Claire Dratch building to be demolished in Bethesda

A downtown Bethesda building that holds memories for many women in the area is now slated for demolition. Demolition permits have been requested for the former Claire Dratch boutique at 7615 Wisconsin Avenue. Founded by Joseph and Claire Dratch in 1948, and famously serving notable women of Washington society as well as brides-to-be, the business closed in April of 2018. An asbestos removal project will be performed prior to the demolition; it is scheduled to begin today, and conclude on October 25, 2023.

Developer to begin demolition for ZOM Bethesda project next month (Photos)

Preparations are being made for the demolition of homes and buildings on the site of the future ZOM Bethesda apartments in the 7500 block of Arlington Road. Demolition permits have been requested from Montgomery County. State Farm agent Jeffrey Conley has already relocated his prominent Arlington Road office to 7801 Norfolk Avenue, in Suite 115.

This is just the beginning. Developer ZOM says you will soon see safety fencing erected around the perimeter of the site. Utilities will then be disconnected. Finally, demolition will begin in early April, and ZOM hopes to begin excavation later that month, weather permitting.

This will be a radical transformation of Arlington Road. But having said that, this is about as good as it gets as far as transit-oriented development - the building will be a five-minute walk from the Bethesda Metro station. If anything, the interior side of the building should have been taller, as there are limited sites this close to Metro. Instead, the County is shuffling those lost units to non-TOD areas like Westbard, that are not near Metro stations and the County services needed by lower-income residents of MPDUs. This is generating greater auto emissions, and is the key reason why the Planning Board intentionally broke County law and did not measure the greenhouse gas impact of the Westbard sector plan.

Demolition permits requested for future site of Brightview Bethesda

The developer of the Brightview Bethesda assisted living project at 4907 Rugby Avenue has requested demoition permits from Montgomery County for the two structures currently on that site. They are the "Pink House," and the warehouse that recently housed Dansez! Dansez! Officially, these structures are currently addressed as 4901 and 4907 Rugby Avenue.

JBG restarting 7900 Wisconsin/Trader Joe's development in Bethesda (Photos)

The JBG Companies' redevelopment of a large site fronting Wisconsin and Woodmont Avenues in Bethesda that was tabled in 2015 is back on. Demolition permits have been requested for 7900 Wisconsin Avenue, 7924 Wisconsin Avenue, 7934 Wisconsin Avenue, and the vacant Autodentz facility at 7909 Woodmont Avenue. If you've followed my reports on this project over the years, you know JBG requested these same permits back in 2014, before calling off the demolition and halting the project.

At delivery, 7900 Wisconsin will be a 17-story, luxury apartment building with 475 units, grocery store-anchored ground floor retail, underground parking, a rooftop pool, and a bikeshare station. It will include a through-block cut-through for pedestrians between Wisconsin and Woodmont.

7900 Wisconsin
rendering by JBG

Some neighboring property owners tell me they have been informed that JBG will be beginning work on the project sometime this year. Obviously, demolition of the existing structures is the first step. Clark Construction is reportedly out as the contractor for the project.

JBG had reached a preliminary agreement with Trader Joe's to anchor the 7900 Wisconsin development in 2014. When the project was halted, JBG said it was seeking additional financing. Others speculated that Fitness First, a tenant in the existing 7900 Wisconsin office building, had a longer lease than JBG realized. Fitness First has claimed to be expanding its space, and has been on a social media advertising blitz recently.

Once demolition permits are in hand, the Fitness First controversy will be settled one way or another.

Demolition permit requested for interior of the Apex Building

As I predicted, the interior of the Apex Building will be demolished before the actual building comes down. A demolition permit marked "Interior Only" has been requested from Montgomery County. This may rob us of a money shot with a movie theater visible from the outside, as the building comes down around it.

Demolition permit requested for Apex Building/Regal Cinemas in downtown Bethesda

Carr Properties has requested a demolition permit for the Apex Building, located at 7272 Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Bethesda. Anchored by the Regal Cinemas Bethesda 10 cineplex, the 4-story office building is being demolished to make way for a new mixed-use development and Purple Line station.

The historic
Community Paint and Hardware
building next to the Apex (center)

The permit is a "demolition or move" permission request, which might also relate to the historic Community Paint and Hardware store building that is located just south of the building (however, that building's address - 7250 Wisconsin - is not listed on the permit request). A recent development on that issue - namely, where that building can be relocated to during construction of Carr's project - was a proposal to move it to a Montgomery County public parking lot that borders on East Bethesda.

There is currently no public timetable for the closure of businesses in the Apex Building, much less an actual demolition date. This permit request is simply the first step in the process. All businesses, including the theater, remain open at this time.

Timing is of the essence with this project, which is being carefully coordinated by Montgomery County, the Maryland Transit Administration, WMATA and Carr. However, legal stumbles have delayed the start of construction on the Purple Line indefinitely, so there is likely to be at least a slightly larger window before demolition and station construction must begin.

Demolition application filed for Connor Building in Bethesda (Photos)

The tenants are out, and so, apparently, is the asbestos. Now the official demolition permit request for the Connor Building, located at 7720 Wisconsin Avenue in Bethesda, has been filed with Montgomery County. The retail/office building is being torn down to clear the way for the Westin Bethesda hotel. You can see the latest condition of the building in these new photos.

Demolition permit requested for Steamers site in Bethesda

Future condo building
(center) at 4820 Auburn Avenue;
Gallery Bethesda apartment tower
is at left

Developer Novo has requested a demolition permit from Montgomery County to raze the former Steamers building at 4820 Auburn Avenue. The permit requested would also apply to 4816 and 4828 Auburn Avenue, according to the application.

Novo has proposed a 110' condominium building with 58 condo units and 2800 SF of retail/restaurant space for the property.

Bethesda office building to be demolished for 4990 Fairmont luxury condo tower (Photos)

The other demolition shoe has dropped on the future site of Duball, LLC's 4990 Fairmont luxury condo tower. Eastham's has vacated its half of the property, which was a former BP gas station at the corner of Fairmont Avenue and Old Georgetown Road. Now Duball has requested demolition and sheeting and shoring permits for 4962 Fairmont, a small office building between Eastham's and the Positano Italian restaurant.

4990 Fairmont will be a 17-story tower with 71 units, and 3000 SF of retail. Groundbreaking is scheduled to begin before the end of the year, with a 2017 delivery date.

There were a few interesting relics left behind by Eastham's, including an ancient gas price sign.

Remember when diesel
cost 99 cents?

4990 Fairmont luxury condo project close to starting construction in Bethesda

The venerable Eastham's Servicenter is going to have to find another new location in the near future. Duball, LLC has requested a Montgomery County demolition permit for the auto repair site at 4990 Fairmont Avenue in downtown Bethesda. Once that structure has been demolished, and a couple of years of construction pass, a 17-story luxury condo tower will rise in its place.

4990 Fairmont will house 71 condo units, ranging from one-to-three bedrooms. There will be 3000 SF of ground-level retail, and distinctive penthouse residences with access to private rooftop spaces separate from the common rooftop deck.

Depending how soon they get the permit and start, they could well remain on-schedule for the planned Q4 2015 groundbreaking. Delivery is expected in 2017.

Top rendering courtesy Duball, LLC
Photos: Robert Dyer

DEMOLITION PERMIT REQUESTED FOR PARKER'S AT BETHESDA ROW

Interior demolition and alteration permits have been requested for Parker's restaurant at 4824 Bethesda Avenue. As reported by Bethesda Magazine, Parker's and Tara Thai will close at the end of March. The permit request refers to "tenant improvement work to two existing spaces," so it could also apply to the Tara Thai space, as well. However, it does not list Tara Thai's address, 4828 Bethesda Avenue.

There is always the potential that one or both could be converted to retail spaces, as happened with Dunkin' Donuts, for example.

DEMOLITION PERMIT SOUGHT FOR BCC AUTOMOTIVE BUILDING IN BETHESDA (PHOTO)

A demolition permit request has been filed for the former BCC Automotive building at 4912 St. Elmo Avenue in Bethesda. The filing is seeking permission to demolish only the building in the back of the property, with the intention of rebuilding it at a later date.

This is one of several buildings in Greenhill Capital's Lot 667 project, which is renovating and updating that plot along St. Elmo, Norfolk and Fairmont Avenues. An interior demolition is already underway at 4901-A Fairmont.

Meanwhile, in a sign of things to come in Bethesda, former tenant BCC Automotive is alive, well and operating - at 15882-C Frederick Road, in Woodbine, Maryland, near Interstate 70. With the demise of gas and service stations in downtown Bethesda, and the current proposal for the new Westbard Sector Plan showing all of its gas stations (and most auto repair facilities) being demolished in the future, getting your car fixed could one day mean a trip that far for repairs.

MORE DEMOLITION PERMITS FOR THE LAUREN CONDOS SITE IN BETHESDA (PHOTOS)

A view from the ruins of the entrance
awning at The Hampden, an
affordable garden apartment building
slated for demolition

More demolition permit requests have been posted on buildings on the future site of The Lauren ultra-luxury condominium project, on Hampden Lane in downtown Bethesda. Featuring condos "from the several millions," the project displaced all residents of an affordable garden apartment complex known as The Hampden. The Hampden is one of the structures that will be demolished for the condo building. Despite containing a few MPDUs, the development will actually result in a net loss of affordable housing units in downtown Bethesda.

DEMOLITION PERMIT SOUGHT FOR THE LAUREN CONDOS SITE IN BETHESDA (PHOTOS)

Another demolition permit has been requested by the developer of The Lauren, an ultra-luxury condominium property that will require demolition of The Hampden apartments, and several other structures on the site. With condos "from the several millions," The Lauren has been positioned as the elite development among a handful of high-end condo buildings under development in downtown Bethesda. Its closest competitors will all be nearby, with a 4-unit building on Montgomery Lane, Toll Brothers' Hampden Row project, and The Darcy by Bethesda Row.

Construction of The Lauren, and the first two of those competitors will be the capstones in a radical transformation of the Arlington Road corridor. Once designated as a Metro-convenient zone for affordable housing projects, it has ironically become the home of the most-exclusive and highest-priced multifamily properties in Bethesda. The Hampden was one of a dwindling number of affordable apartment complexes in town when residents were forced out last year.

Several structures on the future
site of The Lauren will have
to be demolished

The Lauren's temporary on-site
sales center

Prospective buyers can see
renderings of condos "from
the several millions"

Bring the car around, Jeeves!