Hampden Lane now open in both directions in Bethesda

Hampden Lane is open in both directions between Woodmont and Wisconsin Avenues in Bethesda today. Recently, that stretch of Hampden has been reduced to one lane, ostensibly for one-way use, but without clear directional signage. Access to the road has been limited over the last two years, due to construction of the Hampden House and The Charles apartment towers on either side of the street. Vehicular access has been restored recently, as Hampden House welcomes its first residents.

Hampden Lane reopens in Bethesda (Photos)

Hampden Lane has reopened between Wisconsin Avenue and Woodmont Avenue in downtown Bethesda. However, it is still closed at East Lane. And it's unclear how the single lane near Wisconsin is going to operate if two cars meet going opposite directions. The street had been closed for the construction of Hampden House, which is nearing completion.

Resurfacing of Hampden Lane underway in Bethesda

A resurfacing project is underway on Hampden Lane in downtown Bethesda between Bethesda Row and Arlington Road. The work crew was milling the street yesterday. Watch for lane closures and flagmen. If you have a new car or are concerned about scratches, you may want to avoid Hampden Lane at the moment.

Armed carjacking reported in downtown Bethesda (Video + Photos)

Montgomery County police responded to a report of an armed carjacking in the 4900 block of Hampden Lane in downtown Bethesda at 7:33 PM on September 29, 2022. Multiple units were dispatched to an apartment building, and to the Huntington Learning Center, on Hampden. Radio communications indicated two black males in hoodies were last seen heading toward Wisconsin Avenue. Officers spent quite a bit of time carefully collecting evidence from an SUV parked in front of the Hampden Row condominiums.

Hampden East project meeting tonight

A virtual public meeting will be held regarding the Hampden East development project on Hampden Lane tonight, December 3, 2020 at 7:00 PM. Go to https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/624045741 to join the online meeting at that time. Hampden East will have 150 residential units in a 262' tower, with 10000 SF of ground floor retail and 350000 SF of office space.

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.

"Danger!" warning at Bethesda condo renovation

An 8-unit condominium building at 4909 Hampden Lane is being renovated. Unlike most property renovations, alarming "Danger!" signs are posted around the property. Such signs are usually more associated with flammables, chemicals or electric shock. These signs have the notation, "Contains Lead." Perhaps they are repainting, and the old paint contains lead? The venerable brick buildings are located next to the new Toll Brothers City Living Hampden Row property, and The Lauren, two of the most-expensive condo properties in town.

Turn it back on, man! (Photos)

Pepco finally found Hampden Lane on Monday - perhaps they borrowed the GPS unit carpetbagging Montgomery County Councilmember Hans Riemer uses to find his way around the unfamiliar county. Power had been out on both sides of the Shoppes of Bethesda since a windstorm lashed the area last Friday. Business owners lost tens of thousands of dollars in sales, with at least one eatery forced to throw out an entire inventory of food. There are 17 outages remaining in Bethesda and North Bethesda, including one reported to Pepco just last evening at 10:00 PM.

Hampden Lane pedestrian safety project underway in Bethesda

Some rare good news for pedestrians in downtown Bethesda: The Montgomery County Department of Transportation has begun a project to make the intersection of Hampden Lane and East Lane safer for pedestrians. They are installing curb bump-outs that reduce the walking distance between sides of the street for those crossing at crosswalks. New marked crosswalks will be painted, and ADA-compliant wheelchair ramps will be added.

The process began yesterday, and will take about two weeks to complete, MCDOT's Department of Highway Services says. During the project, the road will remain open. However, single lane closures and parking restrictions will be necessary at times. Work will be done during business hours on weekdays. Watch for signs and flagmen if driving up Hampden in the next two weeks.

This should make it easier and safer to walk from Bethesda Row to Pines of Rome...

BANG! Watch out for this totally-destroyed section of Arlington Rd. in Bethesda!

One of my Twitter followers tweeted an accurate description of the section of northbound Arlington Road near Hampden Lane yesterday. Not only does it have nasty, "third-world" potholes in it, but there is water from a mystery source pooling in the street in and around those potholes.

Is there an undetected water main break here?

Unfortunately, I drove through this before checking my Twitter feed Friday night. I somehow managed to steer around the worst, but I recommend you avoid this area until this disaster is fixed. In fact, the street looked even worse than it did in this photo approximately 2 hours later. I believe the water was deeper, as well.

Photo: @rachaelheisler/Twitter

BETHESDA CONSTRUCTION UPDATE: THE LAUREN ULTRA-LUXURY CONDOS (PHOTOS)

Even a $10.5 million penthouse has to start somewhere. At the future ultra-luxury condominium development known as The Lauren, that means excavating and building the underground parking garage first. Here are scenes from the latest progress at the site (at Hampden Lane and Woodmont Avenue), formerly home to The Hampden affordable apartments:

HAMPDEN LANE DEMOLITION UPDATE (PHOTOS)

The houses on Hampden Lane are gone. Demolition continues at the future site of the Toll Brothers City Living project, Hampden Row. If you look at the pictures below, you can get a sense of the footprint of the future condo building, between Arlington Road at one end, and the building by the yellow backhoe on the other.

DEMOLITION OF HOMES BEGINS AT FUTURE TOLL BROTHERS CONDO SITE IN BETHESDA (PHOTOS)

Single-family homes that once lined the lower part of Hampden Lane near Arlington Road began to fall yesterday, clearing room for Hampden Row, an ultra-luxury condo development by Toll Brothers City Living.