Dua DC Coffee expanding to Bethesda

A unique coffee shop in Washington, D.C. will soon open a Bethesda cafe. Dua DC Coffee at 923 15th Street NW opened six years ago as the first Indonesian specialty coffee shop in the nation's capital. The woman-owned business is now expanding to the Woodmont Triangle in downtown Bethesda. Dua DC Coffee will be located in the ground floor of the 4909 Auburn apartments, at 4909 Auburn Avenue. The interior fit-out for the cafe is expected to begin before the end of the year.

Coffee drinks at Dua DC Coffee employ single-origin beans from the different islands of Indonesia. Their signature beverages include the Aren Latte, the Oat Pandan Cold Brew, and the Kopi Susu Latte. You can also purchase bags of their Indonesian coffee beans, all of which are sourced directly from sustainable farms in Indonesia. Dua DC Coffee joins The Bunny Hive as the second ground floor retail tenant at the 4909 Auburn development. Two retail spaces remain available for lease.

Signage installed at 4909 Auburn Apartments in Bethesda

Signage has been installed at the new 4909 Auburn apartments on Auburn Avenue in downtown Bethesda. The logo signage lights up at night. On the retail front, two ground floor retail spaces remain available for lease. The first residents are expected to move in about ten days from now.

4909 Auburn apartments begin leasing in Bethesda

Leasing has begun for the new 4909 Auburn apartments at 4909 Auburn Avenue in downtown Bethesda. Willow Bridge Property Company of Dallas announced yesterday that the development's first residents are anticipated to move into their units later this month. Developed by Potomac Development Group, the 167-unit, 11-story apartment building replaced the Auburn Professional Building. Pricing begins "in the $2000s" for the smallest 364-square-foot studio units. 1-bedroom, 2-bedroom, and 2-bedroom+den units are also available.

Beyond the tier of apartments classified as "Standard," the building offers Premium Collection units that are the first in Bethesda to feature the ORI Expandable Apartment system and premium finishes, and Premier Collection 2-BR and 2-BR+Den units with the property's highest-end finishes and appliance packages. Select Premier Collection apartments also feature outdoor terraces.

Building amenities include a rooftop terrace with sunset views, greenery and outdoor seating, a TV viewing and grilling area, landscaped common areas and private terraces, glass-wrapped fitness center with an adjacent yoga studio, private steam and sauna rooms, a top floor penthouse lounge with an entertainment kitchen, a lobby lounge with a large multi-story chandelier, meeting rooms and a "huddle/work room," reservable amenity/party room spaces, a pet spa, and a custom lobby painting by artist Gian Garofalo. There is also a pedestrian pass-through under the building that facilitates a new pedestrian short-cut between Auburn Avenue and Battery Lane Local Park.

The exterior architecture of 4909 Auburn was designed by BCT Design Group of Baltimore, and the Scandinavian-inspired interiors are by Gensler of San Francisco. Bethesda-based Donohoe is the construction contractor. Designed to Emerald-level specifications designated by the National Green Building Standard, 4909 Auburn offers electric vehicle charging stations in the parking garage, Nest smart thermostats, keyless entry locks, and a direct outside air system with MERV 13 filters.

“4909 Auburn embodies the vision of seamlessly integrating residential living with hotel spa-like amenities, creating a unique experience in Bethesda,” Jeff Parana, Principal of Potomac Development Group, said in a statement yesterday. “With exceptional service and sophisticated design, this building is intended to make every resident feel valued and at home. The property offers a host of amenities tailored to the daily needs of the residents, including co-working spaces, a fitness center, yoga studio, a steam and sauna, and our signature ‘pocket parks in the sky’— beautiful garden terraces. We are thrilled to welcome residents to these spectacular apartment homes in Woodmont Triangle.” 

For more information about 4909 Auburn or to schedule a virtual tour, visit the website at https://4909auburn.com/ or call (240) 652-2273.

Photos courtesy Gensler

Pedestrian cut-through now under construction on Auburn Avenue in Bethesda (Photos)

The pedestrian cut-through from Auburn Avenue to Norfolk Avenue is now under construction behind the new 4909 Auburn apartments. When completed, pedestrians will be able to take this short-cut under the building on Auburn, and follow this walkway to Norfolk Avenue. The amenity was designed as a short-cut between Imagination Stage and Battery Lane Urban Park. Pedestrians will emerge next to the end storefront of the new apartment building on the Norfolk side of the property.

Bethesda construction update: 4909 Auburn apartments (Photos)

The sidewalk has reopened to pedestrians in front of the new 4909 Auburn apartments, across from Imagination Stage on Auburn Avenue in downtown Bethesda. This follows the reopening of the sidewalk on the Norfolk Avenue side of the property early last week. With the sidewalk on Auburn now accessible, we can get the first good look through the pedestrian cut-through that passes under the building at ground level, to see a classic Bethesda brick house on Glenbrook Road is now squarely in the line of sight from Auburn. Lighting inside the tunnel has been activated. Meanwhile, construction continues on the lobby, with a staircase visible, as well as large rolls of Royal Thai carpet awaiting installation.

Norfolk Avenue sidewalk reopens near Rugby Avenue in Bethesda

Construction of the 4909 Auburn apartment building is winding up, which has allowed the western sidewalk of Norfolk Avenue between Auburn Avenue and Rugby Avenue to reopen to pedestrians. A retail space in the ground floor of 4909 Auburn, which is available for lease, faces onto the sidewalk at this location on Norfolk. I just noticed a page on the development's website that shows the property's available ORI Cloud Bed and Pocket Office. The former is a bed that lowers down from the ceiling into the living room space, and the latter divides your living room into an admittedly-cramped living room and separate office for those working from home. 

Bethesda construction update - 4909 Auburn (Photos)

The 4909 Auburn apartment building is now a hulking presence above Auburn Avenue in downtown Bethesda's Woodmont Triangle neighborhood. The Greystar development appears to still be on-track for a mid-2024 delivery, via construction contractor Donohoe of Bethesda. You can get a good look at the pedestrian cut-through that lets you walk under the apartments from Imagination Stage to Battery Lane Urban Park, with the single-family homes of Rugby Avenue visible from Auburn. There are three ground-level retail spaces available for lease, if you are a businessperson who wants to get in on the literal ground floor at 4909 Auburn. Two of the retail spaces are vented.

Pedestrian pass-through

Bethesda construction update: 4909 Auburn apartments (Photos)

Here's an update on the 4909 Auburn apartments on the former site of the Auburn Professional Building at 4909 Auburn Avenue in Bethesda. The development finally has a marketing website. It touts the apartment units' Scandinavian-inspired interiors, a glass-wrapped fitness studio, a yoga studio, and "private steam and sauna rooms." The 11-story building houses 167 apartments, 6408-square-feet of ground-level retail/restaurant space, 3 levels of underground parking, and a pass-through that creates a new pedestrian connection between Imagination Stage and Battery Lane Urban Park. Developer Greystar, which took the lead on the project from Potomac Development Group, forecasts a mid-2024 delivery for 4909 Auburn.