Revised plans suggest this building could wind up with "poor doors" to MPDUs accessed from the alleyway behind the building, similar to The Lauren. The plans do not indicate what type of units will have these direct entryways from the alley, but it seems unlikely that market-rate units would be both on the ground floor and have doors opening onto an alley. Another potential option would be "townhome" units, similar to those a 8300 Wisconsin.
The loss of the theater in this project is ultimately not a big deal, as the idea was unrealistic from the beginning, and would not have solved the crisis the downtown economy has faced since the County Council allowed the Regal Cinemas Bethesda 10 to be demolished with no replacement cineplex required of the developer at 7272 Wisconsin.
Since the loss of Regal Cinemas, many long-time large restaurant anchors near it have closed. The public parking garage at Bethesda Row that used to be full at the peak of dinnertime now has hundreds of spaces available, forcing the County to disable the electronic space counter sign to save political face. Hundreds of spaces are open in the new Capital Crescent Garage at that time, as well.
It's likely that reality set in, as a project consultant must have broken the news that a one-screen theater simply is not viable in 2019. The cost of screening rights for a first-run blockbuster are so high that multiple screens are required to turn a profit, unless one is a billionaire running a vanity project writing off heavy losses, like Jeff Bezos with the Washington Post.
55 comments:
Doomed. Doomed, doomed, doomed. Tie a black bunting around the whole zip code, but for a movie theater we cannot have. Verclempt.
“forcing the County to disable the electronic space counter sign to save political face”
Who told you it was disabled and not broken? Or is this merely speculation?
I don't know anyone who scans the "parking available" signs for any other reason than looking for available parking spaces.
An idle mind is the Devil's workshop.
"The cost of screening rights for a first-run blockbuster are so high that multiple screens are required to turn a profit, unless one is a billionaire running a vanity project writing off heavy losses, like Jeff Bezos with the Washington Post."
How much has Suburban News Network earned during its 13 years of existence?
Of course the theater was never intended for movies, as the developer clearly stated, they intended to build a black box theater similar to what they have in Silver Spring. This might have been a nice multipurpose event space, maybe even a performance space for live music.
Another reason that you did not state was the developer learn that above 120’, tower separation from adjacent towers is required, or at least recommended. The Design Advisory Committee did not support the full lot party wall design at 142’ tall. This was the real reason the developer redid the heights, ass stated in the minutes and audio recording of the meeting.
"A billionaire running a vanity project writing off heavy losses, like Jeff Bezos with the Washington Post."
Wrong.
https://www.geekwire.com/2018/washington-post-profitable-growing-two-years-jeff-bezos-ownership/
5:24: It was described as a movie theater at the public meeting in February.
5:30: #FakeNews - If you believe the Post is profitable, I've got a bridge to sell you. The Post is not a public company - there are no documents you can produce to show us the financials of the Washington Post. A memo from the publisher is not a financial filing.
It is being kept afloat by Jeff Bezos, who uses it as a PR and lobbying tool, with an assist from the CIA (which also uses it as a PR and lobbying tool, as well as for domestic ops a la COINTELPRO - not to mention to attempt a coup against the president). The Post takes on large numbers of new reporters each week to carry out that work, and is bleeding cash on those personnel costs alone.
No movie theater equal Bethesda is doomed. All stores will close by the end of the year.
Remember, the truth doesn't cost anything, but lies can cost you everything
Dear Anna,
Your « lies » comment can’t be about anything Dyer wrote, else you - with your admirable work ethic - would say what you think Dyer got wrong and why.
Your comment is presumably directed at the hapless « Correct me if I’m wrong », with his egregious nonsense. Wrong by a factor of ten!
It’s a bit harsh, Anna. I don’t think he lied. He just invented stuff.
You and your fellow Dyer Detractors are following my advice to the letter: no easily disprovable assertions! You’re even taking it a step further: no content at all!
It’s admirable. No-one wants to be awarded the « Correct Me » Memorial Prize.
Is there scope for a leavening of wit?
You are already pointing the way, Anna. Criticizing someone for being too eager to post here! It brought a smile to everyone’s face.
Keep up the good work, Anna. Believe me when I say that your comments are Shakespearean compared with others’.
Hey, Guillemets-Guy @ 6:28 AM -
What's your opinion of Robert Dyer's comment immediately above yours?
"The Washington Post...is being kept afloat by Jeff Bezos, who uses it as a PR and lobbying tool, with an assist from the CIA (which also uses it as a PR and lobbying tool, as well as for domestic ops a la COINTELPRO - not to mention to attempt a coup against the president."
Robert what data or source are using to corroborate your personal opinion of the post’s financials?
Robert is always so dark. Remember, democracy dies in darkness...
Lots of news reports seem to be relying on TWP’s own proclamations of profitability but here’s one independent analysis
http://newsonomics.com/newsonomics-is-the-washington-post-profitable/
6:59 - Who dat?
Guillemets-Guy has the hots for Anna.
He only comments in response to her comments, never actually on the subject of Dyer's articles.
6:59: Like it did when the Post intentionally didn't cover the general election race for Montgomery County Council at-large in 2018?
6:55: I see what they're spending on staff, and compare that to the typical ad sales performance of print and digital in recent years, and it just doesn't add up. They should be making fewer reporters file more stories to be anywhere close to profitable.
6:59: That's just the problem - Post financial performance is as empirical as Netflix ratings: both are whatever the company says they are.
How is the financial performance of Suburban News Network? It does not seem to have any source of revenue.
-No newsstand sales
-No subscriptions
-Only 2 paid ads in the last three years - totalling $100.
8:03: This is a privately-held company like the Post - all I can tell you is that SNN is more profitable than the Post. Sad! But then again, SNN provides coverage of MoCo you don't get from the Post.
8:03AM When I read one of the few MoCo stories in the Post over past week (about the fictional mono-rail), I immediately thought:
How much does the reporter make? (I know I make more)
What is her home address?
I did a quick background search- she has no criminal records, but what about her family?
Is this comment by the author of the article serious? Or does the #fakenews preface mean it’s tongue in cheek?
The anonymous man demanding Robert's company performance is bizarre, given that no local media source reports such information publicly, not the bevy of mallwalker blogs or even our local legacy sources. Some of these were funded by "wealthy patrons" according to the Washington Post.
Seems like tracking down who these "wealthy patrons" are is a bigger story than wasting time posting troll comments.
Let's get back on topic.
No movie theater is blow to this project. I don't see any projects in the pipeline big enough to support a theater. Now what? Our local residents are hurting.
Just so we are 100% clear on this. The Post is a privately-held company but you are certain you can calculate their financials. Suburban News Network is a privately-held company you are you are certain no one else can calculate your financials?
9:36 AM Any other local blogs, magazines or websites publish financials online?
Please provide links.
Dyer: "WaPo is losing a ton of money!"
Also Dyer: "WaPo isn't a public company. There's no way to know how profitable it is!"
Can't make this stuff up.
@ 10:13 - Explain what seeking financial information on a media company has to do with searching for personal information on a Washington Post reporter.
I note you said "she". Were you thinking of Jennifer Barrios?
No, I was using the monorail story as an example and that wasn't written by the person you reference.
I'm cautioning you to not be obsessed with Robert Dyer. It can't be good for your health, particularly for someone like you who is high risk for heart attack, stroke, etc.
"It can't be good for your health, particularly for someone like you who is high risk for heart attack, stroke, etc."
Says the guy who eats nothing but junk food and gets zero Vitamin D because he never goes outside in the daytime.
Poor Robbie - all of his favorite "destructive innovators" are tanking.
-TSLA down 46% since its peak last December.
-UBER down 9% since its IPO two weeks ago.
-LYFT down 25% since its IPO six weeks ago.
Barwood Cab is killing it! More taxi stands are needed in fact, according to Glass and Reamer.
10:42am again, you're just proving my point about your obsession with Robert
This is the place to come for fake news, conspiracy theory and bombastic claims
To 6:28AM - You seem to enjoy spending an inordinate amount of time thinking about me and my motivations.
Should I bring ladder so you can step out of my business?
Let no man pull you low enough to hate him - MLK Jr
Can Robert explain why he says both the Post and SNN are private entities but he knows the Post’s financials (losing money) but no one knows his (profitable)?
5:09: Very easily - SNN isn't hiring reporters every week for the last several years, and taking on all of those salaries and benefit packages. Very minimal overhead at SNN, bloated pseudo-intelligence-agency structure at the Post. What a coincidence that the Post, almost an official arm of the CIA at this point, is the only paper taking on new staff at this rate.
8:36: Very serious. The article the commenter cited was basing its claim that the Post is profitable on a memo from the publisher. In reality, the Post is privately held, and there is no evidence whatsoever that it is profitable.
"What a coincidence that the Post, almost an official arm of the CIA at this point"
You can work yourself up with ridiculous conspiracy theories all you want...you'll always be wrong.
"Very minimal overhead at SNN, bloated pseudo-intelligence-agency structure at the Post."
If you've had more than $100 in expenses during the 13 years of Suburban Network News, it's lost money.
Or else, you have failed to disclose sponsored content beyond those two labeled advertisements, which is a serious breach of journalistic ethics.
5:11: No theory - the CIA has paid Bezos $600 million, it's been widely reported that Amazon is recording and saving recordings of Alexa users, Amazon is providing facial recognition software, and the CIA regularly leaks intelligence unfavorable to its political enemies to the Post. All factual information. Disputing facts is what would be "ridiculous."
Robbie, are you an "enemy of the CIA"?
Is your squashed profile pic an effort to thwart Amazon's facial-recognition software?
Does Alexa save recordings of your awful videos?
5:27: LOL - Any sponsored content has been labeled as such - which cannot be said for most other media outlets in the area, including the Post (such as recent infomercial for EYA's Alexandria development, which also neglected to mention EYA had paid the Post millions for their warehouse on the site).
5:33: Alexa is too busy recording private conversations in homes of those foolish enough to trust it, as has been reported by many mainstream news outlets. Amazon saves and uses those recordings, but has not disclosed the purpose. It also just happens to have received $600 million from the CIA.
5:31AM Thank you for proving my point.
This is the place to come for fake news, conspiracy theory and bombastic claims
"The CIA paid Bezos $600 million"
The CIA paid Amazon $600 million for cloud computing services.
https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/07/the-details-about-the-cias-deal-with-amazon/374632/
5:42: You're denying the CIA paid Amazon $600 million, and that Alexa is recording users, both widely reported facts?
5:46: Yeah, OK. LOL
Nope. Not denying facts. Just the accompanying conspiracy theory.
Facts are not the enemy.
Are you going to delete this again?
Do you not like the truth?
7:54: I've told the truth, and I do like the truth. And the truth is that Amazon is working with the CIA for mutual benefit. That is not a theory; it is fact.
9:35 AM Welcome to 2019. Folks aren't buying magazines from newsstands much anymore.
12:49 PM Again, you're stating crazy things, without evidence.
Put up Dyer's tax returns to prove it or shut up. It is that simple.
5:48pm
Please stick to Bethesda Magazine. They have the Bachelorette recaps you want.
When you're ready for Bethesda news, come back here. You're hobby accountant act is old.
Facts are facts. But your facts at 8:45 is completely different than your original opinion of the facts.
I concur.
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