GALLERY BETHESDA GRAND OPENING TODAY; ARIA BEER WINE DELI CONSTRUCTION UPDATE (PHOTOS)

Stop by the new Gallery Bethesda luxury apartment tower today at 4800 Auburn Avenue, as the Donohoe Development project celebrates its grand opening. The Gallery is the first of the new generation of luxury residential buildings to be delivered in downtown Bethesda, and the first new apartment building in town in many years.

Bethesda's first 100% smoke-free building boasts concierge service, a fireside WiFi-lounge, free coffee bar, sport club style fitness center, a pet spa and designated parking/charging for hybrid and electric vehicles. "All of our features and amenities were designed with residents in mind," property manager Manuel Majano says. "Any community can say this but Gallery shows it with every detail."

Betweeen 9:00 AM and 6:00 PM today, you can take a VIP tour of the building, and win prizes. Should you decide to move in, your application fee will be waived today. There will be a photo booth in the rooftop sky lounge, and a ribbon cutting at 4:00 PM. Stick around for the rooftop reception afterwards, with cocktails and hors d'oeuvres.

In addition to the 234 luxury apartments, the Gallery also contains 4660 square feet of retail space. One of the first tenants is Aria Beer Wine & Deli, another amenity for Gallery residents. The store will also have bubble tea. Here are new photos of the construction progress there:

GALLERY BETHESDA ACTIVATES ARTWORK WATER FEATURES, ARIA DELI POSTS COMING SOON SIGN (PHOTOS)

A couple of new developments to report from the plaza in front of the new Gallery Bethesda luxury apartment tower at 4800 Auburn Avenue:

First, the water features for the LED sculptures have been activated. Take a stroll by - particularly after dark - to get the full effect. Here are photos of the art installations. You can get some idea of the reflective quality of the water. But the effect at night, when the sculptures light up, will be even better:

Second, the future Aria Beer Wine & Deli (located on the ground floor of the building) has posted Coming Soon signage. This convenience store will also be of interest to residents of Triangle Towers, 8200, The Palisades, and the buildings on Battery Lane:

NEW DOWNTOWN BETHESDA CONVENIENCE STORE TO HAVE DELI (PHOTOS)

Work continues at the future site of downtown Bethesda's newest convenience store, located in the rapidly-redeveloping Woodmont Triangle. The Aria convenience store will sell beer and wine, and I have now confirmed it will include a deli. The store is in the ground floor of developer Donohoe's new Gallery Bethesda luxury apartment tower, at 4800 Auburn Avenue.

Here are some new photos of the store under construction:

ARIA CONVENIENCE STORE TO OPEN AT GALLERY BETHESDA APARTMENTS (PHOTO)

The first official retail leasing on the ground floor of the new Gallery Bethesda luxury apartment tower will be Aria Convenience Store. Donohoe's 17-story building will officially win the post-Great Recession construction race when it opens next Thursday, January 16. Featuring a rooftop pool deck and club room loaded with amenities, the Gallery Bethesda is the first in a wave of new luxury buildings that will be delivered starting this year. The building has already been pre-leasing since the fall, and will be the first smoke-free building in downtown Bethesda.