Sunday, July 15, 2018

Friendship Heights construction update: Collection at Chevy Chase (Photos)

Today, I continue to document the transformation of the Collection at Chevy Chase shopping center in Friendship Heights. Once referred to as "the Rodeo Drive of Montgomery County," a moribund County economy and the flight of the ultra-wealthy to lower tax jurisdictions in the region have left it a barren row of vacant storefronts. Now a major makeover is designed to make the center a more attractive place to hang out with more-inviting public space.











31 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ignoring, for a moment, the idiotic theme of that paragraph, why not actually describe how the public space is being made-over to make it "more inviting"? Posting a dozen crappy photos on a Sunday morning when the shopping center is completely empty of both customers and construction workers does not provide any helpful context.

Anonymous said...

Dyer's the only person dumb enough to point to a developer spending tens of millions of dollars as proof the area is "moribund."

Anonymous said...

Maybe a call to the developer to find out when they will be done with the plaza work. Or a report on which tenants left and which ones are hanging on.

Anonymous said...

In which Bobbie D blames the MoCo DLC for statewide laws restricting sale of beer and wine at grocery, drug and convenience stores.

Anonymous said...

...and claims that Hans Riemer's #WarOnTheNight has spread to Rockville chicken-wing restaurants.

Anonymous said...

Anyone who actually lives in that area can tell you that they un-gated the parking for the Giant. You'd figure Dyer would think this is worth reporting...

Anonymous said...

This was in the Wikipedia article about White Flint Mall:

"Landover Mall and Iverson Mall receiv[ed] the nickname 'Black Flint Mall', while alternately White Flint was dubbed the 'White Iverson Mall'."

LOL

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Flint_Mall#Later_years

Anonymous said...

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Anonymous said...

Welcome to a place where lower case letters are forbidden.

Anonymous said...

15 Jul 2018301
An illegal alien from Guatemala is accused of trying to rob and stab a woman, during a home invasion.
The 32-year-old illegal alien went by the fake name Samuel Hernandez, telling police that he was seeking to rob the victim’s home to steal cash in order to repay his debts to the human smugglers who had recently trafficked him across the United States-Mexico border, according to FOX35.


The illegal alien allegedly broke into the woman’s home while she was in her bedroom watching television.

“I turned back to see the TV again and that’s when I see the door wide open and I see him coming toward me,” the victim told FOX35.



The illegal alien allegedly charged towards the woman with a knife, leaving her cut as she grabbed the weapon and began screaming.

The victim told the media that the illegal alien fell down stairs in her home and that her husband woke up when he heard her screaming. The victim’s brother-in-law also began fighting off the illegal alien, holding him in the victim’s home until the police arrived.

“He was talking in Spanish saying that somebody sent him,” the victim said. Police now say that the illegal alien was ordered by human smugglers at the southern border to repay his debts by stealing money.

The illegal alien also told the police that he had entered the U.S. illegally through the southern border from Mexico, originally coming from Guatemala.

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency was contacted following the illegal alien’s arrest. ICE officials say they have a detainer on Hernandez and that he has been charged with attempted murder.

Robert Dyer said...

7:11: Who do you think is generating all the smoke in one of the photos above - homeless people? Action photos prove your comment is in error.

Anonymous said...

That's not "smoke", dummy.

N.S. said...

Robert,

There is a lot of misinformation in this and previous stories. I'd like to especially ask you to cease your misleading and inaccurate labeling of The Collection of Chevy Chase as "a barren row of vacant storefronts."

The Collection has been a remarkably successful venture for many years, but retail proprietors must be cognizant of the reality that you must constantly adapt to remain a step ahead, particularly in an age of evolving consumer tastes and shopping preferences.

The Chevy Chase Land Company voluntarily elected to discontinue their relationship with the existing tenants and remake the property to appeal to a broader audience of patrons with a greater selection of bespoke offerings. The Collection will serve the Friendship Heights MD/DC community for years to come.

Anonymous said...

Robert, you're such a fool. You keep repeating the same nonsense about this place in an ATTEMPT to advance your lame attacks on this county. The property is developing because there is MUCH ECONOMIC POTENTIAL IN THAT AREA. You have failed basic real estate and economics principles in your multiple posts about this and other projects. I feel bad for the developer and I hope they sue you. Their financing and other effort and hard work doesn't deserve your dumb criticism and lazy typing. You don't produce anything but exaggerations and fast food reviews.

Robert Dyer said...

1:29: There's so "much economic potential" that all of the high-end stores went out business? "I feel bad for the developer." LOL Have you picked up Hans Riemer's dry cleaning yet, MoCo cartel troll?

11:22: That's exactly what my articles on the Collection have been about - the owner is indeed adapting to the downturn in the Montgomery County economy and the flight of their longtime wealthy patrons to lower-tax jurisdictions in the region.

Anonymous said...

The four shops that closed had moved to higher-tax Washington DC.

Robert Dyer said...

2:23: D.C. is not higher-tax than MoCo. But they do have a booming economy. Again, this only proves my point.

Anonymous said...

Robert, you don't know enough about wealth to talk about it. The fact that certain stores are gone has nothing to do with rich people and everything to do with taste and trends. Rich people don't necessarily like to buy Jimmy Choo flip flops or Christian Dior stilettos. Rich people are rich because they don't buy that crap. Instead, those stores and many like them did well during bubbles and booms that burst when middle class people who wanted to appear ultra rich were shopping there. Times have changed and most people - RICH INCLUDED - are more interested in athletic apparel etc... You don't get it and you never will because you haven't participated in commerce and real estate. You're just a do-nothing complainer and always have been.

Anonymous said...

@2:31

Guess you've never been out to eat in DC...

Anonymous said...

"Africa begins at Western Avenue."

-Robert Dyer

Anonymous said...

"D.C. is not higher-tax than MoCo."

Do you wake up in the morning and try to think of the most retarded thing possible to say? We live in the DC area. We all have common sense and google at our fingertips. Who are you trying to fool with your blatant lies?

Robert Dyer said...

11:07: MoCo is the highest-tax jurisdiction in the region - the question is, who are YOU trying to fool by claiming otherwise?

5:21: And a man trolling my website day and night is a rich tycoon? LOL WRONG!!!! The whole point of high-end retail is that rich people never lose spending power, even during economic downturns. When such businesses fail, it means the rich are no longer there in large enough numbers to support the stores.

I haven't seen many track suits in Washington society photos recently.

6:15: We're talking about total tax burden, D.C. vs. Montgomery County.

Anonymous said...

Um. No. It means that no one shops at stores, not even your beloved rich people.

Let's hear from the tax people who read this website. I'll believe them over you any day of the week.

Anonymous said...

And let's hear from people who actually pay taxes. LOL

Anonymous said...

Apparently Dyer has never heard of the concept of buying online rather than go to a store. Which is why so many stores are closing. smh.

Robert Dyer said...

12:37/10:26: And this is why Jeff Bezos just opened a bricks and mortar Amazon Books in Bethesda? LOL #Oops

Anonymous said...

Amazon Books opening in Bethesda is proof that the rich are fleeing Montgomery County.

Robert Dyer said...

6:44: You're wrong on both counts - first, the ultra-rich don't shop at Amazon Books. David Brooks would scream like Jacques Pepin in a college dining hall if he were reduced to the selection of tomes at Amazon Books. Second, you are dodging the fact that you just claimed no one shops in stores anymore because of Amazon - yet Amazon just opened a physical store!

#Oops

Robert Dyer said...

6:44: So you are right in one respect, the opening of a bookstore that isn't targeted to the ultra-rich is indeed proof that the rich are fleeing Montgomery County. It's not Federal Realty or Chevy Chase Land Co.'s fault, it's the County Council's.

Anna said...

Furiously pedaling to keep your "rich are fleeing" narrative going.

A losing theory as you are using retail as your guide. Try another benchmark.

Anonymous said...

"David Brooks would scream like Jacques Pepin in a college dining hall if he were reduced to the selection of tomes at Amazon Books."

#ArgleBargle