 |
| Rock Spring Centre rendering (2015) |
The extension requests are routine in these situations, but of great public interest in this case for two reasons. For one, this is the first news on the Rock Spring Centre front in five years. The project had approval in 2011, but Peterson Cos. backed out of the partnership in 2012. DRI was ready to reboot the project minus the Silverspot cineplex (which was sunk by the arrival of nearby ArcLight Cinemas and iPic since the original project approval) in the fall of 2015. All that was needed was a new investment partner, which DRI believed it had found.
But that partner never materialized, and the project went quiet for the last four years. The clear concern is that the approvals would expire. Now, Rock Spring Properties, Floyd E. Davis Company and Buchanan Partners say they are prepared to submit a new preliminary plan, but need the extension.
It will be very interesting to see what changes are made, given the state of the market in 2019, and the truly mixed-use nature of the original vision. Class A office space, hotel, retail and entertainment uses were given top billing alongside only 161 apartment units, a downright modest residential component compared to most County projects on far smaller lots. In a letter to Planning Board Chairman Casey Anderson, Rock Spring Centre's attorney Steven A. Robins writes that "the plan has evolved."
Robins adds that site plan amendments allowing those changes could be submitted to the County within the next two months. According to his letter, the project still contains office and hotel uses, along with residential, retail and services. We'll have to see what the changes entail to determine if this is still the winning project it has been up to this point. Getting Dave & Buster's into the 90,000 SF entertainment space, and keeping residential in balance with office space, would be winning moves here (D&B has shown with their new Rio location that they are not afraid to have multiple locations in the County).
The second notable thing about the requests by both developers is how supremely incompetent the Montgomery County Council is. They've been doing a lot of talking since 2014 about solving the infrastructure backlog, especially as it regards school capacity. Both of these projects have been in works for years, particularly Rock Spring Centre. Yet, all of these years later, the Council has failed to put together a plan and actually take action. If you can't figure out how to solve the infrastructure deficit in five years, to provide the needed classroom space and prevent a development moratorium, you have no business being on the County Council.
Both extension requests will be reviewed by the Planning Board at its July 18 meeting. Planning staff recommends approval of both extensions.
33 comments:
"how supremely incompetent the Montgomery County Council is. "
Sigh. It makes for a convenient excuse.
MORIBUNDITORIUM!!!
Which is it? You blame the Council for not developing and you blame them for developing.
Is this some kind of weird OCD thing where you have to criticize them everyday and aren’t even aware how you Contradict yourself? Or are you just basically a bitter jerk who just wants attention.
I've seen these moratoriums through the years in local governments. They're usually symptomatic of a dysfunctional government.
The "toxins" within the governmental body usually need to be flushed out at the next election.
How far is this development from metro? How far is Westbard from metro?
9:03 AM - This area is 2.3 to 3.0 miles from the Grosvenor Station, depending on whether you're closer to Old Georgetown Road or closer to Montgomery Mall.
Westwood Shopping Center is 1.5 miles from Friendship Heights station via the current convoluted system of roadways, but could be as close as 1.15 miles, if more direct pedestrian connections are built.
9:10am agreed! I wish there was some way we could simply seize lands in Westbard- eminent domain maybe?
It's in the public interest to provide affordable housing so we should simply seize property. Some lots are way too big.
All the gray heads in Westbard- impeding progress. They got to the top and pulled the ladder put of reach for the rest of us.
And the Kenwood club and surrounding church properties should be seized. The pews are empty and no one plays golf anymore.
9:32 PM - Much of it could be done through Willard Avenue Local Park, plus a connection between Trent and Greystone Streets passing between two houses. Very little land would need to be acquired east of River Road.
The connection west of River Road could be built in phases as the industrial properties are developed into mixed-use.
Wonder if BTB will be attending the Bisnow future of Bethesda scam... errr presentation tomorrow?
Combine Church of the Little Flower with St. Bartholomew.
Use LF property for affordable housing another another light rail station.
"Dave & Busters has shown with their new Rio location that they are not afraid to have multiple locations in the County."
What does this mean?
@ 6:24 PM - It means that Dave & Busters is afraid to have more than one location in Northern Virginia.
10:39: Just give David Moon and the cartel a smoke-filled room, and they'll come up with a church tax to make that happen.
9:10: Friendship Heights Metro is 2 miles from Westbard, Saul Alinsky.
9:32: Is this Dan Reed, Hans Riemer or David Moon?
9:03: 161 units is not even close to the number proposed for Westbard, which is nowhere near a Metro station, nor even a highway interchange.
Didn’t you say you thought westbard was too far from public transport for the density. But this one is further but you support it?
If you start at the Friendship Heights Metro station, take Willard Avenue westbound, turn right on River Road and go northwest, turn left on Ridgefield Avenue, turn left on Westbard Avenue, and then turn into the first entrance to the shopping center, that's 1.5 miles.
What route are you taking that is "2 miles", Dyer?
And even if it were "2 miles" that would still make Westbard a mile closer to a Metro station than the Rock Spring/Montgomery Mall area.
5:15: The Washington Post's Bill Turque even wrote that Westbard is 2 miles from the FH station. Your own beloved Washington Post!
4:43: Did you read the article? There are only a fraction of the housing units proposed here that were approved for Westbard. Not to mention that a BRT line is supposedly going to be added here - no BRT is planned for Westbard.
#Oops
Really? Which local governments have you seen this in, Anonymous Tom Andrews?
Calling duly elected officials "toxins" is disgraceful.
8:28 AM 7/15/19
2 mile walk is a bit much to ask every morning and evening.
You'd be soaked in sweat in this 90 degree weather. And busy people don't have the luxury of time to waste.
Notice that Robert Dyer did not say that he had measured the route between Friendship Heights and Westwood himself, using either his car or Google Maps - he simply took the word of a Jeff Bezos Washington Post lamestream old legacy print media not-a-resident-of-Bethesda reporter.
Remember a few weeks ago when the council made a big deal about taking transit for the day? They complained about having to walk to bus stops, wasting time waiting for a bus, etc.
Basically it was a big deal for them to live like their constituents for a day.
Most of them probably have never used a ride on bus in their lives.
What does "used a ride on the bus" mean?
8:42am is obsessed with minor punctuation, spelling or grammatical errors.
Correct punctuation: the difference between a sentence that’s well-written and a sentence that’s, well, written
10:28 when do you decide to post under this fake name vs. posting insults as anonymous? Serious question. Thanks.
Anonymous Elm @ 11:50,
I see you chose 2:50PMEST as the special time to humiliate yourself in public today!!
What makes you pick Tuesday? Serious question. Thanks.
12:11pm Joe Biden was right- you're the bully we've all seen growing up.
Why so defensive? I was simply asking and you answered informatively but why so rude?
Elm you do realize your question could apply to yourself as well.
BRT going here is just as speculative as you saying Purple Line is secretly going to Westbard. So it sounds like they both have possible transit options!
@ 8:48 - It'a not just a typo. It makes the entire sentence unclear.
And it sounds...retarded.
The Rock Spring Centre extension is from a 20 year deadline. TWENTY YEARS
It's now time for Montgomery County to grab that Davis Tract and use it expand school capacity.
The County made a huge mistake by not bringing transit through Rock Spring to Montgomery Mall.
Westbard is not accessible for vehicles coming from outside the Beltway. River Road is over burdened already.
Rock Spring is at the intersection of 270 and 495 - an ideal location if the County had taken advantage of the North Bethesda Transitway right of way.
Post a Comment