House fire in Glen Echo

Montgomery County firefighters responded to a report of smoke coming from a home in the 6100 block of Bryn Mawr Avenue around 10:30 PM Sunday night.

Fire and rescue personnel arriving on scene reported fire in the walls, extending to the roof of the 2-story home in the town of Glen Echo.

The occupants of the home escaped safely without injury, according to MCFRS spokesperson Pete Piringer.

Scanner reports indicate firefighters are requesting additional units to assist as of 10:50 PM. Firefighters are attempting to gain access to the attic of the home.

Bethesda construction update: 4825 Montgomery Lane luxury condos (Photos)

4825 Montgomery Lane is rounding into shape, with the private garage doors now installed for each future resident. If you're new to this building, this is the one that has four units - and each unit takes up the entire floor it is on. So four units, and four matching garage doors. Don't try to glide the Rolls into the garage just yet, though. There's a moat of sorts there until they connect the driveways to the street.

You can see the architectural renderings on this website.

I wonder if this building was pre-sold prior to construction. There's no website, and no real estate listings for the units just months prior to delivery. Given the exclusive nature of the building, it certainly wouldn't be surprising.

Just 4 units 

The main entry will be
decidedly grander when
finished...

Your private garage
awaits

It's one of only four

Driveway apron yet to be
installed

The distinctive bump-in of the
top floor suggests a more
premium penthouse for
the lucky fourth owner

Stay cool during hot Bethesda
summers on your balcony with
these ceiling fans

Prime location in short walking
distance to Metro - but why take
Metro if you've got a Rolls Royce?

The porthole windows are a
nice nautical touch that set
this building apart

The corner indents are another
interesting accent

Assault on Wisconsin Ave., auto break-in on Brookdale Rd. + more - Bethesda crime update

Here's a roundup of crimes reported across Bethesda on March 26, according to crime data:

Burglary. 6800 block Wisconsin Avenue.

Assault. 6800 block Wisconsin Avenue.

Burglary. 5500 block Wisconsin Avenue.

Theft. 5400 block Wisconsin Avenue.

Vehicle burglary. 5000 block Brookdale Road.

Theft from vehicle. 11500 block Schuylkill Road (Randolph Hills).

Theft. Westfield Montgomery Mall.

Crane removal on Fairmont Avenue (Photos)

The tower crane is in the process of being removed at the 7770 Norfolk construction site. Part of Fairmont Avenue at Norfolk Avenue is scheduled to remain closed through 3:00 PM today. Here are some scenes from Saturday, as a crane was brought in to remove the bigger crane:

Bethesda construction update: The Flats luxury apartments (Photos)

The Flats is the rental apartment option for future residents at the StonebridgeCarras development on former Parking Lot 31 in Bethesda. You'll also notice banners and indications of future retail and restaurant tenants like Pottery Barn and Silver.

Auto break-ins on Bradley Blvd., Newport Avenue; car stolen in Pike District + more - Bethesda crime update

Here's a roundup of crimes reported across Bethesda on March 25, according to crime data:

Vehicle burglary. 4700 block Bradley Boulevard.

Burglary. 3600 block Taylor Street (Chevy Chase Section Three).

Burglary. 4600 block N. Park Avenue.

Theft. 5400 block Wisconsin Avenue.

Vehicle burglary. 5100 block Newport Avenue (Glen Cove).

Vehicle burglary. 11400 block Rockville Pike (Pike District).

Theft. Westfield Montgomery Mall.

Stolen car. 6100 block Executive Boulevard.

Parents concerned about MCPS Chromebook rollout holding meeting in Bethesda March 30

Montgomery County Public Schools made national headlines last summer when it announced it was distributing free laptops and tablets to students. The initiative was one of several efforts to address the persistent achievement gap in the school system. That program began this academic year with 30,000 Google Chromebooks in Grades 3-6 and 10,000 in high school classes. The number will expand in the future.

Parents have expressed privacy and security concerns about the technology, as the laptops have student-specific accounts. MCPS has said its network is closed and secure, but data is uploaded to "the cloud" for access elsewhere.

A group calling itself Parents for the Responsible Use of Technology in School is hosting a meeting to discuss various issues of concern ranging from privacy to safety to cyberbullying this Monday, March 30, from 7:00-8:30 PM at the Bethesda Library. The library is located at 7400 Arlington Road.

The group also aims to generate an action plan to help teachers as the MCPS Technology Initiative expands.

Here is Monday night's agenda:

A. Technology in the Classroom.

B.  Preparation— students, parents, teachers;

C.  Testing—PARCC & other testing;

D.  Privacy—data mining by 3rd parties; access to health records;

E.  Security—protection of data collected;

F.  Safety– wireless vs. cable, code of conduct, bullying

G.  Create working groups and a plan of action with measurable goals.

Photo courtesy Google

Pitzze closes in Bethesda

Pitzze, the latest iteration of a pizzeria and wine bar that has struggled through several overhauls, has finally called it quits. The restaurant at 7137 Wisconsin Avenue released an official statement yesterday:

"We are sorry to report that pitzze (sic) has closed its doors effective March 25th. Thank you for your patronage and support."

2 drug arrests, Pike District robbery + more - Bethesda crime report

Here's a roundup of crimes reported across Bethesda on March 24, according to crime data:

Drug arrest. Connecticut Avenue at Jones Bridge Road.

Theft. 3600 block Chevy Chase Lake Drive.

Drug arrest. Luxemburg Street at Nicholson Lane.

Vehicle burglary. 5500 block Nicholson Lane.

Robbery. 5700 block Marinelli Road (Pike District).

Smoothie King grand opening this weekend

Don't forget about the Smoothie King grand opening celebration this weekend at their new Bethesda Avenue store. The shop has been open for a while, but the celebration starts today with a $5 medium smoothie special, and continues all weekend. Here are the details.

Smoothie King

4710 Bethesda Avenue

Partial shutdown of Fairmont Avenue for crane removal this weekend

The removal of the tower crane at the 7770 Norfolk luxury apartments construction site will necessitate closure of about half a block of Fairmont Avenue, between Norfolk Avenue and Old Georgetown Road. That closure will be at the Norfolk end, mostly alongside the 7770 Norfolk property. But it will extend slightly further toward Old Georgetown.

Closure of the affected section is scheduled to begin at 3:00 AM Saturday morning, and will continue through 3:00 PM on Sunday. Temporary traffic control signage will divert drivers during the closure.

With the facade 50% complete, and most work focused on the interior apartment units at this point, the tower crane is no longer needed.

Bethesda construction update: Element 28 luxury apartments (Photos)

While the tower crane on Old Georgetown Road is what people notice the most, construction at the Element 28 luxury apartment site is still very much below street level. The mixed-use project by Kettler will eventually rise to 15 stories, with 101 apartments and 3500 SF of retail space.

Count me as slightly skeptical of the late-2015 delivery date at this point, but there's a lot of year left to go...