Bethesda construction update: 7001 Arlington Road luxury apartments lobby, patio (Photos)

The lobby and patio areas at the new 7001 Arlington Road luxury apartments are adding some of the decorative elements to be on display. How does this stack up to what you've seen of the lobbies in the Gallery Bethesda and the Bainbridge Bethesda?

Newly-activated Bethesda traffic signal gets the green light (Video/photos)

The new traffic signal on Arlington Road that lit up last week is now fully operational, and stopping traffic. In addition to the signals themselves, you'll notice the strict directional arrow that controlled turns out of the Bradley Shopping Center has been rubbed off the pavement. That means you can turn either way coming out of there with the new signal.

Here's a video of the signal in action, and some additional photos:

Bethesda construction update: 7001 Arlington Road luxury apartments (Photos)

Yesterday, you got a look at the new traffic signal in front of 7001 Arlington Road. Today, let's check out the progress of this future Bethesda luxury apartment building, which stands on the site of the former Arlington Road U.S. Post Office (R.I.P.). It will have the new Ourisman Volkswagen dealership on the ground floor, but there is still additional retail space available according to the signage onsite.

New Arlington Road traffic signal activated in Bethesda (Video/photos) #DC

The new traffic signal on Arlington Road at the future 7001 Arlington Road apartment building and Ourisman Volkswagen dealership was activated for the first time yesterday. For the moment, it is only flashing yellow caution to Arlington Road drivers. Eventually, it will make it easier for pedestrians to cross to the Bradley Shopping Center there. We'll find out soon enough how well the signal is timed with the existing intersections on Arlington.

New Bethesda Volkswagen dealership sets opening date

Ourisman Volkswagen has mailed out an announcement to Bethesda residents about its pending move from Washington, D.C. to downtown Bethesda. The dealership says it currently plans to open its new location at 7001 Arlington Road on April 13.

Autobahn editions on sale

Ourisman is also having a moving sale, as it winds down at its Wisconsin Avenue location in the District. Some of the cars on sale have classic VW names, like "Autobahn", in the best traditions of "Wolfsburg Edition". I always have been a fan of the classic VW models - the Rabbit/Golf, Beetle, Scirocco, Fox, Corrado, and - of course - the Volkswagen Bus.

"Last dealer in DC." The District's
loss is Maryland's gain

This new dealership, which will be in the ground floor of the new luxury apartment building at 7001 Arlington, is a throwback to the classic years of Bethesda when there were car dealerships seemingly on every block downtown. It's an encouraging sign of normality at a time when the District, now firmly the War on Cars capital of the world, has purged itself of car dealerships - to the detriment of its residents, the environment (when DC drivers are forced to expend more emissions just to get their cars serviced) and common sense.

FUTURE BETHESDA VOLKSWAGEN DEALERSHIP POSTS COMING SOON SIGNAGE (PHOTOS)

There are signs that Ourisman Volkswagen is coming to Arlington Road - literally. Coming Soon signage was posted at the future dealership yesterday, which will have a luxury apartment building (called 7001 Arlington at Bethesda) above its showroom, a very rare setup in Montgomery County.

BETHESDA CONSTRUCTION UPDATE: 7001 ARLINGTON LUXURY APARTMENTS - OPENING IN DEC.? (PHOTOS)

The website for the future 7001 Arlington luxury apartments has gone live, and a new banner at the site is promising a December opening. That's ambitious for a building that still has Tyvek on it. The building is on the former site of the Arlington Road U.S. Post Office, and its ground floor retail space will house a Volkswagen dealership. On the new website, you can find floorplans, renderings and more - although it was down for maintenance when I last visited.

NEW TRAFFIC-SIGNALED INTERSECTION BEING CREATED ON ARLINGTON ROAD (PHOTOS)

Utility workers are installing traffic signals, and creating a new controlled intersection in the middle of Arlington Road between Bethesda Avenue and Bradley Boulevard. The new intersection is part of the approved plan for the mixed-use residential/Ourisman Volkswagen project at 7001 Arlington Road, currently under construction where the U.S. Post Office once stood. A new driveway entrance into that development will comprise one side of the new intersection; the other will be an existing curb cut into the Bradley Shopping Center near Strosniders Hardware.

One of the new signal arms
can be seen in this photo
taken yesterday, before the
utility crews arrived

Crossing Arlington has always been a challenge there, with the long distance between crosswalks. In recent months, sidewalk closures along the construction site have created a deadly situation, with pedestrians entering the roadway as speeding cars burst around the blind curve just south of the site. While most traffic will use the southern driveway into 7001, the old "post office" driveway will remain accessible to trucks making deliveries to the building and auto dealership. It's unknown if the Volkwagen dealership will have to block a lane of Arlington when cars are delivered, as happens across the street at EuroMotorcars. 

The intersection is part of 7001's site plan, designed to promote the pedestrian safety and traffic circulation goals recommended by the Bethesda Central Business District master plan. Why is it going up before the building is finished? Because the county is requiring the traffic signals to be operational before it will issue an occupancy permit for the building.

Once on-scene last night,
they shut down the right
lane on the CVS side of
Arlington Road

Crossing Arlington Road has
not been very convenient

Driving in and out of the
Bradley Shopping Center
may also get easier with
the new signal

FORMER BETHESDA POST OFFICE SITE CONSTRUCTION UPDATE (PHOTOS)

If you've walked/driven/biked past 7001 Arlington Road recently, you may have noticed the furnace chimney-like structures that now tower over the construction site there. If not, well, these photos will save you some time.

The mixed-use residential building replaces the former U.S. Post Office on the site. Retail and restaurant spaces will face the street on the ground floor, and - as a stick-built project - parking is above-ground. As always, click on the photos to enlarge them for greater detail (the top photo is a panoramic shot):