Community restaurant space available for lease in Bethesda

The ground floor restaurant space at 7770 Norfolk formerly home to Community is now available for lease. It's a prime spot and high-traffic location in the burgeoning Woodmont Triangle neighborhood, facing Veterans Park. There were high hopes for the upscale diner concept here, but it remains a location with great potential for the right restaurateur, chain or concept. And with the bonus of potential "room service" delivery business, for well-off tenants living in the luxury apartments upstairs.

Community sign update (Photos)

There's more text on the lit sign at Community, opening soon in the 7770 Norfolk luxury apartment tower on Norfolk Avenue in Bethesda. The upscale diner is from BGR and Medium Rare founder Mark Bucher.

Signs installed at Community in Bethesda (Photos)

The permanent signs are up at Community, the upscale diner concept opening soon in the 7770 Norfolk luxury apartment tower in downtown Bethesda.

7770 Norfolk construction contractors vacate Fairmont Ave. office in Bethesda (Photos)

A sure sign that construction on the 7770 Norfolk luxury apartment tower is wrapping up, is the closure of the construction office related to the project at 4931 Fairmont Avenue. The JBG-developed building at 7770 Norfolk Avenue is scheduled to begin leasing next month.

7770 Norfolk sales office cleared out in Bethesda (Photos)

Now that the new 7770 Norfolk residential tower is switching back to rental apartments from condos, the sales office at the corner of Norfolk and St. Elmo Avenues in Bethesda has closed. This at one time was the location of Johnny Rockets. The apartments will begin leasing in February.

Community restaurant posts Coming Soon signage in Bethesda (Photos)

Future upscale diner Community has posted some Coming Soon signage in the windows of its space in the 7770 Norfolk luxury apartment building. The building has just switched back to rental apartments from condos, as I reported on Saturday morning.

Shocker: 7770 Norfolk condos switching back to rental apartments in Bethesda

Is the downtown Bethesda condo market showing weakness already? The 7770 Norfolk luxury condo tower has abruptly switched back to its original concept, rental apartments. Reportedly, the market was not responding to the product being offered, despite the pricing that undercut under-construction competitors in the neighborhood, and across town.

Leasing for the apartments at 7770 will begin in February. It was last April when the project was switched from rentals to condos.

A reader informs me that he had been in the process of buying one, with hopes of moving in next month. But the building returned his deposit yesterday.

Sure, because the building was constructed with rentals in mind, the dimensions were smaller than the ultra-luxury condo competitors. But so was the price, with some units starting at under $500,000, in a building that boasts many of the now-standard luxury amenities like a rooftop deck, and is in a prime location.

Competitors include The Lauren, The Darcy, Stonehall Bethesda, Hampden Row, and Cheval Bethesda. A small 4-unit building was already delivered this year on Montgomery Lane, and appeared to be fully sold on delivery.

It will be very interesting to watch what happens as the other condo projects start to deliver next year. And to see if dropping this many new rental units into the market has any impact on so-far-stubbornly-high rents in Bethesda's newer buildings.

Sign installed at 7770 Norfolk luxury condos in Bethesda (Photos)

The sign was installed yesterday at the JBG Companies' 7770 Norfolk luxury condo tower, in Bethesda's Woodmont Triangle neighborhood. Looking forward to the grand opening of this.

Bethesda construction update: Community restaurant applies for liquor license (Photos)

Community, an upscale diner-inspired restaurant opening in the ground floor of the 7770 Norfolk luxury condo tower, has applied for its liquor license. Its hearing will be on January 7.

First look at new downtown Bethesda pedestrian walkway (Video/photos)

You've seen the bones of this pedestrian walkway coming together from its earliest stages here on this website. Now see the finished product, a new path between the Woodmont/Old Georgetown Road public parking garage and Fairmont Avenue. The path is right next to the new 7770 Norfolk luxury condo tower. It can also be used with the pedestrian plaza alongside the Bainbridge Bethesda apartments to reach St. Elmo Avenue more quickly.

You'll notice more of the accent and security lighting are in place, as well as some very nice landscaping along the way.

Bethesda construction update: 7770 Norfolk luxury condos (Photos)

The 7770 Norfolk luxury condo tower is nearing completion in downtown Bethesda's Woodmont Triangle. 

Developed by the JBG Companies, the 17-story tower is being constructed by Clark Construction. It was designed by FXFOWLE Architects, and the interior design is by Cecconi Simone. Amenities include a rooftop deck, swimming pool and outdoor living rooms.

The condos are now on-sale. Their sales gallery is located at 4828 St. Elmo Avenue.

Bethesda construction update: Community restaurant (Photos)

Who will win the diner face-off across Veteran's Park in Bethesda's Woodmont Triangle? Well, first they have to build Community before it can challenge the venerable Tastee Diner. And that's exactly what they're doing right now, in the ground floor of the future 7770 Norfolk luxury condo tower on Norfolk Avenue.