Friday, May 17, 2019

Bethesda Avenue pedestrian detour (Video+Photos)

Work has begun on the Capital Crescent Trail improvements alongside Ourisman Honda on Bethesda Avenue. The project was proposed by the dealership after it was found Ourisman had built a new garage in the public right-of-way along the trail, and Montgomery County folded up like a card table rather than enforce code and property violations.


A pedestrian detour has been opened on Bethesda Avenue at the dealership, and it's quite nice compared to the illegal total sidewalk closures at other construction sites downtown. The path has been specially paved with asphalt on Ourisman's site, and even has white stripes at the borders. There is another such detour along the affected portion of the trail itself.
The temporary pedestrian detour paved on
Ourisman Honda's property




13 comments:

Anonymous said...

You really never got over the preschool obsession with construction stuff, did you? This blog is starting to look like a Richard Scarry book.

Anonymous said...

"Work has begun on the Capital Crescent Trail improvements alongside Ourisman Honda on Bethesda Avenue. The project was proposed by the dealership after it was found Ourisman had built a new garage in the public right-of-way along the trail, and Montgomery County folded up like a card table rather than enforce code and property violations."

The wall of the garage only intruded a few feet into the easement NEXT to the trail. It did not affect the Trail itself. Ourisman gave up more land than they encroached on as part of the settlement, and paid for the trail widening and other amenities being built here now.

Robert Dyer said...

5:46: Wrong, Saul Alinsky. Never said they built on the trail. They built in the trail RIGHT-OF-WAY, as I clearly stated in the article. As a big supporter of extending the Purple Line to Westbard, you should be more outraged than anyone as to how the Ourisman expansion threatens such an extension.

5:30: I pioneered hyperlocal news in Montgomery County, and twelve years later, you still don't understand what hyperlocal news is.

Anna said...

That 70's PSA music...wowzers...TCFS...groovin'

Anonymous said...

"I pioneered hyperlocal news in Montgomery County."

If this were in a Wikipedia article, it would be tagged as "original research".

Can you cite any neutral party who agrees with you on this?

Robert Dyer said...

5:58: It's a factual statement - there was no other hyperlocal daily news outlet in Bethesda (or elsewhere in Montgomery County) when I began.

Anonymous said...

Can 5:58 AM cite another hyperlocal news source in Bethesda pre-Robert Dyer?

I only recall legacy print media publications. I'm guessing 5:58AM was living elsewhere at the time.

Anonymous said...

@5:46 AM: The official document:
https://montgomeryplanningboard.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Ourisman-Honda-at-CCT-Mandatory-Referral-staff-report-7-20-2017.pdf
shows the encroachment. On page 4, for example, it marks the location of four steel columns at the edge of the easement just next to the trail. It appears that the encroachment extends right across the 20 foot easement. On the facts, therefore, Dyer is correct.
Whether one agrees with his comment about the authorities having « folded » is perhaps a matter of judgment.
The Planning Dept approved Ourisman’s plans and it was only a citizen complaint that brought the issue to light. One wonders what else we don’t know. Scores of cars are stored for local dealers in our County-owned garages, for example; one hopes they are charged market rate.

Anonymous said...

5:30 AM If you live and/or work in downtown Bethesda, construction is THE top story daily.

Anonymous said...

"The illegal total sidewalk closures at other construction sites downtown."

Just because something is inconvenient does not make it illegal. What specific laws were broken by any of those construction sites?

"A pedestrian detour has been opened on Bethesda Avenue at the dealership, and it's quite nice ...the path has been specially paved with asphalt on Ourisman's site, and even has white stripes at the borders...The path has been specially paved with asphalt on Ourisman's site, and even has white stripes at the borders.

The path was created by temporarily taking part of Ourisman's parking lot. This option does not exist where there is excavation all the way to the curb line.

Anonymous said...

"Hyperlocal daily news outlet"

"Legacy print publications"

Weird neologisms.

11:04 AM - How come you aren't using "y'all" and those European-style quotes as you did in your comments last week?

Robert Dyer said...

6:47: The Council passed two laws this century - one to prevent extended closures of sidewalks alongside construction sites, and a second that requires a sign be posted which states the starting and ending dates of the closure. Most downtown sites are in violation of both laws.

9:23: Yep. "Carpetbaggers of the world unite!!"

Anonymous said...

This sidewalk closure does not have a sign which states the starting and ending dates of the closure.

Shut it down!