A month later, Montgomery County-owned garage elevators still don't work

How many Montgomery County Councilmembers does it take to change a light bulb? We know that all nine together can't get the elevators working in the Metropolitan Public Parking Garage 49 in downtown Bethesda - even with an additional month to work on it. I first reported this service outage on August 21, and the elevators had already been down for a long time at that point. Garage patrons are still being directed to the Old Georgetown elevators a month later.

No action has been taken. The County is not providing a level of basic services appropriate to the record-high tax rates residents are paying. This is also a violation of the Americans With Disabilities Act, as garage users with disabilities are forced to walk to the other side of the building in order to exit the garage. We really do need to drop the At-Large Council seats and create more district seats, as this again proves the Council doesn't bother to come to Bethesda. Heckuva job, Brownie!

Sugarfina closes at Bethesda Row

The shelves have been becoming increasingly-bare at Sugarfina in recent days. Last evening a sign stating, "CLOSED," was taped to the front window. No clear statement that the store has closed permanently was given, nor any explanation for the closure.

What is known as of press time is that the upscale candy store chain filed for bankruptcy last week, and announced it would be closing six stores as part of the filing, according to Total Retail's Kristina Stidham. Its biggest creditor is Goldman Sachs.

Madison Reed Color Bar coming to Bethesda Row

Madison Reed Color Bar is opening at Bethesda Row. The coloring salon's business niche is the use of hair color that is free of ammonia, parabens, resorcinol, PPD, phthalates, and gluten. Founder Amy Errett named the chain after her daughter. Madison Reed will be next to Mussel Bar on Woodmont Avenue.

Electrical problems zap Faryab again

Faryab Afghan Cuisine was forced to close once more last night by electrical problems. The issues appeared to have been fixed last week, allowing the restaurant to reopen Friday evening. But the downtown Bethesda restaurant was dark again Tuesday night. Stay tuned for updates.

Modern Market to close at Bethesda Row

Modern Market has announced it will close its Bethesda Row location on September 21. They will have limited hours in the remaining days of operation. They'll only be open 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM through Saturday.

Yogiberry Bethesda Row opening delayed until September 20

The official grand re-opening of Yogiberry at Bethesda Row had been scheduled for September 15, 2019, but has been postponed until September 20. Yogiberry is re-opening under new ownership after a brief closure at 4924 Elm Street. They are also still hiring.

4702 West Virginia Avenue project converted from townhomes to condos in Bethesda

A townhome project proposed for a single-family home on the edge of downtown Bethesda has been revamped as a low-rise condo building. Developer Broad Branch held a public meeting last night to unveil the new plan. Attorney Bob Dalrymple, representing the developer of 4702 West Virginia Avenue, said the new proposal would include 19 units in total.

The units would be a mix of 700 SF 1 bedrooms, 1000 SF 2 bedrooms, and 1300-1700 SF 3 bedrooms. There would be 6-7 units on the ground floor, and 6 units apiece on the floors above. The new design features less elevators than the townhome proposal.

Some of the renderings show a large, green space next to the building. However, that space is currently occupied by another SFH next door at 4700 West Virginia. Dalrymple says the developer is interested in acquiring that property if possible, but that the project will go forward as-is if that does not work out. 4702 West Virginia is adjacent to a Montgomery County public parking lot.

Dalrymple said the developer switched to condos after examining the latest market trends. He expects Broad Branch to file their site plan in the coming weeks, and to have the project in front of the Design Review Panel on October 23, 2019.

Matchbox pizza oven installed at Bethesda Row (Photos)

The special custom oven that turns out the wood-fired, brick-oven-style pizzas Matchbox is known for was installed yesterday at their future Bethesda Row location. This was formerly American Tap Room. You can see the rest of the progress inside in these photos.

Sax Realty, Jeff's Best retail spaces available for lease in downtown Bethesda

Two prime downtown Bethesda retail spaces are back on the market. Sax Realty's upstairs office space at 4931 Cordell Avenue is available for lease. Sadly, business owner Les Sax passed away earlier this year, forcing the firm to wind down operations.

Jeff's Best also recently closed at 8004 Norfolk Avenue. It is now officially available for lease, as well.

House demolished at Edgemont II site in Bethesda (Photos)

The single-family home at 4885 Edgemoor Lane in downtown Bethesda was demolished this weekend. This is the future site of the Edgemoor II condo tower, near the Bethesda Metro station. Some grading work has been done on the lot in preparation for groundbreaking and excavation.

Faryab reopens in Bethesda

The electrical repairs that caused a two-day closure of Faryab Afghan Cuisine late last week have been completed. They're now open again for dinner. Faryab is located at 4917 Cordell Avenue in Bethesda.