Bethesda construction update: Montrose Crossing addition (Photos)

The new retail-restaurant structure that is replacing Timpano Italian Chophouse at Montrose Crossing is nearing completion. Each individual restaurant and store still has to complete fit-out of their respective interiors. You can see the design, complete with stringed lights, pavers and decorative street lamps, is a nod to the contemporary "town center" more than to the old-fashioned strip mall.

Honeygrow is on track to be the
first business to open in the new
building at Montrose Crossing

Honeygrow is closest to opening, with their permanent sign already installed on the facade. CAVA Grill has Coming Soon signage in place. Expect this to be one of the buildings that continues to operate when Montrose Crossing is redeveloped as a mixed-use property in future years.

More Honeygrow signage

Honeygrow's doors are already
stenciled

Honeygrow interior

TapaBar to close as owners experiment with new concepts

Despite positive reviews, TapaBar owners Alonso and Alvaro Roche have concluded "it is not quite the right fit for the neighborhood." With customer traffic declining, the brothers will close the restaurant at 4901-A Fairmont Avenue after its last night on New Year's Eve. On January 2, 2018, they will open a Pop Up Lab in the space, alternating concepts and cuisines in a search for the ideal replacement.

Whatever final concept is chosen, the Roches expect the resulting restaurant will be more family-friendly. With temperatures low, they feel the time is right for a pho pop-up in downtown Bethesda, so that will be the first experiment starting January 2. “Alvaro and I are Pho fanatics, and we figured there was no better way to utilize this great space during the cold winter months than by sharing one of our favorite comfort foods with our neighborhood,“ Chef Alonso Roche said.

The brothers expect to be busier than ever this year, with the planned opening of TacoArepa and its accompanying Sirena Beer Garden a few doors down on Fairmont Avenue.

Exposed: Montgomery County Council is not a "full-time job"

Wouldn't you like to have the power to raise your own salary? In doing just that, to a record $137,000 taxpayer dollars, the Montgomery County Council justified the cash grab by claiming serving on the Council was "a full-time job." That claim, already easily proven false, has now been totally debunked, after Councilmember George Leventhal released a statement yesterday announcing he has secretly been earning a doctorate in public policy.

In fact, Leventhal has been on a Rodney Dangerfield-esque return to college since 2007, by his own admission. He has been on the Council since 2002. Surely, his ever-increasing taxpayer-funded salary over the last decade has afforded him the ability to pad his thin resume with degree after degree, an advantage not available to many of the constituents paying his salary.

Council observers have known for some time that members have too much free time on their hands. New Council President Hans Riemer recently spent a day on Capitol Hill, trailed by taxpayer-funded County government TV crews to capture it all. Alas, things went awry when Riemer found himself being arrested by police in Washington, D.C. later that day. It's believed he is the first Montgomery County Councilmember to be arrested while in office.

Montgomery County celebrity Matthew Lesko has been selling books on how to get free money from Uncle Sam to earn a "GED, or a PhD!!!" on TV for years. Winning a County Council seat could actually be a smarter move at this point. Sit on a padded leather chair for four hours a week, and the rest of the time, earn a law or medical degree at taxpayer expense using your amped up Council salary. Maybe even hit up a few frat house parties in-between.

The Bell, California Council jacked up their own salaries, too, raising taxes massively to cover the costs. Sound familiar? Bell's Council is currently in prison. Montgomery's is on campus. What's wrong with this picture?

Hyatt Regency Bethesda lights up for Christmas (Photos)

Just in time for Christmas, we find out that the new LED accent lighting on the exterior of the Hyatt Regency Bethesda hotel can be customized. The hotel is now sporting red and green Christmas lights in a candy cane pattern.

More closures at Cabin John Mall

Momo Taro Sushi Express has closed at Cabin John Mall. Fashion Flair Cleaners will be next, when it closes its doors at the end of this month.

Macedonia Baptist Church requests historic designation for endangered Bethesda cemetery

Action freezes development

at cemetery site

Macedonia Baptist Church has filed a formal request with the Montgomery County Historic Preservation Commission and Planning Board to have the threatened Moses African Cemetery declared historic. “With this filing, Macedonia is engaging the protective laws that were in place over two years ago when the Historic Preservation Commission informed the county that Parcels 175 & 177 were ‘of high archeological interest,’" church leaders said in a statement. "Right then and there the County should have embraced HPC’s recommendations to purchase the land and protect it."

Parcels 175 and 177 are parts of a historic black cemetery that contains among its remains the first generation of freed slaves in Maryland, adjacent to the Westwood Tower apartments on Westbard Avenue and an auto repair shop on River Road. Past members of the lost African-American community along that stretch of River Road are buried there, and some of their descendants have been located and are engaged in the fight to prevent the graveyard from development.

In their statement, the church refers to the Montgomery County cartel that I often reference on this website, a cartel that has been behind a team County government effort to steamroller the church and descendant community all of this year. "Land use in Montgomery County is controlled by a rogue cartel of developers and compromised county officials—by serious conflicts of interest because of the campaign contributions developers pour into county elections. 'This cartel was on full display Thursday night when it rubber stamped the further desecration of Moses Cemetery and ignored the wishes of the community yet again,'" Macedonia social justice director Marsha Coleman-Adebayo said.

Harvey Matthews, a church trustee and resident of the lost River Road community until his family was forced off its land in the late 1950s, noted that Montgomery County gives greater protected status to pet cemeteries than to black cemeteries like Moses. "Shockingly, the County will protect dogs and cats and snakes—in perpetuity—under the dictates of historic preservation law," Matthews said Wednesday. "Maybe they would let our ancestors—who were often treated by veterinarians while enslaved—rest in peace beside Fido, and Garfield and Monty Python.”

The church's request requires the HPC by law to begin the process of adding the Moses Cemetery site to the Montgomery County Locational Atlas and Index of Historic Sites. That interim step temporarily prevents any additional development at the two parcels in which the cemetery was established in 1911.

New police station sign lit

The "police" sign at the new 2nd District Montgomery County police station in Bethesda is now lit. It is located at 4823 Rugby Avenue.

Construction workers at 7900 Wisconsin give neighbors rude awakening

Residents near the construction site of JBG Smith's 7900 Wisconsin Avenue development are complaining of illegal noise workers are making hours before they legally can start work. On Monday, December 4, several residents reported workers arrived at the site at 4:30 AM, and began to make noise. Under Montgomery County noise rules, construction cannot begin before 7:00 AM on weekdays, and before 9:00 AM on weekends.

The Board of Directors of the Fairmont Plaza condos directly adjacent to the site is advising residents to file a Two-Party noise complaint with the County any night or morning they are awakened outside of legal working hours. Residents of 7770 Norfolk, Bainbridge Bethesda or any other residence in earshot can do the same. Those filing complaints should also alert their building manager each time, so that they can track the infractions by the construction company.

MoCo Council to take another stab at criminalizing the homeless

The Montgomery County Council building is just overflowing with Christmas spirit, as the Council is taking the initial steps before the holiday break to criminalize the homeless. This isn't the first time, as the Council tried this previously in their last term, but ran into controversy, including a report from a national organization that condemned the effort.

With Council Bill 39-17, they will again attempt to ban panhandling in the County. The Council memorably claimed last time that the majority of those who panhandle are not actually homeless, but "professional panhandlers" who drive into the County each morning from out-of-state. That's probably news to the folks in downtown Bethesda and Silver Spring whose main wheels are shopping carts filled with everything they own.

What's driving the Council's mania to criminalize the homeless? Well, it may just have something to do with politics and the election year ahead. Councilmember George Leventhal has given himself loud credit for supposedly finding homes for every single homeless veteran in Montgomery County. The local media hasn't bothered to fact check Leventhal on that claim, and simply print it as fact. In reality, it's almost impossible to verify such a boast, which is probably why Leventhal is making it.

Now Leventhal has promised to house every single homeless person in the County by December 2018. Conveniently, that will be a month after the election, in which Leventhal is running for County Executive. Wouldn't it also be convenient to use a panhandling ban to clear the homeless from their most-visible perches on County roads, to make it appear as if they aren't there?

They've just banned circus animals, now the homeless...think they'll get around to dealing with that $120,000,000 budget shortfall anytime soon?

Antiques pop-up moving in on Cordell Avenue in Bethesda (Photos)

An antiques pop-up shop is moving into the vacant photography studio at 4715 Cordell Avenue. I seem to recall a similar store "popping up" last year around this time. This was previously a photography studio.

Bethesda demolition update: Apex Building (Photos)

Demolition of the Apex Building has been concentrated at the rear of the structure in recent weeks. But work on the Wisconsin Avenue side is now picking up. They've even plucked off the 2s in the building's 7272 Wisconsin address.

Construction picking up pace at Dog Haus Biergarten in Bethesda

Construction crews have resumed working at full steam inside the future Dog Haus Biergarten at 7904 Woodmont Avenue. They're also now hiring for all positions. This may be the end of the long delay since Dog Haus first confirmed they were opening a Bethesda location in April.

Christmas decorations at The Palisades in Bethesda (Photos)

It's time to take our annual trip to see the Christmas decorations outside The Palisades luxury apartments on Cordell Avenue in the Woodmont Triangle. New this year are light-up candy canes around the circle out front.

New sign at Bethesda Vapor Company

Bethesda Vapor Company, located at 4823-B Fairmont Avenue, has a new lighted sign. The shop opened in August 2014, and has managed to weather a legislative assault on the vaping industry by the Montgomery County Council in 2015.

Credit cards stolen from purse at Bethesda Trader Joe's (Photos)

One patron of Trader Joe's had problems worse than the cramped parking for the popular Bethesda grocery store. Her credit cards were snatched from her purse by a man on November 27 around 5:00 PM, while a second man distracted her with conversation. The cards were then used to make purchases at the Tenleytown Best Buy store.

Suspect one is described as an adult male in his early 30s with dark hair, 6’2” tall, and weighing between 210 and 230 pounds. Suspect two is described as an adult male in his early to mid 40s with dark hair and a full beard., 5’10” tall, and weighing between 180 and 190 pounds.

Anyone with information regarding these suspects is asked to call the 2nd District Patrol Investigations Unit at 240-773-6700. Those who wish to remain anonymous may call Crime Solvers of Montgomery County toll-free at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477). Crime Solvers will pay a cash reward of up to $10,000 for information provided that leads to an arrest in this case.

Bethesda Nationwide office moves to Rockville

Nationwide Insurance has relocated from Cordell Avenue in Bethesda to 751 Rockville Pike in Rockville. They are in Suite 6-B. The new office is next to the Marlo Furniture showroom.

The vacant Bethesda office
is now for lease

MoCo Planning Board ignores cemetery, stormwater concerns in approving Westbard Self Storage (Video+Photos)

Laurel Hoa of SURJ-MoCo (left) and
Marsha Coleman-Adebayo, Social Justice
Director of Macedonia Baptist Church, chant
"Boycott" moments after Planning Board approves
self-storage project by cemetery site

The Montgomery County Planning Board completely ignored testimony by Bethesda residents and Macedonia Baptist Church last night in unanimously approving the Westbard Self Storage project. It was another evening of disrespect and institutional racism on display by the Board and County Planning Department, that included the Board summoning four Park Police officers to badger protesters to put down poster board signs they were silently holding in the back of the room that said, "Black Lives Matter."

"We turned our signs 

around to white. That

seems to be a color that

is recognized in

Montgomery County"

Cemetery advocates, including Macedonia Baptist Church Director of Social Justice Marsha Coleman-Adebayo, asked the Board to modify conditions it imposed on the project to allow an archaeological study of the historic Moses African Cemetery before any construction begins in its vicinity. Coleman-Adebayo proposed a commission that would include various stakeholders, including the church and anthropologists Dr. Michael Blakey and Dr. Rachel Watkins. Blakey and Watkins are renowned in their field for their expertise in African-American cemeteries, yet Montgomery County has been dead-set against hiring them, leading many to believe the County (which has financial and political conflicts of interest in preventing those bodies from being located under parking lots behind the self-storage site and Westwood Tower) is planning a coverup of the cemetery to allow development on top of it.

The Board set the disrespectful tone early Thursday, when it proceeded to change the time of the public hearing for a third time, moving it from 6:50 PM to 5:55 PM, without advance notice to those who had signed up to testify. When speakers originally signed up, the hearing had been scheduled for 2:45 PM. This was clearly an attempt to cheat people out of being able to testify through cheap shenanigans. I question if the decision last night was legal, in light of the last-minute agenda change with no advance notice.

"I condemn each branch

of County government

for passing the buck, and

cashing it in on my

ancestors"

Outside, there was one Park Police cruiser prominently parked in front of the Park & Planning headquarters at 8787 Georgia Avenue in Silver Spring. One might have thought that was a de-escalation of Board Chair Casey Anderson's notorious reception of cemetery protesters earlier this year, when he surrounded himself with armed police officers when approached peacefully by a black woman, a white woman and a child holding petitions they want to hand him. Anderson had called in six police cruisers to confront cemetery protesters that day.

By the end of last night's hearing, Anderson had summoned four cruisers. Police were silent when the hearing began at 5:55, but at 6:40, the lone Park Police officer began to quietly request protesters to lower their signs. Such a rule does not appear in the Planning Board hearing rules, but was, ironically, instituted by Anderson following that original Macedonia Baptist Church protest this year. Clearly designed to silence the voices of those defending the cemetery against the County's nefarious plans, the rule is simply unconstitutional. The fact that it was never a longstanding rule, and was implemented specifically to silence one group this year, makes it even more difficult to defend in court.

Protesters correctly noted that no such rule was posted online when they signed up, but eventually agreed to turn their signs around to the blank white side on the backs of them. Coleman-Adebayo would later sardonically note to the Board, "We turned our signs around to white. That seems to be a color that is recognized in Montgomery County."

The officer returned at 6:50 to say he had called his supervisor, and was told any sign larger than 8x11 could not be held up in the room. When that did not get total compliance, three more squad cars pulled up out front, and three more officers entered the building. Fox 5's Evan Lambert asked Anderson about the questionable sign ban, and the Chair refused to answer. Back at the microphone, Anderson cited "time, place and manner" restrictions to the First Amendment, as a defense.

"Alright, alright," a Park Police officer,
one of four summoned by Planning Board,
admonishes chanting protesters to be quiet,
despite the meeting having ended

During public testimony, Coleman-Adebayo also recommended that a provision be added to alert the pastor of Macedonia within 24 hours of discovery of human remains or funerary relics on any of the sites in question. As it stands now, the same Board that has disrespected church leaders and the community on the cemetery issue, will have the final say on what happens to any remains found - and that worries cemetery advocates for obvious reasons.

"Shame on you.

Shame on your

entire criminal

enterprise"

Harvey Matthews, an actual former resident of the black community that was forced out on River Road by the 1960s, delivered a scathing condemnation of County officials who have "ignored, outfoxed, and slandered" Macedonia Baptist Church on the cemetery this year. The last charge refers to false statements released publicly by the County Housing Opportunities Commission alleging that Macedonia Baptist Church had divulged information from arbitration meetings over the summer. Pressed to provide evidence of such leaks, HOC has been unable thus far to do so, but refuses to retract its false statements.

Matthews condemned Anderson for hiding behind the police, and Planning Director Gwen Wright, whom he advised should change her name to "Gwen Wrong." "I condemn Roger Berliner," Matthews continued, "for passing legislation that does not protect cemeteries. I condemn each branch of County government for passing the buck, and cashing it in on my ancestors. Shame on you. Shame on this hearing. Shame on your entire criminal enterprise."

"I share Macedonia's contempt for this board," activist Kevin Berends testified. He blasted their attempt "to normalize desecration." Berends likened the County government to a "four-headed monster," which serves a fifth, "unseen monster, your corporate benefactors."

"Talk about animus.

That's below the belt."

Laurel Hoa of Showing Up for Racial Justice - Montgomery County noted that the Matthews family land on River Road, which they were forced off by developers in the late 1950s, is now worth $60 million. She denounced the Board's institutional racism, saying it was a textbook case of "decisionmakers holding oppressive power over a community," a point driven home by the poster controversy.

Equally controversial and racist was the Board's treatment of the church, which is actually a party to the Westbard Self Storage and Regency Centers development plans, as the contemporary representative of the cemetery that was bulldozed in the 50s and desecrated in the late 60s. The church should have a seat at the table just like the applicants' attorneys. Instead, they are forced to remain silent in the back of the room.

When Hoa asked if she could read the portion of Coleman-Adebayo's statement left out by time restrictions, Anderson saw fit to take a cheap shot at Coleman-Adebayo. Clearly annoyed by the ongoing media attention (but still not embarrassed by it), Anderson said, "She can say it to the camera in the hallway," referring to the Fox 5 news crew. "That's really mean," Coleman-Adebayo replied from the back of the room. "Talk about animus. That's below the belt."

Cemetery advocates waited patiently in silence for the Board to respond to the substantive cemetery issues raised by speakers. They instead talked briefly about stormwater concerns raised by the Little Falls Watershed Alliance, before dismissing them. They next talked about art. Art, instead of the bodies of the first freed slaves in the state of Maryland being acquired by corporations and government.

And then, just when you thought you couldn't be shocked anymore by the racist and inhumane actions of this Board and County Council, it was time for collective jaws to drop again: Anderson called the vote. He and his colleagues did not say a single word about the cemetery, voted to approve the self storage project, and dashed out of the room as protesters chanted, "Boycott!" and "Black Lives Matter!"

WATCH: Click here to watch moment Westbard Self Storage is approved

On the way out, protesters sparred verbally with one of the owners of the self storage project. Church officials say he had initially agreed to allow them to conduct an archaeological study, but withdrew the offer under (surprise!) pressure from the Montgomery County Planning Department. Meeting with officials at Macedonia Baptist Church earlier this year, his attorney advised him to grab his things and leave immediately. "You came to our church and insulted us," Coleman-Adebayo said, "and then you left with your lawyer." "I did not," the owner replied. "Yes, you did," Coleman-Adebayo said. "So, you may have won here, but you need Bethesda residents to put their things in your storage company, and we're not going to do it, so good luck."

Stormwater advocates didn't fare much better. While a few of their concerns were briefly discussed, the Board ultimately made none of the substantive changes the Little Falls Watershed Alliance had sought. LFWA's Sarah Morse had stressed the need for sufficient groundwater to recharge the Willett Branch stream when it is naturalized. The official in charge of stormwater management at Parks & Planning disputed that, saying the fill dirt and clay present at the site would not transmit groundwater effectively to the stream.

Citizens once again ignored by the Planning Board were then asked to vacate the premises by the four Park Police officers, who said, "We have to lock up the building." They walked out the door to find the four police cruisers parked in front of the entrance.

Marijuana dispensary coming to downtown Bethesda

Just a week after the first medical marijuana dispensary opened in Bethesda, at the Wildwood Medical Center, another is on the way to downtown Bethesda. Budding Rose, LLC, has leased the renovated space at 4909 Fairmont Avenue. Budding Rose is a franchise based in New Jersey, one of several dispensary brands rapidly moving into the state of Maryland after such medicinal sales were approved.

Marriott's impending arrival means new parking fee at Woodmont Grill

Woodmont Grill, which some industry insiders say does the most business of any restaurant in downtown Bethesda, has recently lost a perk previously taken for granted by patrons: free parking. Some diners have told me they were surprised by the new $3 fee to park in the lot right next to the highly-popular restaurant.

A spokeperson for Woodmont Grill's parent company confirmed that it is the new owners of their parking lot, not Woodmont Grill, who are charging and collecting that new fee. Marriott Corporation is building its new headquarters adjacent to the restaurant, in a deal with original landowner Bernstein Cos. and partner Boston Properties. Hillstone Restaurant Group says the $3 charge is "something over which we have no control."

The Marriott team sought to acquire the Tastee Diner and Woodmont Grill properties as part of the redevelopment plan. They were able to come to terms with the diner, but the bonus space was ultimately not realized, as Woodmont Grill declined to sell.

No road diet for Arlington Road

Despite several pedestrian-involved collisions in recent years on Arlington Road, Montgomery County will not put the arterial route on a "road diet." The County Department of Transportation has completed an engineering study it announced last year. Based on the study results, MCDOT is planning to make other changes along Arlington Road, rather than narrow it. These include adding pedestrian-only cycles to traffic signals at several intersection, so that there won't be cars turning while people are crossing in the crosswalks.

Near Bethesda Elementary School, pedestrians will get extra lead time before signals allow cars to start moving forward. These signal changes are expected to be implemented early next year. MCDOT is also looking at adding a missing crosswalk on Bradley Boulevard where it meets Arlington, on the CVS side. Bradley Boulevard is a state route, controlled by the Maryland State Highway Administration.

Prior to their recent study, MCDOT says it had already improved and installed speed limit signage along Arlington, slightly expanded the "school hours" time and flashing lights that warn of the 5 MPH reduction in speed during those periods, and installed high visibility crosswalks at the intersection near the school.