WMAL radio towers demolition preparations underway in Bethesda

The landmark WMAL radio towers at 7115 Greentree Road aren't likely to be there too much longer. Workers have been active at the site over the last week, erecting demolition fencing, and going over the site with ride-on lawn mowers. The popular unofficial dog park and outdoor activity center for the neighborhood will be much-missed by residents, but is set to be replaced with a new Toll Brothers housing development. Few residents in the golden age of radio would have imagined that such a powerful and highly-rated station would no longer need its Bethesda transmitters.

Toll Brothers has officially requested demolition permits from the County, and their applications were officially accepted on February 21. County records indicate that the permits have not yet been issued by the Department of Permitting Services.

Residents furious as WMAL tower site preliminary plan reaches Planning Board Thusday

Developer Toll Brothers hasn't lived up to its promises, and the Montgomery County Council and Planning Board aren't holding them accountable, neighbors of the WMAL tower site in Bethesda say. The preliminary plan to redevelop that property at 7115 Greentree Road with 310 homes will go before the Planning Board this Thursday, June 15, and planners are recommending its approval.

The already-jammed roads and schools that serve the area have been concerns from the beginning, but much like the Westbard sector plan, there are virtually no amenities or infrastructure projects provided for in this plan. WMAL's property has served as a de facto park for residents for decades. Yet, much of the green space provided in the new development will simply be required stormwater management facilities, or other environmental/conservation features not necessarily usable by residents.

"Am I upset?

YES!"

Residents are also concerned about the "island" nature of the tower site, and its minimal roadway connections to major routes - and how those factors will impact their neighborhood streets. They've reached out to the County Council, but were told to buzz off by Councilmember George Leventhal, who is currently seeking to be their next County Executive. "The County Council has no role in the approval of Toll Brothers' application," Leventhal replied to one email from residents, arguing that he has "no mechanism" to take action on the proposal. In reality, Leventhal and the Council have the ultimate mechanisms - they appoint the Planning Board, and provide a vast quantity of taxpayer funds they could threaten to cut off at any time.

"Am I upset? Yes," resident Eleni Martin wrote to planner Patrick Butler, in regard to the Planning Board having rezoned the WMAL site with minimal resident input in that decision. "It infuriates me that there wasn't any targeted outreach effort to raise awareness about what was being done...But seeking real honest input ahead of actions doesn't seem to be how Montgomery County works."

"People will die"

"It is a strong desire of the communities to improve the ratio of parkland to the proposed and very dense preliminary plan," George Wolfand, President of the West Fernwood Citizens Association wrote to the Planning Board in March.

Resident Karin Krchnak suggested Planning Director Gwen Wright and the County Council live with her for a day, "to see what we have to handle on Fernwood Road," which many Bethesda residents know is a disaster during rush hour as it is. Krchnak called the traffic study done for the project "a complete joke."

"A complete joke"

But in addition to the impact on the main thoroughfares, there is equal concern about what the poor traffic circulation to the site will do to neighborhood streets. Dan Spiro, who has lived in Stratton Woods since 1962, warned the Planning Board in a letter last week that "people will die if Renita [Lane] is opened to through traffic, as the plan suggests," because of the narrow road, street parking, and blind curves.

To sign up to testify on Thursday, click here.

One resident, Brian Krantz, delivered some visual testimony on traffic issues in the neighborhood:

Bethesda's legendary Tommy "The Matchmaker" Curtis discusses his past, future in new podcast

Tommy "The Matchmaker" Curtis (left)
with Congressman Jamie Raskin, who
won after receiving Curtis' endorsement

One of the most legendary figures in Bethesda history, Tommy "The Matchmaker" Curtis, has still got it. His iconic Yacht Club of Bethesda remains arguably the most-missed nightspot in town, and his film production ventures continue full steam ahead. But even in Beverly Hills, like Clark Kent hearing a scream for help, Curtis can't help but turn into Tommy the Matchmaker sometimes. Just ask actor Vince Vaughn.

To hear more about that episode, and many more topics that will be of interest to Bethesda residents, don't miss Curtis' interview on WMAL legend Andy Ockershausen's new podcast, Our Town. Curtis talks about his career from radio to screen, other DC-area notables he's worked with, and - of course - his days as the captain of Bethesda's Yacht Club.

Listen (or read the transcript) and find out about the Hollywood royalty Tommy Curtis is descended from, how he invented the phrase "meetin' and greetin'," his new movie project that will "be the biggest news in cinema for the last year or two if it works," and why you should never eat Thai food before hitting a singles bar.

Never underestimate Curtis, the man who endorsed Congressman Jamie Raskin - - and Raskin went on to beat an opponent who waged the most expensive congressional campaign in history. If you're nostalgic for Bethesda's past, or want to know what Curtis is planning for the future, this podcast is worth a listen.

File photo courtesy Jamie Raskin for Congress campaign

The WMAL transmitter site in Bethesda - as you've never seen it before (Video)

Check out this drone video of the WMAL transmitter site on Greentree Road in Bethesda. It will be gone in a couple of years, if the Montgomery County Planning Board approves the Toll Brothers residential project planned to replace it.

The towers will be relocated to Germantown.

Photo: Robert Dyer

Toll Brothers to host public meeting on WMAL property preliminary plan April 9

Developer Toll Brothers has announced it will be hosting a community meeting regarding their preliminary plan for the WMAL tower site in Bethesda on Saturday, April 9 at 10:00 AM at North Bethesda Middle School (8935 Bradmoor Drive). Mark Nosal, President of Toll Brothers' Maryland Division, says the preliminary plan will detail the configuration of lots, roads and public space within the development.

Landscaping and amenities will be fleshed out at a future planning stage, Nosal said. The plan that will be unveiled will reflect the ten months of public input Toll Brothers has received, he said, as well as feedback from Montgomery County Government.

The site at 7115 Greentree Road houses four transmitters for WMAL Radio in a partially-forested, parklike setting surrounded by single-family residential neighborhoods. There is limited road access to the site, expected to be remedied by connecting Greentree Road with Greyswood Road, as suggested by an earlier master plan. How Greyswood Road residents might feel about that is another story.

It will be interesting to see the final mix of housing types proposed. At a meeting last year, Toll Brothers predicted there would be a 50/50 mix of single-family houses and townhomes, with 330 homes altogether. Current residents have raised several concerns, including already-overcrowded schools in the Walter Johnson cluster, and traffic, given the overwhelmingly auto-oriented nature of the site.

WMAL is expected to relocate its transmitters to Germantown if the development is approved.

WMAL TOWER SITE BEING SOLD IN BETHESDA (PHOTO)

Remember my report last August on the potential sale of the WMAL radio transmitter site in Bethesda? Jonathan Elbaz of The Sentinel reports that the site is indeed now on the market. As some of the most lucrative land not near a Metro station in Montgomery County, you can expect infill developers to want to put a ton of townhouses on this property, which is located at 7115 Greentree Road near I-270 and the Beltway.

BETHESDA WMAL TOWER SITE COULD BE REDEVELOPED (PHOTOS)

Even if you don't know what they are, you've probably seen the WMAL radio broadcast towers at 7115 Greentree Road near I-270 (and the Beltway) from afar. These towers stand on a massive property that is near some of the most valuable real estate in Bethesda. WMAL's new owner, Cumulus Media, may be on the verge of cashing in on that advantage. According to radio industry journalist Tom Taylor, cited by local broadcasting news authority DCRTV.com, Cumulus is including the property in a potential sell-off of transmitter sites it controls nationwide.

The site would lend itself well to single-family homes, in keeping with the surrounding neighborhood. Don't count out a townhome developer like EYA, which has recently gone on a spending binge on just this sort of potentially-valuable property inside the Beltway. The WMAL site can in no way be described as a "smart growth, transit-oriented" development opportunity, however. Regardless of the outcome, it would be one of the most significant residential neighborhood redevelopments in Bethesda.

DCRTV draws a technically-knowledgeable audience among its readership, and there are many interesting comments on the site regarding the wisdom of WMAL moving its transmission site further out (mentioning Poolesville and Germantown as possibilities considered in the past). The suggestion made by some, is that WMAL is now emphasizing its FM broadcast, making the AM tower site expendable. Its AM signal has been fairly comparable to that of WTOP's legendary strong signals on AM and FM. I fired up my venerable Radio Shack AM/FM transistor radio last night, to test WMAL FM vs. WTOP FM. Both signals came in clearly. But I would have to give WTOP the award for strongest and clearest FM signal. 

All photos ©2014 Robert Dyer