Douglas Development continues slow and steady approach in Bethesda

D.C.-based Douglas Development continues its incremental, long-term approach to real estate in downtown Bethesda. In contrast to bigger and splashier projects elsewhere, the firm is holding onto modest-size properties in Bethesda, and only after many years of waiting is now advancing a Hampden Lane site redevelopment proposal. The strategy continues with its latest acquisition in the Woodmont Triangle, 4933 Auburn Avenue, which it purchased last month. 

There is no immediate redevelopment or adjoining-lot-assembly plan for the low-rise office building. Instead, like the Douglas property at 4936 Fairmont Avenue, the building is being made available for lease. Dogtopia is the latest tenant at 4936 Fairmont.

Douglas Development wheeling and dealing in downtown Bethesda again

DC powerhouse real estate firm Douglas Development is making moves on the downtown Bethesda chess board again. Founder and president Douglas Jemal hasn't made the most predictable moves here of late. While delivering such large-scale projects as New City DC in Ivy City, the company hasn't assembled large lots in Bethesda. The latest transactions are again modest in scale, with LLCs tied to Bethesda-based Greenhill Companies, a major real estate firm in Montgomery County.

It appears the companies have made a swap of properties in the Woodmont Triangle. Douglas last month acquired the low-rise office building at 4933 Auburn Avenue for $1,741,800, according to Maryland real estate records. In turn, it sold a parking lot at 4906 Del Ray Avenue to Greenhill for the exact same price. Longtime readers may recall Douglas purchased that lot in 2014.

Douglas previously relinquished plans to redevelop 8008 Wisconsin Avenue, and did not acquire the adjoining gas station lot next to its Hampden Lane property. But it did manage to attract one of the top retail tenants imaginable, Target, to its Shops of Wisconsin mall at 6831 Wisconsin Avenue. The track record and cachet of Douglas make its Bethesda deals worth following.

Hampden East project to combine office, residential and retail in downtown Bethesda

Development partners Washington Property Company and Douglas Development introduced their Hampden East mixed-use project at a virtual public meeting online last night. Bounded by Hampden Lane, East Lane, Montgomery Lane and the former Exxon gas station site on Wisconsin Avenue, the nearly-full-block project will be 262' feet tall with the added height the developers expect to receive for it.

You can see how the architect immediately improved
the massing design (right) over the bland one (left)
pushed in the sector plan that's taking over downtown

Hampden East will include 150 residential units topped with 350,000 SF of office space. 17.6% of the residential units will be affordable housing, which will qualify the project for an additional 12' of height. The ground floor of the building will host 10,000 SF of retail and restaurant space.

Attorneys Bob Dalrymple and Matt Gordon represented the applicants; WPC is "deeply committed" to the project, they said, because their headquarters is located on the site. WPC has not said publicly that it will relocate into the new building. It would seem to be a strong possibility, as they are losing their current HQ, and the office market is weak in Montgomery County.

3 design options under consideration

The developers consider Hampden Lane to be a northern European-style pedestrian street that lends a quiet nature to the property. They plan to facilitate direct access to outdoor spaces to promote better health for the occupants.

Asked if the new abnormal of the coronavirus pandemic would influence the design of the project, Dalrymple joked that "the building did not cause the coronavirus." But architecture firm Shalom Baranes Associates is looking at many ideas for cleaning indoor air and mitigating contact, and expects to incorporate them into the project.

A sketch plan will be submitted to the Montgomery County Planning Department in the coming weeks. There was not yet a solidified architectural design to show last night, but three different approaches are being considered.

Redevelopment of former Pines of Rome/Tommy Joe's/AOTA sites proposed in Bethesda

A long-expected redevelopment of most of a square block bounded by Wisconsin Avenue, East Lane Hampden and Montgomery Lanes in downtown Bethesda is finally moving forward. The gas station site along Wisconsin was recently proposed to be redeveloped as an assisted-living tower. Now the rest of the properties assembled over the last decade will be redeveloped as 500,000 SF of office space, residential housing with 17.6% affordable units, and retail/restaurant space with structured parking.

The properties in question are 4703-4719 Hampden Lane and 4714-4720 Montgomery Lane. Among the notable former tenants of these properties were Pines of Rome (now on Cordell Avenue), Tommy Joe's (now at the corner of Cordell and Norfolk Avenue) and the AOTA.

A required public meeting on the project, which could be up to 250' tall, will be held online on Thursday, May 21, 2020 at 7:30 PM at https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/453890637.

7340 Wisconsin project headed to Planning Board, as are 7900 Wisconsin plan changes

7340 applicant in negotiation with

Douglas Development for 

tower separation with adjacent site

A senior housing project proposed for the site of a former Exxon gas station at 7340 Wisconsin Avenue is headed to the Montgomery County Planning Board for review after years of delay, and multiple developer proposals. Latest developer South Bay Partners is submitting a sketch plan for 200 independent living units, 100 assisted living/memory care units, and up to 4500 SF of ground floor retail/restaurant space. Up to 5000 SF of retail was proposed last September, and is still referred to in some parts of the staff report, but 4500 is stated at the beginning of the report.

Proposed public open space along
Wisconsin Avenue

There are still no fully-developed renderings of the proposed building, and the sketch plan application mostly contains those same massing illustrations and landscaping plans I posted last fall (in fact, my article has more and more-detailed renderings than those). However, one bit of news is that South Bay is negotiating with Douglas Development on how to create separation between the future towers on their adjacent properties. Of course, it would have been much more exciting to hear that they were assembling the two properties for a larger, taller residential or office tower. Both sites are right atop the Bethesda Metro station, after all.

Two tower separation options for
7340 Wisconsin (left in both images) and
Douglas Development's adjacent future
development

Alas, the discussions are simply about a mutually-beneficial distance between their two towers. Right now, both parties are considering a "splayed" option, where the facades of both buildings will angle different directions on the sides where they face each other. They will then bump out at the bottom, where the distance will be shorter between them.

Loading docks and garage access will be from Hampden Lane. A separated bike lane will be added alongside the property on Montgomery Lane.

The Planning Board will review the sketch plan at its April 30, 2020 meeting (which will be online only). Planning staff is recommending approval of the plan.

* * *

The blue hatched areas will be converted from
public open space in the promenade to outdoor
dining space at JBG Smith's 7900 Wisconsin
development (which is actually branded as
8001 Woodmont now)

Also at the April 30 meeting, the Board will take up JBG Smith's proposed amendments to its 7900 Wisconsin Avenue project and site plans. The developer wishes to reduce 7900's public use space from 10,953 square feet to 10,323 square feet. JBG also is asking to decrease the number of residential units from 450 to 322 units, while maintaining 15% MPDUs; to decrease non-residential uses from 21,630 square feet to 21,600 square feet; reduce public use space from 11,329 square feet to 10,323 square feet; modify the building's footprint, stormwater, landscape and hardscape elements; make minor changes to building elevations; reduce parking from 445 to 340 spaces; and make minor adjustments to streetscape elements within the public right of way.

The reduction in public space is to allow more patio space for outdoor dining purposes on each side of the through-block promenade.

Staff is recommending approval of the plan amendments.

7340 Wisconsin Avenue gas station property redevelopment back on

The vacant lot once home to a gas station that has been idle for most of this decade at 7340 Wisconsin Avenue is getting the green light for redevelopment again. A public meeting on the project has been scheduled for Thursday, June 6, 2019 at 7:00 PM at the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center, located at 4805 Edgemoor Lane in downtown Bethesda.

The latest iteration of the project calls for a mixed-use development of up to 319,000 SF, but does not yet break down the number of square feet designated for residential, retail or restaurant space. Developer Bainbridge put a smaller project here on hold several years ago, waiting for greater height and density to be approved in the 2017 Bethesda Downtown sector plan. Real estate observers have been looking for a much bigger project here, a site that literally sits atop the Bethesda Metro station, and will be only a block away from the future Purple Line station at 7272 Wisconsin Avenue.

Douglas Development shows new rendering for old Relic building in Bethesda (Photo)

A relic of the pre-Hans Riemer "nighttime economy" disaster, the building that housed the now-shuttered Relic Lounge, is getting another makeover via a new rendering from owner Douglas Development. The D.C. real estate firm is showing a potential restaurant space on the ground floor, and office space upstairs.

The building is located at 4936 Fairmont Avenue, a block left dead at night after the closure of Relic. Completion of the 7770 Norfolk apartment tower has brought some life to that end of the block, but the failure of the Bainbridge Bethesda to attract dining or nightlife tenants to their ground floor has left the bulk of the street in shadow after hours.

Getting a nightclub or big restaurant name into the old Relic building is therefore more important than ever, especially since Riemer's nighttime economy debacle resulted in the closure of 10 nightclubs and bars in downtown Bethesda. In a town now suffering from the post-Riemer darkened, deserted streets after 10:00 PM, this street is one that should have been revived by now.

Rendering courtesy Douglas Development

Pines of Rome to remain in current Bethesda location for the near future

Douglas Development owns the
Pines of Rome building, and the
former location of Tommy Joe's
behind it in Bethesda

The venerable Pines of Rome will be staying put at 4709 Hampden Lane for the foreseeable future. While the popular Italian spot's owner had been preparing for a more imminent move (as soon as the end of this month, according to a source) to the former Matuba space on Cordell Avenue, those plans have now changed.

Pines of Rome will remain in its current location "for the next few years or so," a spokesperson for the restaurant said in a message this morning. So while an eventual move across town remains almost inevitable, you'll be enjoying their famous white pizza on Hampden Lane for a while longer than expected.

Fans of the beloved restaurant, a neighborhood institution since 1972, had been fearful Pines of Rome would be closing since Douglas Development bought their property 3 years ago. The new property on Cordell Avenue assures the survival of the restaurant, even if the scenery ends up changing in a few years.

DC developer buys downtown Bethesda office building

D.C. real estate powerhouse Douglas Development has just acquired the office building located at 7514 Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Bethesda. A small building, its tenants include Keepers Staffing and Tyber Bierhaus.

Developer Douglas Jemal has been active with a number of transactions in downtown Bethesda in recent years. Douglas Development sold its 8008 Wisconsin property to Toll Brothers, acquired a small parking lot on Del Ray Avenue, and just this week celebrated a addition of new anchor tenant Target at its Shops of Wisconsin mall.

The most anticipated Douglas project is on the properties that house the old Tommy Joe's space, and the venerable Pines of Rome restaurant, giving the firm a through-block space large enough for a major mixed-use high rise.

Target opening April 9 in downtown Bethesda (Photos)

Target has missed its March 2017 target opening date, and has now announced an April 9, 2017 grand opening on the front of the store. A hat tip to Cordell Pugh, who noticed the sign announcing the date having been added to the "Coming Soon" signage on Target's space at the Trader Joe's-anchored Shops of Wisconsin. Here's a look at the progress inside the store:

New front of old Bethesda office building revealed (Photos)

The scaffolding and protected walkway have come down at the Douglas Development-owned office building at 7920 Norfolk Avenue. Revealed is the new lobby, and a lot more glass than the original design.

If you're wondering what changed, check out the shape the lobby was in at the beginning of the renovations, and note the original facade had a lower, theater-marquee-style canopy out front.

Target opening in Bethesda (Photo)

Target announced today it is opening a store in downtown Bethesda. It won't be like the full-size Target in Rockville, however. The new store, which will be on the lower level of the Shops of Wisconsin at 6831 Wisconsin Avenue, is what Target calls a flexible format concept.

Flexible-format stores can fit in urban areas, and also skirt anti-business regulations like Montgomery County has that prevent certain big box stores like Walmart from expanding here. Walmart has a similar urban-scale design, their Tysons location being an example.

The 35,500 SF Bethesda Target store will carry apparel for all ages, toys, sporting goods, fresh and "grab-and-go" groceries, health and beauty products, home decor items, portable tech devices and even a CVS-branded pharmacy. Essentially, it sounds like it is well-geared to downtown apartment and condo dwellers who need groceries, prescriptions, or a new table lamp on short notice.

Opening day is currently expected to be March 2017.

Target's announcement raises some interesting issues. First, the parking garage at this shopping center is notoriously unpleasant to deal with. But it's likely that, as with anchor Trader Joe's, the diehard Target shopper is going to go ahead and deal with it. Owner Douglas Development has been renovating the center for several years, but new parking has not been part of that project. Douglas has not responded to inquiries as of this writing.

Second, is competition. A new Trader Joe's is the anchor tenant for JBG's stalled 7900 Wisconsin project. Until that project is delivered, Target groceries will be serious competition for general grocery items at Trader Joe's upstairs. And CVS has a pharmacy directly across the street. Why go there, if you can kill two birds with one stone at Target?

Now that Target is entering the market, maybe Walmart will wake up and open one of its urban format stores in a new or existing development in downtown Bethesda.

Rendering courtesy Target
Photo: Robert Dyer

Bethesda office building lobby demolished (Photos)

A demolition of the lobby in the office building at 7920 Norfolk Avenue in downtown Bethesda apparently is the start of a renovation there. Owned by powerhouse DC development firm Douglas Development, the office building is fully-leased except for one 2223 SF street level retail space.

Tenants include M&T Bank, CrossFit Bethesda, Alley Cat Allies and Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery. The building appears to still be open, as I saw someone exit the lobby.

Maki Bar to open in downtown Bethesda (Photos)

Another sushi option is on the way in downtown Bethesda, particularly for those who reside in the Bradley Boulevard/Crescent Plaza/Seasons area. Douglas Development has just filled one of the vacant spaces at the under-renovation Shops of Wisconsin mall at 6831 Wisconsin Avenue. No, it's not Shake Shack.

Maki Bar, a sushi restaurant, has leased #300 at the retail center. The 1551 SF space also adjoins an outdoor terrace that will allow patio dining. Owner Xiong Li is a Montgomery County resident.

Build-out of Maki Bar's
interior is underway

Other recent additions at the Shops of Wisconsin include very cool LED lighting that was just installed on parts of the facade, including the space-age elevator.

Watch the colors
change

Purple LED strip looking
toward the future Maki Bar

On the less-positive side, one of downtown Bethesda's most notorious parking situations has gotten worse. Quite a few spaces are currently taken up by the construction work going on in the parking structure. You may want to sit down before I finish this paragraph, however. A source tells me the parking construction will be done in sections, and will be ongoing over the next year.

It may be time to stash some of those stress-relief balls in your glove compartment, Trader Joe's fans.

Tropical Smoothie Cafe coming to Bethesda

Tropical Smoothie Café is opening a downtown Bethesda location. The better-for-you smoothie chain has locations in Northern Virginia and central/southern Maryland, and is rapidly expanding in the Southern and Western U.S. It recently was named the 7th fastest-growing restaurant chain by Nation's Restaurant News.

Tropical Smoothie will take over the former Panas Gourmet space at 4731-A Elm Street. Meaning it will compete with Smoothie King about a block away on Bethesda Avenue.

Boasting micro ingredient tracking that traces the path of each food product used in the restaurant back to its supplier or farm, Tropical Smoothie touts smoothies with beets blended in, and chia seeds as a brain-boosting add-in. They currently are offering pumpkin spice and spiced pear smoothies for fall, so expect limited-time flavors on the menu.

That menu also includes bowls, tacos, wraps, flatbread sandwiches, breakfast wraps and fresh fruit. You can't have too many breakfast options in downtown Bethesda, that's for sure.