Addition includes
retail, a hotel and
apartments
Sooner than expected, Westfield is advancing plans to redevelop parts of its Westfield Montgomery Mall property in Bethesda. The international mall operator is preparing to submit plans to Montgomery County for 370,492 SF of new retail and hotel space, and a 682-unit apartment building.
Jim Agliata, Vice President of Development at Westfield, had promised that a future 400,000 SF addition to the mall would be more like Bethesda Row than the current indoor mall. However, few were expecting a major development like this to move forward so soon.
There will be great community interest in the traffic and school impacts of this project, on top of the massive WMAL Toll Brothers development nearby, and on how Westfield will manage parking once this is built. The mall already has a parking crunch during prime shopping periods as it is. Westfield recently relocated the mall's transit center to make room for future development.
A public meeting regarding the new development is scheduled for this Wednesday, June 20, 2018, at 7:00 PM in the Walter Johnson High School All-Purpose room at 6400 Rock Spring Drive.
59 comments:
Robert, are you trying to keep Montgomery Mall moribund?
The garage between Nordstrom and Sears always has plentiful parking, except perhaps on December 23.
Robert, I note that David Trone has reported that he is contributing $5 million to his campaign. That raises the question - are you properly reporting the self-funding of your own campaign? Do you have any donors over $100?
Have you received any endorsements, other than the greatly-coveted endorsement from Roald?
Hey crack reporter, where is this property? How about including the basics?
Big, big, big!
Another redevelopment around the mall.
Westfield has been aggressive for years with the objective of thwarting the plans for a "Rock Spring Centre" on the Davis tract. The "Rock Spring Master Plan" area has fantastic demographics for new mixed use development. Westfield wants to make sure that the development occurs on its land NOT the Davis Tract.
Here's a prediction - they will get approval for this plan (thus killing an effort to get investment for Rock Spring Centre) and then slow roll the actual construction.
With all this new density, they'll need to put the monorail to Metro back in the plans.
Looking forward to it!!!! Yes Dyer has my endorsement!!
#WESTBARDRETARD2018
#ISTANDWITHTARD
7:12am stop calling Hans a "retard".
Yes, he looked foolish touring Bethesda from a bus and claiming Westbard Ave was easy access on foot to 2 Metro stations, but no need for offensive name calling.
7:32 AM The vast, vast majority of Bethesda residents who live around the "Westbard" redevelopment are against the out of town developer's plans. Facts matter!
Building a garage on top of a historic African American cemetery was one of many issues with the plan.
What does "out of town developer" have to do with it?
Would you be less opposed to a local developer doing the same thing?
It's already been established that "tim" is Dyer, no need to keep the charade going.
7:54am nope, I'm not Dyer.
Attacking the messenger gets old.
7:54am out of town is highly relevant actually. No connection to the community...more likely to maximize profit, create this disaster and just pull up stakes and leave this mess for residents to deal with.
Let's get back on topic to Westfield's plan. What does everyone want to see there? The first words in my head are walkable and bikable.
When I say disaster, I'm referring to the Westbard plan, which residents have panned.
I have an open mind towards Westfield's plans.
This is nowhere near rail. How does this advance the county's strategy to concentrate development near mass transit?
The Ourisman Ford site developer claimed the current bus center at Westfield and forthcoming BRT station makes the area well served by transit.
Transit that's not built yet. I'm skeptical of BRT. I'm not sure it will be anymore attractive to car users than regular buses are. I have a hard time seeing the Ourisman or Montgomery Mall development adding anything but cars to the roads.
Which is worse - Bob the Builder reporting daily of retailers closing at Montgomery Mall or Dyer reporting that a private developer wants to expand it's holdings?
9:06am I love what Dyer is doing for MoCo with his coverage of the retail beat.
MoCo should prioritize extending BRT to Montgomery Mall rather than running a BRT line along the path of the Red Line.
It's true that Montgomery Mall isn't served by Metro, but most shoppers don't use transit for trips that involve multiple packages. Also, compare the economic demographics of the communities surrounding Montgomery Mall to those along the Red Line north of Grosvenor. Retailers want to be where the money is.
Any future transit link from Maryland to Tyson's Corner will almost certainly go through the Montgomery County Transit station at Montgomery Mall. Such a link is long over due.
To add on to 7:32 he also attacked Marriott and Bernstein for closing their OWN parking lot used by Woodmont Grill customers which refused a handsome offer for their restaurant! Dyer attacks the county council for not attracting businesses but he rails against businesses when they try to build here!
11:42 AM Pointing out that the council hasn't attracted businesses is not an "attack".
The Washington Post and others have pointed out the same thing.
Reporting that the Woodmont Grill lot closed isn't an "attack" either.
Is everything an "attack" to 11:42AM?
12:04: Mr Dyer seems to believe that asking questions constitutes an "attack" so in that light, surely criticism can also be characterized as such.
http://robertdyer.blogspot.com/2017/05/battery-lane-apartment-building-to-add.html
12:52pm You're going back to an article from a year ago. Really?
5:07: Contrary to troll comments, nowhere in this article have I taken a position for or against this mall development project.
What's the deal with the escalators in the Mall now? They seem to always be down for repairs for an extended period of time?
Saith Dyer @ 1:22 PM:
"Contrary to troll comments, nowhere in this article have I taken a position for or against this mall development project."
Saith Dyer in the article:
"How do we change the Planning Board?"
"CHANGE THE COUNTY COUNCIL"
That seems to be at the very least an implicit criticism of this mall development project.
4:06: That's an advertisement, just like the multiple campaign ads appearing on every article on the glossy mag's website these days. How come you never complain about the ads on their site? How come you didn't comment when they had late reports on Slapfish and Thelo Greek Grill last week? Because you are a phony, a fraud, and a hack troll attacking me for pizza money and a free rundown apartment. Apparently, you aren't even ranked high enough to use the Kensington crash pad. LOL
There's no separation between advertising and news content on your site. That's one difference between your site and the "glossy mag's website". One of the core tenets of journalism is compartmentalization between advertising, news, and editorial. And there are no such barriers here.
4:35AM - Exactly.
"You are a phony, a fraud, and a hack troll attacking me for pizza money and a free rundown apartment. Apparently, you aren't even ranked high enough to use the Kensington crash pad."
Robert Dyer, showing the love for his constituents again.
"One of the core tenets of journalism is compartmentalization between advertising, news, and editorial"
So, running an "article" about EYA townhomes with an EYA ad, both using EYA's marketing copy blurs that line quite a bit, don't you agree?
@7:41
Do you have a link?
http://americanpressassociation.com/principles-of-journalism/
3. ITS ESSENCE IS DISCIPLINE OF VERIFICATION
Journalists rely on a professional discipline for verifying information. When the concept of objectivity originally evolved, it did not imply that journalists are free of bias. It called, rather, for a consistent method of testing information – a transparent approach to evidence – precisely so that personal and cultural biases would not undermine the accuracy of their work. The method is objective; not the journalist. Seeking out multiple witnesses, disclosing as much as possible about sources, or asking various sides for comment, all signal such standards. This discipline of verification is what separates journalism from other modes of communication, such as propaganda, fiction or entertainment. However, the need for professional method is not always fully recognized or refined. While journalism has developed various techniques for determining facts, for instance, it has done less to develop a system for testing the reliability of journalistic interpretation.
6. IT MUST PROVIDE A FORUM FOR PUBLIC CRITICISM AND COMPROMISE
The news media are the common carriers of public discussion, and this responsibility forms a basis for our special privileges. This discussion serves society best when it is informed by facts rather than prejudice and supposition. It also should strive to fairly represent the varied viewpoints and interests in society, and to place them in context rather than highlight only the conflicting fringes of debate. Accuracy and truthfulness require that as framers of the public discussion we not neglect the points of common ground where problem solving occurs.
7. IT MUST STRIVE TO MAKE THE SIGNIFICANT INTERESTING AND RELEVANT
Journalism is storytelling with a purpose. It should do more than gather an audience or catalogue the important. For its own survival, it must balance what readers know they want with what they cannot anticipate but need. In short, it must strive to make the significant interesting and relevant. The effectiveness of a piece of journalism is measured both by how much a work engages its audience and enlightens it. This means journalists must continually ask what information has most value to citizens and in what form. While journalism should reach beyond such topics as government and public safety, a journalism overwhelmed by trivia and false significance ultimately engenders a trivial society.
8. IT MUST KEEP THE NEWS COMPREHENSIVE AND PROPORTIONAL
Keeping news in proportion and not leaving important things out are also cornerstones of truthfulness. Journalism is a form of cartography: it creates a map for citizens to navigate society. Inflating events for sensation, neglecting others, stereotyping or being disproportionately negative all make a less reliable map. The map also should include news of all our communities, not just those with attractive demographics. This is best achieved by newsrooms with a diversity of backgrounds and perspectives. The map is only an analogy; proportion and comprehensiveness are subjective, yet their elusiveness does not lessen their significance.
Wow..Dyer needs to screenshot 8:45am.
His stalker continues his defamation campaign against Dyer- now falsely claiming he is a mentally ill alcoholic.
With recent cases of cyber harassment prosecutions in the news, this seems unwise.
4:35: You don't even know what you're talking about. Have you ever been to other news websites? Most run ads right in the middle of the content. Scroll down the front page of the glossy mag site, and you'll see a candidate ad that looks just like the real stories above and below it.
5:24: As a paid hack for the MoCo cartel, you are not my constituent. But if I'm elected, you'll probably end up in the County jail.
11:56: You mean like the Post editorial board actively working with charter school companies on propaganda editorials they would then post on their editorial page, with no disclosure? I don't remember seeing your letter to the editor at that time, but maybe that was before you invented the "Anna" persona. Can we talk to "Wrol" now?
And on real news sites, the "ads right in the middle of the content" identify themselves with text such as "Sponsored" or "Ad". Yours do not.
And if they also do not, they should be criticized as well. That does not excuse your behavior. You sure have strong opinions on the subject for someone who has never taken any journalism courses.
It's always funny seeing Robert get all butthurt about being called out on his lack of knowledge andand expert in the field journalism. It shows in his tendency to flip out and lose his temper on his own readers.
5:29: Ah, ye olde Trump/gestapo tactic -- lock up your opponents! Even though 5:24 almost certainly isn't a "paid hack of the MoCo cartel." I'm not sure why you find it so hard to believe someone might disagree with you for free, and not at the behest of anybody. It strikes me as a rather odd, megalomaniacal sort of paranoia.
5:58: The Post was founded 141 years ago. In all that time they haven't uncovered a single scandal? That's quite a claim to make.
*knowledge and expertise
Wait, you can get paid to come here and criticise Dyer? And I'm here doing it for free like a shmuck.
"But if I'm elected, you'll probably end up in the County jail."
How will you pull this off, as one Councilmember of 9?
@ 9:46 PM - I believe that @ 8:49 PM was asking @ 7:41 PM to provide a link to the article that allegedly promoted EYA, in an unnamed publication.
As an unbiased news site, does that mean you will take a Hans ad on your site?
@ 6:05 PM:
Narcissistic injury occurs when a narcissist feels that their hidden, "true self" has been revealed. This may be the case when the narcissist experiences a "fall from grace", such as when their hidden behaviors or motivations are revealed, or when their importance is brought into question. Narcissistic injury is a cause of distress and can lead to dysregulation of behaviors as in narcissistic rage.
Narcissistic rage occurs on a continuum, which may range from instances of aloofness and expressions of mild irritation or annoyance to serious outbursts, including violent attacks and murder. It has also been suggested that narcissists have two layers of rage. The first layer of rage can be thought of as a constant anger (towards someone else), with the second layer being a self-aimed wrath.
6:06: Notice you changed the point away from my original statement, which was that the Post had never exposed a scandal in the Montgomery County government, to falsely claiming I said they had never exposed any scandal. You just embarrassed yourself.
6:05: Where did you see that? All I saw was my response that powerfully demonstrated my journalistic prowess compared to other media outlets.
6:18: When I lead investigations into the MoCo cartel, bit players like you will be the first ones charged. Then you'll betray your bosses to avoid a long stay in the Big House.
6:41: Argle bargle. At least you found some use for your old Pysch 101 textbook.
"powerfully demonstrated my journalistic prowess compared to other media outlets"
OMG I'm dying!!! This is gold.
...wait, Robert is actually serious, isn't he. Robert, never stop being you! This site is entertaining if nothing else.
"Ahh, but the strawberries that's...that's where I had them. They laughed at me and made jokes but I proved beyond the shadow of a doubt and with geometric logic - that a duplicate key to the wardroom icebox DID exist, and I'd have produced that key if they hadn't of pulled the Caine out of action. I, I, I know now they were only trying to protect some fellow officers..."
How do you expect to win an election, if you don't campaign anywhere outside your blog with 12 readers?
7:52: I'm the only local journalist to expose illegal activity in Montgomery County government, so I am deadly serious.
What's "entertaining" is you typing all 3 of the last troll comments yourself in just 20 minutes.
8:10: Considering I've only encountered Hans Riemer at one of over a dozen candidate forums I've participated in, it's Hans you should be concerned about.
Dyer 7:38: Notice when I said “scandal” I clearly meant “scandal in the Montgomery County government” given the context of the conversation. You just embarrassed yourself.
Dyer 8:10: There are dozens of candidates in this election. Why does it always come back to Riemer? Who I shook hands with as he was campaigning outside a Metro station one morning last week, I might add.
Robert, have you bought any TV ads? Leventhal has a cool video.
I haven't seen any signs with your name along local roadways, at all.
Are you making any attempt to actually campaign? Are you properly reporting all self-donations to your campaign?
6:10am Dyer just said he's attended over a dozen candidate forums.
4:13am please don't use mental illness, alcohol addiction and eating disorders as insults to use against people you disagree with politically.
Thanks.
7:03AM - I didn't. You chose to interpret it that way. If it's perfectly fine for him to say that to you, why is it deletable defamation when you copy and paste those same words back at him.
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