Kitchen fire at Flats at 8300 apartments in Bethesda (Video + Photos)

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service personnel responded to a fire at the Flats at 8300 apartment building at 8300 Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Bethesda just after 10:00 PM Monday night, July 24, 2023. The fire started on a stovetop in an apartment kitchen on the third floor. Personnel from Station 6 in Bethesda with Truck 706 and the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad were among those responding. The building was partially evacuated, with residents watching from nearby sidewalks.

MCFRS spokesperson Pete Piringer said that the building's sprinkler system had already extinguished the small fire by the time firefighters got into the apartment. Firefighters remained on-scene to exhaust smoke from the building.

McDonald's Cookies & Creme Pie arrives in Montgomery County

There's a new addition to the dessert menu at McDonald's in Montgomery County. The Cookies & Creme Pie features a baked chocolate crust, with a creme filling that also holds Oreo-style chocolate cookie pieces. This pie is reportedly not available in every market across the country, so we were fortunate to be one of those to have it. The pie will be available for a limited time only, as will the Oreo Frappe.

3 restaurants close at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Three tenants in the Dining Terrace food court at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda appear to have cleared out. Signage has been removed at Ya Mon Island Grill. Malia's Kitchen and Adonni's Desserts are still intact, but they haven't been open during operating hours for weeks. Coming soon to the mall are Pollo Campero and VinoRita.

Montgomery County police investigating deceased person in Veterans Park in Bethesda

UPDATE - 5:03 PM: Montgomery County police report thar officers responded to Veterans Park, along with fire and rescue personnel, this morning for a welfare check. They located the person, but found they were deceased. No foul play is suspected in the case, and police say there is no danger to the community.

Montgomery County police are investigating a deceased person who was apparently discovered in Veterans Park in Bethesda this morning. Crime scene tape was placed around a body under a sheet in the vicinity of Jetties and the former BGR, according to several eyewitnesses around 9:00 AM this morning. Four police cruisers were at the scene. The body has now been removed from the park by police, but the department has not commented publicly on the death as of this writing. At least three nearby residents have cited hearing what sounded like gunshots or a car backfiring around 3:00 AM this morning in that area.

Mazza Gallerie demolition update (Photos)

The demolition of Mazza Gallerie continues at 5300 Wisconsin Avenue NW in the Friendship Heights area of Chevy Chase. While the top levels of the mall are being destroyed, new owner Tishman Speyer will keep the retail pavilion and underground parking garage. On top of that base, the company will construct a 7-story-tall residential building with 325 apartments. TJ Maxx has already signed to be the anchor tenant, but the remaining retail and restaurant spaces are still available for lease.

Assault reported at Chevy Chase nursing home

Montgomery County police were called to a nursing home in Chevy Chase to investigate a 2nd-degree assault reported there yesterday morning, July 22, 2023. The assault was reported at a nursing home in the 8700 block of Jones Mill Road at 8:38 AM Saturday.

Bethesda construction update: 4909 Auburn Avenue apartments (Photos)

The 4909 Auburn Avenue development is now 10 stories above Bethesda's Woodmont Triangle neighborhood. There still does not appear to be a marketing website or social media presence for the future apartment building, and no fancy branding name yet. When completed, the 11-story property will house 167 residential units over ground floor retail, and 3 levels of underground parking. A 2024 delivery date is anticipated for the project, which now occupies the former site of the venerable Auburn Professional Building.

Montgomery County condo prices surge 9.7%

Montgomery County condominium prices surged 9.7% from May to June, Axios D.C. reported this morning. Since taking a majority of the seats on the Montgomery County Council in 2002 with the End Gridlock slate, the Montgomery County cartel has assured us that building more housing units will lower prices. Yet, after building thousands and thousands of new units since then, lower rents and housing prices continue to elude Montgomery County homebuyers. 

Condo prices have gotten so exorbitant in condo-construction-crazy Washington, D.C., Axios D.C. reported, that units there are now sitting long on the market because only a small segment of buyers can afford them. It will be interesting to see if the increasing value of condos will spur builders to convert any of their future planned developments from rental apartments to condos. We saw a lot of quick flipping back and forth in the construction years right after the "Great Recession," in places like downtown Bethesda. For example, just during its construction phase alone, the 7770 Norfolk development went from rental to condos and then back to rental apartments.

Assault at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Montgomery County police were called to Westfield Montgomery Mall Wednesday afternoon, July 19, 2023, where an individual reported having been the victim of a 2nd degree assault. The assault was reported at 5:45 PM Wednesday. This is the third assault reported this year at the mall, and the first since January. Police responded to twelve reports of assaults at the mall in 2022.

Bethesda gas station site environmental cleanup public meeting scheduled

The former Exxon gas station site at 7340 Wisconsin Avenue in Bethesda has been accepted into the Voluntary Cleanup Program by the Maryland Department of the Environment. Subsurface soil and groundwater tests have indicated petroleum compounds are present in both. Greystar Development East, LLC plans to redevelop the property with a 308-unit apartment tower with ground floor retail and restaurant space. A proposed response action plan (RAP) includes removal and off-site disposal of the impacted soil and groundwater, and implementation of controls to mitigate potential exposure to toxic material by construction workers and future residents on the site.

Greystar applied to the MDE for acceptance into the program for the long-dormant site in May 2023. A public meeting on the RAP has been scheduled for August 14, 2023 from 6:00 to 7:00 PM in the Medium Room of the Connie Morella Library at 7400 Arlington Road in Bethesda.

Montgomery Lane Bethesda bikeway update (Photos)

The construction of a protected bikeway along Montgomery Lane between Woodmont and Wisconsin Avenues in Bethesda is proceeding slowly. This bike lane will connect to the one on the other side of Wisconsin where Montgomery Lane becomes Montgomery Avenue alongside the Avocet Tower. It's a real mess at the moment, and is a year behind schedule. The project website hasn't been updated for some time, even though work has been ongoing since the last update.

Bethesda Row fountain plaza update (Photos)

Here's a look at the progress on the new plaza and fountain outside Anthropologie & Co. at Bethesda Row. The shade canopy is now taking shape above the plaza, which will also feature a new, interactive fountain and seating. We're getting a much better idea of what the canopy is going to look like, compared to the rendering posted at the construction site. It looks like the late July completion date may slip into August at this point, as there's still a significant amount of work to be done.