ELEMENT 28 BETHESDA LUXURY APARTMENTS CONSTRUCTION UPDATE (PHOTOS)

After the demolition of the former United Bank Branch, construction has begun on Element 28, a 15-story, 101-unit luxury apartment building at 7535 Old Georgetown Road in Bethesda. Developer Kettler is promising units of 1 to 3 bedrooms, 3500 SF of retail/restaurant space, a bicycle workshop, and an illuminated leaf public art installation.

Delivery is expected in late 2015.

SNEAK PEEK: NEW DINING TERRACE AT WESTFIELD MONTGOMERY MALL! (PHOTOS)

The curtain has fallen at the spectacular, new dining terrace at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. One tenant, Sarku Japan, already is setting up its sushi bar space. The final architectural result has lived up to the renderings, and then some. This new addition to the building will also contain the 16-screen ArcLight Cinemas movie theater, scheduled to open this fall. The dining terrace is expected to be operational this month, while some new restaurants will open closer to the time of the theater opening.

Outside, you can now see the garage entrance looking just about finished.

PETER MAX ORIGINALS 50% OFF AT WENTWORTH GALLERY IN BETHESDA

Wentworth Gallery at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda recently received 8 Peter Max originals at a 50% discount. Two have already been sold, leaving 6. The pieces include Love Version II #73 ($8,490) [pictured above], Walking in Reeds Version 1 #13 ($5,875), Retro Suite IV: Mona Lisa ($3,565), The Profile Deluxe Version ($2,965), and My Love is America: Lady Liberty ($2,850).

All are mixed media/acrylic originals on paper. For questions, call Holly at Wentworth Gallery at 301-365-3270.

Wentworth Gallery

Westfield Montgomery Mall

Upper Level, outside Nordstrom

7101 Democracy Boulevard

ASSAULT ON BATTERY LANE, AUTO BREAK-INS IN GLEN ECHO, 2 WHITE FLINT BURGLARIES - BETHESDA CRIME UPDATE

Here's a roundup of crimes reported across Bethesda on July 31, according to crime data:

Assault. 4800 block Battery Lane.

Theft from vehicle. 4900 block Bethesda Avenue.

Vehicle burglary. 5500 block Lambeth Road.

Vehicle burglary. 6900 block Marbury Road.

Burglary. 7000 block Brookville Road (Martin's Additions).

Vehicle burglary. 5100 block Worthington Drive.

Theft. Wildwood Shopping Center.

Theft. 10000 block Sinnott Drive.

Vehicle burglary. 6200 block E. Halbert Road (Glen Echo).

Vehicle burglary. Wellesley Circle (Glen Echo).

Liquor arrest. 7200 block Hidden Creek Road.

Theft. 6700 block Democracy Boulevard.

Vehicle burglary. Unit block of Cedarwood Court.

Burglary. 11500 block Rockville Pike (White Flint).

Burglary. 11600 block Nebel Street (White Flint).

Theft. Macy's at Westfield Montgomery Mall.

THE HAMPDEN DEMOLITION UPDATE! (PHOTOS)

The demolition of The Hampden apartments on Hampden Lane is winding down. Only a pile of rubble remained Thursday - including a toilet (what was the deal about not removing toilets, window blinds, and other reusable items before demolition?). By Friday, there were still parts of the basement level standing on Hampden Lane.

BETHESDA MEN'S SHELTER EMPTIED OUT ON CORDELL AVENUE (PHOTOS)

Bethesda House, a Catholic Charities-operated homeless men's shelter on Cordell Avenue has closed, and the building has been vacated. The shelter is moving to White Flint, and this structure is being turned into a retail/restaurant space. Note: the art design shown in the linked article was preliminary, and may change on the final facade.

WOODMONT AVENUE REOPENING PROMISED FOR AUGUST 15. REALLY? (PHOTOS)

For several months, word has been that the currently-closed section of Woodmont Avenue east of Bethesda Row would be reopening to traffic this month. Yesterday, an electronic sign near Bethesda Metro Center officially touted an August 15 reopening date. It certainly is in the realm of possibility to complete this task by then, but... is this new road subject to current standards, or not?

If you look at the current condition of Woodmont Avenue between The Darcy and The Flats, it doesn't look close to being finished. Then if you consider the standards of 2014 - sidewalk specifications and construction, bike lanes, Bethesda Streetscape standards, traffic signals, etc., this would require a Herculean effort to reopen to traffic on August 15.

Of course, the shutdown of Woodmont was impressively completed like clockwork when the project began. I'm still a bit skeptical that all of this can be done in 13 days.

DEMOLITION BEGINS AT TOLL BROTHERS CITY LIVING SITE IN BETHESDA (PHOTOS)

Before development giant Toll Brothers can build its Hampden Row luxury residential project on Hampden Lane at Arlington Road, it first has to demolish what's there now. That work has begun this week, starting with driveways, front walks and other hardscaping at these vacant houses.

Doubt anybody's trying to
park here at this point,
but the permit parking sign
is still on duty

Former veterinary office

Get off my lawn!!

PICTURE FRAME SHOP PACKS UP AT BETHESDA ROW (PHOTOS)

As expected, the Picture Frame Shop packed up its inventory yesterday, as it moves out of its current 4835 Bethesda Avenue location. There has been some talk that the store owner may reopen the business at another address in the future. In the meantime, this is a prime retail/restaurant spot for lease at Bethesda Row.

PLANS FOR FRESH GRILL/LOT 667 REDEVELOPMENT UNVEILED IN BETHESDA (PHOTOS)

Greenhill Capital held a pre-submittal meeting for its Lot 667 redevelopment plan last night in Bethesda. The presentation was made by Todd Brown of the Linowes and Blocher law firm. An L-shaped property fronting on Fairmont, St. Elmo, and Norfolk Avenues in the Woodmont Triangle, Lot 667's current structures are mostly vacant. Bold Bite and office space remain active at 4901 Fairmont Avenue, but former tenants Fresh Grill, BlackFinn, Dansez Dansez, Red Tomato Cafe and BCC Automotive have vacated the premises.

The plan unveiled last evening is a interim project, meaning that a more-ambitious redevelopment of the site - such as the proposal designed by architecture firm of Steven J. Karr, AIA, Inc. - is being postponed to a future date. In short, new floors and new structures will be added to the buildings already there, to create a uniform facade. Eventually, after the second phase is completed, all of the structures will be connected, via the new structure in the center. As a reconstruction, no site plans will need to be submitted, Brown said. A preliminary plan will be filed with the county planning department this fall, however. The project will go to the planning board in the fall or winter, with construction beginning in spring of 2015.

The old Fresh Grill structure, condemned after damage caused by excavation on an adjacent property, will be reconstructed to make it habitable again. It will continue to be 1-story.

Bold Bite will remain in place on Fairmont Avenue, and the BlackFinn space at 4901-A Fairmont will be leased to a future tenant as expected. A new, 1-story addition will be added to the rear corner of the Fresh Grill space at the back of the driveway off of Fairmont Avenue.

Vacant storefronts formerly
inhabited by Dansez, Dansez
and Fresh Grill

Bold Bite is here
to stay on Fairmont

The Red Tomato building - also damaged and condemned - will be stabilized and reconstructed in a later Phase II of the project. It will receive an addition in the rear at that point, and a second story. All floors are currently expected to be retail space.

BCC Automotive building

Only the BCC Automotive structure will be razed. There will be slightly over 1000 SF of public space on the St. Elmo side of the property.

Overall, this is an opportunity for the landowner to finally get some revenue coming in from some of the now-vacant, condemned structures on the property. And a chance to reactivate some dead space along Fairmont and St. Elmo, assuming Bainbridge can get some exciting tenants for its ground-level retail/restaurant space next door to Lot 667.