WOODMONT EAST PROJECT TO DEMOLISH BETHESDA AVENUE OFFICE BUILDING, ADD HOTEL AND ARTERY BUILDING TO PLAN (PHOTOS)

JBG has submitted a site plan amendment for its long-delayed Woodmont East project to the Montgomery County Planning Board.

Already approved for construction in this massive Bethesda Row-area redevelopment, are a 14-story luxury residential building on Elm Street (where the parking deck currently stands), and a small retail/office building in the vicinity of the former Reed Street, which was abandoned by the county several years ago.

The new amendment acknowledges the lack of demand for office space in downtown Bethesda, by restoring a 182,950 square foot hotel to the plan, in place of additional offices.

Building this hotel will require what will quite possibly be the largest-scale demolition in the history of Bethesda. The existing office building, opposite The Seasons, is the tallest building to be demolished in Bethesda ever, if my memory serves.

Most demolitions in Bethesda are accomplished by brute force with heavy construction vehicles. That won't be possible in this case. Will the wrecking ball finally come out? Or is there some new, slow, low-tech process used today to bring down tall buildings in less dramatic fashion? Suffice it to say, we're going to find out in the near future!

The proposed hotel design isn't quite as avant-garde as JBG's Wisconsin Avenue project, but still looks pretty good, with a modern theme. Will it have a Las Vegas-style nightclub, and/or a rooftop, is what I want to know. What we do know, is that the hotel will house ground floor retail.

A second major part of the amendment adds the existing Artery Building to the site plan.

Finally, the amendment reduces the size of the residential units in the Elm Street building, while keeping the total number of units at 210. So, it doesn't sound like it's positioned to compete with nearby ultra-luxury projects like The Lauren and The Darcy.

There are a few answers we won't have about Woodmont East until the Apex Building rumors are resolved. If the Apex remains, the Capital Crescent Trail will be rerouted at-grade, along Bethesda Avenue, by JBG.

Were the Apex to be demolished, the 9-story smokestack proposed for the Purple Line tunnel would be hidden within whatever development replaced the Apex. If the Apex stays, camouflage of the exhaust fan smokestack will require cooperation by JBG in Woodmont East and the state of Maryland.

The Master Plan amendment that would allow demolition of the Apex - and possibly other buildings across Wisconsin Avenue - remains highly controversial, as it would shut out traditional public input on the changes.

SCOTCH, CIGARS AND SPOKESMODELS AT ROOFTOP POOL PARTY TONIGHT IN BETHESDA

If you notice smoke in the sky over Old Town Bethesda tonight, it may be coming from the pool party atop the Doubletree Bethesda hotel.

Tonight's event is called The Cigar Affair, and runs from 5:00 to 10:00 PM. Beyond cigars, there will be a tapas menu, single malt Scotch, and several bourbons.

But wait, there's more.

At 7:30, spokesmodels from Dreaming Tree Winery will host a wine tasting, and a cigar expert will be on hand throughout the evening.

There will also be light jazz in the background.

There's no cost to enter the party, but you must be 21 or older.

WESTIN BETHESDA HOTEL DESIGN UNVEILED (PHOTOS)

Westin has unveiled the first renderings of the future 12-story Westin Bethesda hotel.

The two-building hotel-office complex will share an underground parking garage with over 500 spaces. A pedestrian promenade will cut between Wisconsin Avenue and Woodmont Avenue.  It resembles Bethesda Lane without the arches. Art and a water feature will be among the public amenities. Lobby and garage entrances will be on the Woodmont side.

You can also see a rendering of the lobby below.

This hotel definitely needs a Las Vegas-style nightclub. But no such nightspot is in the works.

SHARE WINE LOUNGE AND SMALL PLATE BISTRO OPENING IN BETHESDA DOUBLETREE ON TUESDAY

WINE BAR CONCEPT

WILL TAKE ON

FELLOW NEWCOMER

VINO VOLO

Another Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row Exclusive

We've had burger wars, pizza wars and lobster roll wars in downtown Bethesda recently.  Next Tuesday, Yoda might announce, "Begun, the Wine Bar Wars have."

That's because a surprise entry into the field will be opening Election Day, inside the Bethesda Doubletree.

Share Wine Lounge and Small Plate Bistro is a new dining concept already tested in several cities by the Doubletree brand, including Iowa City, Culver City, and Tampa.  The Bethesda opening is the boldest one yet, as none of the previous cities is particularly renowned for fine cuisine.  In our town, Share Wine will take on competitors like the world-famous Jose Andres, and homegrown wine-centric restaurants like Grapeseed.  And of course, there's that other new guy coming to town, Vino Volo.

Fortunately, the Share Wine concept will allow the Doubletree to be competitive.  That's because the "corporate menu" can be altered or added to by the executive chef in each location.  For example, the Iowa City location tends toward traditional American cuisine.  But the Monroeville, PA outlet offers a premium Tuna Tower, and the chef's own special pork chop recipe.

With our Doubletree having had a succession of talented chefs, and never having fallen into the standard-hotel-dining-room trap, you can expect that the flexible menu will give the current chef and staff a chance to shine.

So, while every location has the gremolata fries and charcuterie board, this Tuesday, you'll be able to try dishes specific to Bethesda like the house-special ribs.

Share Wine - as the name implies - is designed to be a place where people can gather in a relaxed setting after work, explore new wines, and share small plates.  Assisting in that exploration will be a custom wine list, Enomatic machines, and demipours of wines by the glass.

This Tuesday, reward yourself for voting by stopping by the Doubletree and for an exciting new concept.  Bethesda diners will choose a winner in the wine bar wars, so start the difficult job of doing your research Tuesday!

Doubletree, 8120 Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda.

EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW OF FUTURE WESTIN BETHESDA LUXURY HOTEL (PHOTO)!

NATURE-INSPIRED LOBBY

UNVEILED AHEAD OF

2015 OPENING

Another Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row Exclusive

Remember when I broke the worldwide exclusive scoop that Westin was going to build a luxury hotel at 7740 Wisconsin Avenue last year?

This is why you read this blog every day - fasten your seatbelt, it's about to happen again!

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you this exclusive first image of the lobby of the future Westin Bethesda hotel:

Concept of future Westin Bethesda lobby [Photo: Westin]

Westin says the lobby will be inspired by nature, and the centerpiece of the concept is the vertical garden.  In addition to meeting the goal of providing a calming experience in the lobby area, the vertical garden will also improve the space's air quality.

A consulting team from Ambius will select the final plants "for their detoxifying, high-oxygen-producing properties that improve overall air quality," said Westin's Nadeen Ayala.  Westin wants "guests (to) leave feeling better than when they arrived."

The lobby, designed in-house by a team led by Erin Hoover, will have other stress-reducing features.  Gone is the front desk!  In its place, are "check-in pods."  These New Age front desks emit Westin's "signature White Tea scent," and soft music and lighting.

Another area of the lobby will be geared towards business travelers.  The Dock will feature meeting tables with ample power outlets, computers and printers.

Hungry?  Next to the lobby seating, will be the Westin Grab & Go Cafe, with a "lively, engaging lobby bar experience in the evening."

Hmm.  Can that work?  "Excuse me guys, can you keep it down?  I'm trying to give a PowerPoint over here."

Shopoholics rejoice!  The Westin Bethesda gift shop will not only have the basics, but also Heavenly bedding and upscale bath products.

The hotel gym will lend you New Balance shoes (sounds kind of like a bowling alley) "apparel and fitness program content."  That's okay, I brought my own clothes, guys!

Well, it all sounds pretty posh.  But I'm still hoping for a pretentious, upscale, Las Vegas-style nightclub in the Westin.  The only other hotel being built downtown in the near future is the JBG project at Bethesda Row, so we have to get a 5-star nightclub - and outdoor/rooftop pool "dayclub" with cabanas - out of one of these.

Stay tuned for more details, and I'll start saving up my Starwood Preferred Guest points now.

What do you think of the lobby concept?  Are you excited about the Westin Bethesda?

BETHESDA HYATT TO BE SOLD AT AUCTION

SHOCKER!

There's no "laugh riot at the Hyatt" today.

The iconic Hyatt Regency Bethesda will be auctioned off on August 14, after owners defaulted on a mortgage loan.

Given that the hotel is one of the most valuable pieces of real estate in the entire DC area, the auction is sure to draw many bidders.

The Hyatt joins the Relic building as the second prominent property to be foreclosed on in downtown Bethesda in the last 2 weeks.

FIRST IMAGE OF

CAPITAL CRESCENT TRAIL

AT-GRADE ALONG

BETHESDA AVENUE

7200 Woodmont Developer Offers to

Construct Trail as Part of Streetscape Improvements

Another Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row Exclusive!!!

Just weeks after the Montgomery County Council determined the popular Capital Crescent Trail would be relocated in downtown Bethesda to make way for the Purple Line, a developer has offered to build one section of the new route along Bethesda Avenue.

Friday evening, the Montgomery County Planning Department released the above rendering prepared by developer JBG, incorporating the CCT into its expanded 7200 Woodmont development.

There are no 3-D street scenes to show what the finished trail will look like. This is a preliminary sketch showing the shared-use CCT bike path (running along the bottom of the image, above and parallel to Bethesda Ave.) between Woodmont and Wisconsin Avenues. As such, there is no way to know if the design fits council president Roger Berliner's demand for a "gold standard" at-grade CCT. Of course, no one has yet defined what gold standard means in this case.

Some things that are clear from the illustration and the Planning staff report, are that the trail will have some physical separation from Bethesda Avenue parallel to it. Whether that is a mountable curb, a median or insurmountable barricade is not specified yet.

In terms of safety, there are at least two vehicular curb cuts that will cross the new CCT, certainly more dangerous than the separate tunnel route today. As one of those entries is for the hotel on the property, there will be taxis zipping in and out of there across the CCT.

7200 Woodmont has grown in size. The new project is requesting approval of a 182,950 sq. ft. hotel with 230 rooms, 755,739 sq. ft. of office space, 81,165 sq. ft. of retail, and a 210-unit apartment building, the latter to be located on the current Elm Street parking lot.

Not only does the development stretch from the Woodmont/Bethesda Ave. intersection to that Elm Street site, but now also all the way along Bethesda Avenue to Wisconsin, as you can see in the site plan above.

The plaza at the corner of 355 and Bethesda will be replaced with a building, and JBG will donate some of the property fronting Wisconsin to the state highway's right-of-way. This is partly to facilitate CCT-related safety improvements to that intersection.

The only amenities for the CCT noted right now are landscaping and "terraced seating platforms" along its Bethesda Avenue route.

There are a number of other stipulations. JBG must place a bike wayfaring sign to direct riders near the Woodmont intersection. The CCT will remain open through the tunnel for the duration of the 7200 project construction. JBG must complete the CCT along Bethesda Ave before the county will issue occupancy permits for the ground floor retail on that side. And it must submit the detailed plans for the CCT concept before construction may begin on 7200.

Furthermore, JBG is going to pay over $400,000 for a comprehensive study of constructing the trail between JBG's portion and the original right-of-way beyond the Air Rights Building.

The tallest building in the project will be about 14 stories, by my calculation. This seems too short for a site walking distance to Metro, on the Bethesda Circulator route, and literally above the future Bethesda Row Purple Line station. And there are only 210 apartments, which is too few for a 5 acre project at this site. Sacrificing density here puts more pressure on areas like Westbard where such heights would be inappropriate.

In my opinion, the residential portion should be at least 20 stories. I can't comment on the architecture yet, because we don't really have the full illustrations of the buildings yet. The simplistic rendition in the staff report didn't make it seem very impressive. Let's hope they're more like North Bethesda Market I and II, and less like JBG's Rockville Pike Safeway proposal in terms of architecture.

We need more distinctive buildings that people will associate with Bethesda, not cookie cutter mixed use, Soviet-style apartment blocs.

But the project deserves some leeway, if JBG is going to pick up the tab for a major stretch of the new CCT, because that's money that won't have to come out of the taxpayers' pockets.

So it's a little early to make final judgements, but I wanted to let everybody know about this new Bethesda Row "neighbor," and in particular that there is a surprising twist here in the CCT soap opera with this unexpected - and welcome - offer from JBG.

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