridgefield is going to address the truck turning ratio requirements, speaking of trucks.Robert Dyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01975969463714952623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28521945.post-65648142122449777332015-02-05T15:00:24.041-08:002015-02-05T15:00:24.041-08:00The 500 to 700 new housing units will lead to grid...The 500 to 700 new housing units will lead to gridlock worse than downtown Bethesda.Plus, those three pedestrian crossings on Westbard opposite the Westwood shopping center are an accident waiting to happen. Unless the county adds traffic lights, pedestrian injuries and car accidents are likely. With all this traffic slowing, Westbard will become a bottleneck for commuters and trucks. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28521945.post-33703867856397417912015-02-05T14:29:52.200-08:002015-02-05T14:29:52.200-08:0012:17: Well said; good points all around. 12:17: Well said; good points all around. Robert Dyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01975969463714952623noreply@blogger.com