Westmoreland Citizens Association makes second donation to Westbard lawsuit fund

The Westmoreland Citizens Association has doubled its support for the legal fund supporting Bethesda residents' lawsuit against Montgomery County over the illegal approval of the Westbard sector plan, by making a second contribution. Their latest donation is $5200. WCA represents thousands of residents in the neighborhoods of Westmoreland Hills, Spring Hill, Overlook, Westgate, Westhaven and Yorktown Village. The new check brings WCA's generous financial support to a total of $10,200, by far the largest outlay by any individual neighborhood.

Civic associations in Springfield, Wood Acres, Fort Sumner, and Sumner have already made $5000 contributions to the lawsuit legal fund, and Brookdale made a donation to a separate fund supporting Macedonia Baptist Church's effort to preserve an African-American cemetery the County Housing Opportunities Commission wants to build a parking garage on.

Some engaged in the lengthy Westbard land-use battle are waiting to see if the Kenwood neighborhood will make a similar contribution, as they are one of the communities that will be most-impacted by any new development at Westbard.

In related news, a new petition has been launched to protest the cemetery parking garage plan, this one targeting County Council President and County Executive candidate Roger Berliner (D - District 1).

Community closes in Bethesda, to be replaced with new concept

Community has closed in the ground floor of the 7770 Norfolk apartment tower in downtown Bethesda. A sign in the restaurant's window announced the closure yesterday. Owner Mark Bucher said he will reopen shortly with a new concept centered around burgers. Taking into account feedback from patrons of the upscale diner, the new restaurant will retain what people liked about Community while changing what they didn't. Bucher knows a thing or two about burgers, having been one of the founders of BGR.

The Halal Guys to open in downtown Bethesda (Photo)

The Halal Guys are coming to downtown Bethesda. Known for gyros and chicken, and their famous white sauce, Halal Guys will be opening at 4915 Elm Street. There is currently no such street address, because 4917 Elm is being divided into two spaces, having last been home to Bethesda Barbecue Company. Halal Guys will open in early 2018, and work appears to already be underway.

Many Bethesda development projects seeking delays from Planning Board, including Kenwood

A flurry of requests for extensions have been filed with the Montgomery County Planning Board by developers of projects all across Bethesda. The requests will be taken up by the board next Thursday, November 2. Planning staff is recommending approval of all of the requests.

The projects seeking delays are the self-storage building proposed off River Road behind the McDonald's, JBG Smith's plans for two additions and a plaza redesign at Artery Plaza (7200 Wisconsin Avenue), a mixed-use residential building at 4540 Montgomery Avenue,, and a request for a new two-lot subdivision in Kenwood at what the planning department cryptically describes as "the west side of Highland Drive, 150' north of Garnett Drive."

Further research on my part finds that the same property owner's name appears as the owner of 5320 Kenwood Drive, which is very close to the area described in the subdivision request: 5320 Kenwood, LLC. There has been a notable spike in teardown activity in Kenwood recently, in a neighborhood up until now known for grand old homes with good bones.

Westbard cemetery protest at HOC on November 1

Protesters will return to the Montgomery County Housing Opportunities Commission on Wednesday, November 1, 2017 at 4:00 PM, for a silent protest opposing the HOC's plan to build a parking garage on top of the historic African-American cemetery on the site of Westwood Tower in Bethesda.

HOC's headquarters is located at 10400 Detrick Avenue in Kensington. The protest is in regard to the HOC's plan with partner Regency Centers to build a parking garage on the historic cemetery, which holds many residents of the lost community established there on River Road after Maryland Emancipation. That community was wiped out by developers in the mid-1950s. Now, with the cemetery scandal - here we go again, another example of the institutional racism against black landowners in Montgomery County.

SURJ, Macedonia Baptist Church, descendants of those buried in the cemetery, and their supporters in the community are asking the HOC to allow the church to conduct a valid archaeological study of the burial site, and to publicly acknowledge that the sacred nature of it outweighs their development plans.

Participants in the protest should bring signs to hold. Suggested messages include:

DON'T PARK ON ME, HOC (my personal favorite)
BLACK LIVES MATTER IN LIFE AND IN DEATH
BLACK ANCESTORS MATTER
BLACK BURIAL PLACES MATTER
NO PARKING GARAGE OVER CEMETERY
AFFORDABLE HOUSING--YES! CEMETERY DESECRATION--NO!

Be forewarned that parking is very limited, as all of the parking lots are hogged by HOC, despite all we the taxpayers contribute to the HOC. There are some street parking spaces, and the surrounding residential neighborhood has permit parking restrictions. For that reason, carpool if you can.

Iconic Bethesda parking deck demolished (Photos)

Something that seems like it's always been there on Woodmont Avenue is gone. The landmark parking deck at the intersection of Woodmont and St. Elmo Avenue has been demolished. This is part of the demolition for JBG Smith's 7900 Wisconsin project, which will be anchored by Trader Joe's.

The ramp is still there
for now

Victoria's Secret relocates, Kia showcases Stinger at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Victoria's Secret has relocated to Level 2 at Westfield Montgomery Mall. The new space has a separate Pink-branded entrance. Their old spot has been walled off to await a new tenant.

In other mall news, automaker Kia has brought in its new Stinger sports sedan, which is designed to compete with BMW and Lexus. It looks like a hybrid of a BMW, a Kia, a Lexus GS F, the rear end of the blasphemous Dodge Dart reboot, and the old Infiniti J30 from the 90s. If a Kia representative happens to be there when you pass my, you might luck out and get a free Stinger t-shirt in exchange for signing up for emails. Look for it outside Ann Taylor on Level 1.

SunTrust Bank leases retail space at Element 28 apartments in Bethesda (Photos)

If you thought downtown Bethesda had reached "peak bank" several years ago, you were wrong. SunTrust is opening a new branch in the ground floor of the new Element 28 luxury apartments at 7535 Old Georgetown Road, across from the Bethesda Metro station. That will deep-six any potential activation of the streetscape there after business hours, (but will actually be a great fit for residents upstairs seeking a good night's sleep in peace and quiet).

Banks have multiplied as nightlife has shrunk in Bethesda, after the "nighttime economy" initiative of Montgomery County Councilmember "Helpless" Hans Riemer instead tanked late night business downtown. Riemer's incoherent scheme, touted only by his allies in the local media, ended with eleven nightspots closing as a result of Helpless Hans' incompetence. 

Helpless Hans Riemer:
"What happened?"

The councilman had just finished destroying the food truck business in Montgomery County, with 96% of the trucks Bethesda workers had once enjoyed going out of business or retreating to D.C. Bar and restaurant owners who were told they would benefit from Riemer's plan instead were enraged to find out Riemer had taken steps to strengthen, rather than end, the County's monopoly control of liquor sales.

Lucy closes, Pampillonia Jewelers to open at Bethesda Row (Photos)

Lucy Activewear has cleared out of its store at 7112 Bethesda Lane. As I previously reported, all Lucy stores nationwide will be closing by the end of 2017. However, the company says their Rockville store at Congressional Plaza hasn't closed yet, and is directing their Bethesda customers there.

Replacing Lucy will be Pampillonia Jewelers, which currently has a store in Mazza Gallerie. Pampillonia is a family company spanning six generations. Before establishing their reputation in the D.C. area, they gained fame as the personal jeweler to King Victor Emmanuel of Italy.

Pampillonia creates and custom-designs jewelry, and also will buy yours. without an appointment. I've been hearing of a possibility that Lucy's next-door neighbor Morley might slide down to the Lucy space, with Pampillonia moving into their current spot.

Promenade fire displaces over 1000 residents, sends 17 people to hospital

Living in the flagship of developer Nathan Landow's Bethesda residential buildings, The Promenade, is usually like being aboard a luxury cruise ship. On Saturday morning, it was more like The Poseidon Adventure, as Montgomery County firefighters fought a stubborn fire in close quarters in the building's electrical room, and residents struggled down smoke-filled stairwells. One firefighter and six residents were injured - mostly due to smoke inhalation - and eleven other residents were treated for complications from their pre-existing medical conditions. The firefighter was suffering from heat exhaustion, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services spokesperson Pete Piringer said.

More than 500 units at the luxury coop at 5225 Pooks Hill Road were evacuated, after smoke from the electrical fire below rose into the upper floors of the building. Many more in Pooks Hill lost power during the several hours it took to extinguish the blaze, which was started by a transformer. It should be noted that smoke from electrical fires can be particularly hazardous to health, depending on the material used to shield the wiring.

The North Tower of the complex was left without power, meaning that residents in those units will be displaced possibly more than 24 hours, as repairs are made to restore electricity. Red Cross officials, mass casualty units, and the Montgomery County Department of Emergency Management were on-scene to assist residents in securing temporary housing. Because the issue is mainly the lack of power, those residents were allowed to retrieve any belongings they needed from their units last night.

Damage is estimated by MCFRS at around $1 million.

Bottom photo: MCFRS

Xbox events at Microsoft Store in Bethesda

Microsoft Xbox One X

The Microsoft Store will be hosting two events of interest to gamers next month. First will be the long-anticipated launch of the new Xbox One X console, on Monday, November 6. There will be giveaways, and a chance to play Forza Motorsport 7.

On Saturday, November 18, attend their Minecraft Earth Party for exclusive giveaways, free skin packs and more. The Microsoft Store is located on Level 2 of Westfield Montgomery Mall, right across from Starbucks.

Bethesda construction update: The Rugby (Photos)

The latest phase of Donohoe's Woodmont Central project is this mixed-use residential tower, code-named The Rugby, at 4850 Rugby Avenue in Bethesda's Woodmont Triangle. Also currently known as Gallery Bethesda II, it will be the sister building to the already-delivered Gallery Bethesda luxury apartments, which it will share a plaza with. It is currently about 7 stories above street level.

Gallery Bethesda II's tower crane
alongside the original Gallery Bethesda
in background

Gallery Bethesda II will include 219 units and 12425 SF of retail and restaurant space. Delivery is expected in Fall 2018. In related Donohoe news, I just learned that the firm has also been hired by the Shelter Group to construct their Brightview Bethesda project, which is directly across Rugby from this project. It would seem like a rare opportunity to introduce some economies of scale to both projects, although they are obviously at very different stages of development.

VR "experience" comes to Westfield Montgomery Mall (Photos)

A new virtual reality "experience" awaits patrons at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. Virtual Reality Experience offers a library of VR games, including Le Le Adventure and a game tie-in with Disney's Atlantis: The Lost Empire. Gamers can find the makeshift kiosk in the Sears wing on Level 1.

Chevy Chase construction update: The Collection at Chevy Chase (Photos)

About a year after the Chevy Chase Land Company received approval for a reimagining of its Collection at Chevy Chase shopping center from Montgomery County, work is underway. Reeling from the closures of its highest-end stores as the rich flee high-tax Montgomery County for Loudoun and Howard Counties and the District, they are repositioning the center as a place to spend time in a more-inviting outdoor setting.

In addition to new public art and improved parks and plazas, the view into the Friendship Heights property from Wisconsin Avenue will be improved. The Collection is located at 5471 Wisconsin Avenue.