Bethesda construction update: Nada at Pike & Rose (Photos)

Construction is nearing completion at Nada, the new Mexican restaurant opening at Pike & Rose. Blade signs that face pedestrians walking along Grand Park and Rose Avenues have just been installed, as well. The restaurant is at the corner of both streets, in The Henri apartment building.

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A vote for the 4 developer-controlled Democrats in
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neighborhoods, and a school-busing plan
that will reduce the value of your home.
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Metro Tower is revised redevelopment plan for office building at 7316 Wisconsin Ave.

If your new development is on top of the Bethesda Metro station platform, you might as well call it...Metro Tower. And the owner of the office building at 7316 Wisconsin Avenue is doing just that. A sketch plan will be submitted in the coming weeks for a new, mixed-use development of up to 410,000 SF.

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All 4 Democrats in the County Council At-Large race
have accepted thousands of dollars in donations from
developers. Robert Dyer has accepted none.
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The project will include an unspecified number of residential units, including MPDU affordable units, atop ground floor restaurant/retail space. A public meeting on the plan will be held on November 14, 2018 at 7:30 PM in the "First Floor Community Room" at 7501 Wisconsin Avenue. 

Just over one year ago, the landlord proposed a 290-unit residential building of up to 250' tall, with 15000 SF of restaurant and retail space. That plan was withdrawn a little over a week later.

Feel the Bern in Bethesda tonight

Bethesda progressives will Feel the Bern tonight at the Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club. 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders will appear live tonight, October 30, 2018, at 6:00 PM alongside Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ben Jealous. It's safe to say Nancy Floreen will not be in the building.

All four Democrat candidates for 
Montgomery County Council At-Large have
accepted thousands of dollars from their
developer sugar daddies. Elect
ROBERT DYER, who has taken no
money from developers. Vote early
TODAY at the Jane Lawton Center in
Chevy Chase for the one man the
MoCo cartel fears! CLICK HERE
to learn more about a man who's been
fighting the corrupt MoCo machine for years.
Now the cartel wants to rezone existing
residential neighborhoods for urban density.
Vote like your future depends on it -
because it does

Dog Haus Biergarten gets more-prominent sign

Dog Haus Biergarten has installed a more prominent lighted sign high atop their 7904 Woodmont Avenue building, which also holds the offices of their landlord on the second floor. It certainly gives the restaurant more visibility, but it has managed to draw large crowds without it for several months, one of the few success stories in a downtown Bethesda besieged by business closures.

CLICK HERE to restore the moribund nightlife and
"nighttime economy" of downtown Bethesda

Subway closes on Elm Street

The Subway at 4921 Elm Street has closed. Another Subway location at 7201 Wisconsin Avenue near Modell's remains open for business. The Elm Street Subway has been quickly stripped of signage. Subway announced earlier this year it would be closing 500 stores nationwide, as the sandwich chain lost business while stiffing customers by no longer offering the $5 Footlong sandwich deal.

CLICK HERE if you are tired of
Montgomery County having the
worst economic development statistics in
the D.C. region - Elect ROBERT DYER to
make MoCo a regional player again in the
competition for high-wage jobs and
corporate headquarters relocation.
Montgomery County hasn't attracted even one
major corporate HQ in two decades

Spaced Out opens at Pike & Rose

Spaced Out has opened a pop-up furniture and interior design pop-up shop on Old Georgetown Road at Pike & Rose. The interior design firm owned by designer Taylor Deering is known on both U.S. coasts. Certainly a good addition for those seeking to furnish their new apartments and condos in the Federal Realty development. The pop-up is open Monday to Friday from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM, or by appointment.

Virtual Insanity Arcade opening at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda (Photos)

It's been many years since Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda had an arcade, and it is greatly missed. Now the Virtual Insanity Arcade is opening on Level 2. But it's not a traditional arcade. Instead, it's a virtual reality experience featuring a wide variety of VR titles played via headset visors.

Among the best titles that will be offered at Virtual Insanity are zombie shooter Arizona Sunshine, boxing movie tie-in Creed: Rise to Glory, and Richie's Plank Experience, not recommended for those with a fear of heights. Up to four players can share a VR station, and reservations can be made online. The arcade was being set up inside on Sunday evening.

That's what we know. What we don't know is whether the arcade's name was inspired by Jamiroquai, or the Montgomery County Council.

Champs

In other mall news, the temporary location of Champs has cleared out. Look for their return in their renovated original space on Level 2.

Imagine if your vote in this election
actually changed the County, instead of
4 more years of the MoCo cartel's
handpicked minions thumbing their nose
at you while taking $137,000 in salary?
CLICK HERE to learn about the only
County Council candidate who will
bring about the change we need.
Early voting is underway now!

Power outage near Marriott HQ site planned for tonight in downtown Bethesda

A planned Pepco power outage is scheduled for tonight, Sunday, October 28, 2018 from 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM tomorrow morning near the Marriott International headquarters construction site at 7750 Wisconsin Avenue. The outage is only expected to affect the Tastee Diner, Woodmont Grill, and businesses across Norfolk Avenue from the site, according to the Marriott development team. Tastee Diner will obviously feel the most impact, as they are open 24 hours.

CLICK HERE to learn more. Early voting is
underway NOW, including today until 8:00 PM.
Even if you are not registered to vote, you can register
TODAY at the early voting site at the
Jane Lawton Community Recreation Center at
4301 Willow Lane. The quality of life in Bethesda
depends on who you vote for in this election!

There is rain expected tonight starting around 7:00 PM. If weather conditions prevent the work from being performed, the power outage will be postponed until Monday night.

Residential buildings are not anticipated to be affected by this outage, but keep me posted if your building loses power tonight.

In your face! Cars return to the sidewalk at Ourisman Volvo/VW

Just one day after word leaked out that Montgomery County would forbid Ourisman Volvo/VW at 7001 Arlington Road from displaying their vehicles on the public space in front of their building, the cars returned to that very spot. The cars had been removed for several days, but suddenly reappeared on Saturday.

CLICK HERE to learn more about the
ONLY candidate for County Council who will
continue the role Marc Elrich has played on the Council 
to call for responsible growth tied to delivery of 
infrastructure like schools and roads. Each of Robert's
opponents has accepted thousands of dollars from
developers - Robert has accepted none.
Your vote is CRITICAL to the future of Bethesda

Ourisman showed it had tremendous influence over the County government when it built a garage at its nearby Honda dealership into the public right-of-way on the Capital Crescent Trail. Instead of forcing demolition of the encroaching structure, County officials were convinced to accept a deal that allowed it to stay, a deal residents said was very favorable to Ourisman.

Nighttime WSSC work ahead on Wisconsin Ave. & Old Georgetown Rd.

WSSC crews will be out on parts of Wisconsin Avenue and Old Georgetown Road in the Woodmont Triangle area overnight from 9:00 PM October 31 to 5:00 AM November 1. Expect double lane closures on both roads, as the WSSC attaches individual customer lines and fire hydrants to new water mains. This is ongoing work that the WSSC refers to as the Battery Lane Water Main Replacement project.

Some residents along the affected roads have received water shutoff warnings, indicating they will lose water service for several hours beginning the night of October 30. If you are affected, you should have received this notice by now. Check with your building manager if you have any questions. The WSSC warns residents to expect "significant" noise during the nighttime work.

Roll by Goodyear opens in Bethesda

Roll by Goodyear, a new retail concept designed to make tire-buying easier, was welcomed to downtown Bethesda with a ribbon-cutting yesterday. The showroom is located at 4919 Elm Street in the Shoppes of Bethesda. Another Roll by Goodyear is coming to Rockville Town Square.

Lauren Oshie in the new Bethesda
Roll by Goodyear showroom

Attendees at yesterday's grand opening included Greater Bethesda Chamber of Commerce CEO & President, Ginnane M. Italiano, local philanthropist Lauren Oshie (wife of Washington Capitals player T.J. Oshie), Goodyear Vice President and General Manager of Company-Owned Stores Fred Thomas, and a representative of Senator Chris Van Hollen (D - Maryland). The first customers learned about the store's timesaving tire shopping services, such as simplified online ordering and mobile van service for at-home installation.

Roll by Goodyear is specifically locating stores in lifestyle centers such as Bethesda Row and Rockville Town Square, rather than traditional malls. That appears to be more of a branding and demographic-targeting effort (such as appealing to an urban apartment customer) than a practical one, as malls have the same nearby amenities like retail, restaurants and entertainment that mixed-use developments possess. The real difference is eliminating the traditional waiting rooms and providing a more-upscale experience. Shoppers can leave their keys at the store and receive an email or text when the tires are installed, have their vehicle picked up by a valet and brought back with the installed tires, or have the aforementioned mobile van install the tires right in their driveway.

Photos by Heather Ribeiro

Hyatt Regency Bethesda fall display

A new display outside of the Hyatt Regency Bethesda hotel is getting downtown Bethesda in the fall and Halloween spirit. Hay bales, cornstalks and pumpkins create a harvest season scene in front of the newly-renovated hotel at the Bethesda Metro Center.

No more cars on the sidewalk at Ourisman Volvo

The placement of new cars on the sidewalk outside the Ourisman Volkswagen/Volvo dealership at 7001 Arlington Road has been a topic of consternation for some Bethesda residents. Montgomery County has moved very slowly on the issue, but have now said they will enforce the rules about public space and ADA compliance for the area in front of the apartment building.

If you've gone by in the last few days, you will notice the cars have been removed from the sidewalk. This is Ourisman's second brush with County code violations; the County also declared Ourisman Honda on Bethesda Avenue to have built into the public right-of-way, but chose to ignore the violation after reaching an agreement with Ourisman Honda.

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Construction walls come down at Nada at Pike & Rose (Photos)

The opening of Nada this fall at Pike & Rose is perhaps the most-anticipated restaurant opening in Montgomery County at the moment. Construction has been proceeding behind walls at the corner of Grand Park and Rose Avenues. Now those walls have come down, and we are getting our first look at the tacos & cocktails eatery.

Interior design has been focused on the fine details for the Ohio chain's first East Coast location. Hand-picked fabrics on the walls, light fixtures stitched in "Nada Red," and handmade pottery light fixtures from Kentucky are among the design touches. A tile design covers the lower exterior facade. The real surprise when the walls came down? A recessed corner at the restaurant entrance creates a covered space just outside the doors.

Recessed corner at restaurant entrance

Sign lit at Triangle Art Studios

The sign is now lit at the Triangle Art Studios in the Cheval Bethesda condo tower at Fairmont Avenue and Old Georgetown Road in downtown Bethesda. Several spaces in the alley behind the building are available for lease to local artists.

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Planning Board appointed by our corrupt,
developer-controlled County Council!