Signage installed at Reformation at Bethesda Row

The sign is up at Reformation at 4823 Bethesda Avenue, next to Warby Parker at Bethesda Row. It's an understated font, but pops against the white background. Inside, construction is still underway. Environmentally-friendly apparel brand Reformation just opened a new flagship store in New York. This store is scheduled to open by the end of July.

Arby's building fenced off in White Flint (Photos)

Construction fencing has been erected around the vacant Arby's restaurant at 11710 Rockville Pike. No new tenant has been announced, and the building is still being marketed for lease. Maryland property records do not show a sale of the property as of this morning. 

A Shake Shack restaurant had been proposed for the building, but those plans were, sadly, withdrawn. That was a huge mistake by the burger chain. They would have done massive business here, especially in drive-thru sales. If I was an investor in Shake Shack, I would be screaming. At least Tom Bodett left the light on for us in the kitchen. Hopefully a smart fast food chain like Jack in the Box or In-N-Out leases this building soon.

Maryland appellate judge overturns ruling blocking sale of property with hidden Black cemetery in Bethesda

The second-highest court in Maryland has reversed a Montgomery County Circuit Court judge's decision to block the sale of Westwood Tower in Bethesda by the County Housing Opportunities Commission to Charger Ventures. Judge Karla Smith had ruled in October 2021 that the sale could not proceed because the HOC had failed to notify descendants of those buried in the Moses African Cemetery, which is hidden underneath the rear parking lot of the apartment tower. The cemetery was desecrated by construction workers building the high rise in the late 1960s.

"The ruling is disgraceful," Bethesda African Cemetery Coalition President Marsha Coleman-Adebyao said in a statement this morning. "It shows no sensitivity to, or understanding of, the nature of African-American burial grounds. It treats the rights of the owner of a parking lot that was built over hundreds of African-American graves as superior to the dignity of the people interred in the burial ground. BACC attorney Steve Lieberman said he was concerned that "if this ruling is permitted to stand, it is open season on traditional African-American burial grounds in Maryland, None of the graves in such burial grounds will be safe."

Sneak peek: Veronica Beard sets opening date at Bethesda Row (Photos)

Veronica Beard has set an opening date for its new Bethesda Row store at 4840 Bethesda Avenue. The women's apparel boutique will open its doors for the first time tomorrow, Friday, June 30, 2023, according to Google. The company was founded in 2009 by fashion designer and entrepreneur Veronica Swanson Beard and her sister-in-law Veronica Miele Beard. This will be the chain's second Washington D.C.-area location; it has an existing store in Georgetown. 

Veronica Beard is located between lululemon and Levain Bakery. Here's a sneak peek:

Smoke Island opens second downtown Bethesda location

Smoke Island has opened at 4949 Bethesda Avenue. This is the second location of Smoke Island to open in downtown Bethesda. They apparently are either following the Starbucks/CVS Pharmacy model of multiple stores close together, or are expecting a surge in business as Maryland elected officials entice a new generation of smokers to light up starting July 1. Smoke Island carries cigarettes, cigarillos, cigars, pipe tobacco, e-cigarettes and liquids, vaporizers, hookah equipment and accessories, flavored wraps, and rolling papers.

Small Door Veterinary opening clinic in Bethesda

Small Door Veterinary is opening a clinic in Bethesda. It will be at 10253 Old Georgetown Road, in the Wildwood Shopping Center. Small Door Veterinary touts convenient appointments and access to doctors, a stress-free physical environment in its facilities, transparency in fees, and ease of management of your pet's medical records. It is a Certified B corporation and a Public Benefit Corporation.

Landow Building main entrance temporarily closed in Bethesda

The main lobby entrance to the Landow Building at 7910 Woodmont Avenue is temporarily closed. Visitors are being directed to the St. Elmo Avenue entrance to the building. According to the posted permit, a complex structures review of post-tension modifications to the 2nd floor concrete slab is being conducted (maybe one of our construction expert readers can elaborate on what that means in the comments). Construction of a new canopy will also be part of the project. The modern office building is one of the jewels in the Nathan Landow real estate crown in Bethesda, along with The Promenade, Fairmont Plaza, Crescent Plaza, and The Seasons.

VinoRita wine slushies kiosk to open at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

A new frozen treat is coming to the Dining Terrace food court at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. VinoRita, a kiosk dispensing frozen wine slushies, plans to open next month at the mall. This will be the small-but-growing chain's first location outside of the south, where it currently has two kiosks in North Carolina, and one in Georgia.

VinoRita's wine slushie menu features its most popular Blackberry Sangria, alongside Peach Frose, Strawberry Daiquiri, and Blueberry Pomegranate. The kiosk won't be just for adults; there is a selection of non-alcoholic flavors available. VinoRita will be open 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM Monday through Wednesday, 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM Thursday through Saturday, and 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM on Sundays. 

Whelan's Beer & Wine opening in Potomac

A new beer and wine retailer is opening soon at the Potomac Promenade shopping center at 9812 Falls Road in Potomac. Whelan's Beer & Wine hopes to open next month in the vacant storefront next to Five Guys. Pick up a beer to go with that burger on the way home! Whelan's Beer & Wine will be open from 10:00 AM to 11:00 PM seven days a week.

Work begins on plaza, stairs at 2 Bethesda Metro Center

Work has begun on a project to update the plaza and adjoining stairs at 2 Bethesda Metro Center (a.k.a. the Newlands Building) in downtown Bethesda. A large area of the staircase that leads up to the plaza from Montgomery Lane has been closed off, as well as part of the north sidewalk on Montgomery. The stairs will be widened, and the plaza fountain replaced with new seating. Building owner Chevy Chase Land Co.'s project is also relocating the main building entrance to the corner of Woodmont Avenue and Edgemoor Lane, as well as updating the annex behind the building.

7749 Old Georgetown Road redevelopment will include Old Georgetown Grille building property

Developer Stonebridge's proposal to redevelop the former Jewelry Exchange building at 7749 Old Georgetown Road in Bethesda will include the adjacent 7755 Old Georgetown office building property that is home to Old Georgetown Grille and Colonial Opticians. Renderings show the lots assembled for the project also include one-story retail buildings on St. Elmo Avenue next to 7755 Old Georgetown. They depict the Serpentine Dance Studio and House of Milae buildings remaining in place between the future high-rises of 7749 Old Georgetown and currently-under-construction St. Elmo Apartments.

Stonebridge is proposing a 175' tall apartment tower that would include up to 240 rental apartments, 15% of which would be Moderately-Priced-Dwelling-Units (MPDUs), the minimum required by Montgomery County. Up to 6000-square-feet of ground floor retail and restaurant space are proposed, as well as a 150-space underground parking garage. Rooftop features would include a partially-covered terrace, a not-yet-determined amenity, and a green roof area. 

The architectural firm contracted by Stonebridge for the development is Bethesda's SK+I Architectural Design Group. Renderings show the building will follow the base-and-tower massing design that has become ubiquituous among projects built under the guidelines of the 2017 Bethesda Downtown sector plan. VIKA is the engineering firm.

A required public meeting regarding the project Sketch Plan will be held tonight, Monday, June 26, 2023 at 7:00 PM at the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center at 4805 Edgemoor Lane in downtown Bethesda. The meeting will be held in the Wisconsin conference room at the center. Stonebridge will present the project to the Bethesda Design Advisory Panel on June 28, and submit its Sketch Plan to Montgomery County in July. 

The Montgomery County Planning Board is expected to review the Sketch Plan at a future public hearing in October or November of 2023. It would then review the subsequent Preliminary and Site plans for the project in 2024. If all plans are approved, a Q1 2026 groundbreaking is anticipated.

Images courtesy Stonebridge/SK+I

Kensington Chase moving into Chevy Chase Lake storefront

Kensington Chase, a residential and commercial remodeling consultation firm, is opening an office at 8402 Connecticut Avenue at Chevy Chase Lake. This was previously the longtime home of Parkway Custom Drycleaning, before it relocated to 5455 Randolph Road in the White Flint area. It's an interesting development, as the whole reason Parkway relocated was the property owners informed the business owner that they planned to redevelop the site, and would not be renewing his lease. Now it appears that plan has been postponed for the near future, but it's too late for Parkway.

Crane operations at The Camille in Bethesda (Photos)

Two of three southbound lanes of Wisconsin Avenue (MD 355) were closed overnight between Bethesda Avenue and Stanford Street in downtown Bethesda. A mobile crane was brought in for operations related to construction of The Camille apartment building at 7000 Wisconsin. The Camille is scheduled for a September 2023 delivery.

New murals added to Bethesda Row Public Parking Garage 57

The newest pieces of public art in downtown Bethesda are large in scale, and are both installed over entrances to the Montgomery County-owned Public Parking Garage 57 at Bethesda Row. Montgomery County's Department of Transportation partnered with Bethesda Row property owner Federal Realty, which commissioned the murals by artist Andrea Cobb of Durham, North Carolina. Cobb says the flowers represent joy and pleasure, the hearts represent love and emotion, and the olives represent peace and friendship.

“We have seen great success in the past with public art installations on our public parking garages within downtown areas,” MCDOT Director Chris Conklin said in a statement. “Public art can increase foot traffic for local businesses and draw interest in parts of downtown that would otherwise be overlooked.”

“Marking nearly 30 years rooted within the greater downtown Bethesda community, we sought to improve Bethesda Row’s retail mix, and enhance the public experience throughout,” said Federal Realty Senior Vice President John Tschiderer, “Our latest multi-million-dollar investment represents a substantial property improvement project, including façade upgrades, re-designed public gathering places, improved landscape, new public seating, enhanced lighting and art additions throughout along with the new public parking art installations, which will better incorporate the garage into the greater neighborhood presentation.”

“We are excited about this partnership with Federal Realty, which brings art into our communities,” said Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich. “Public art installations contribute to vibrant downtown communities and raise the profile of the arts by making art exciting and accessible. We hope to encourage more partnerships like this in the future.”

Photos courtesy MCDOT

Pop Tarts flavor is the toast of summer at Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Bethesda Row

Just as summer gets underway, a new flavor is popping up at Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at 4918 Elm Street at Bethesda Row. It's inspired by Pop Tarts. Not just any Pop Tart, but one of the most popular Pop Tart varieties of all time, Frosted Brown Sugar and Cinnamon. To the ice cream creators at Jeni's HQ, there frankly isn't any other kind.

"To us, there's only one way to enjoy Pop Tarts," Jeni's insists. "It has to be brown sugar cinnamon, frosted - served buttered, warm, soft, and gooey right out of the toaster. Now, take that exact time-stopping moment and suspend it in ice cream. That's what we've done."

"Frosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon ice cream is buttery crumbled pastry pieces in a cinnamon-caramel swirl in brown sugar and cinnamon sweet cream. Catch our collab flavor with Pop Tarts now for a limited time!"

There are 3 ways to get this flavor while it lasts. Have it shipped anywhere in the U.S. Make a local delivery order. Or stop in at the Bethesda Row store.

Aggravated assault at Bethesda Metro Center parking garage

Montgomery County police responded to a report of an aggravated assault at the Bethesda Metro Center parking garage late Wednesday afternoon, June 21, 2023. The rush hour assault was reported in the garage at 5:00 PM. A weapon was employed in the assault, but it was not a firearm.

Kenwood Club fireworks set for June 29, 2023

NOTE: Due to the poor air quality in the area, there is a chance fireworks displays and other outdoor events may be canceled or postponed in the coming days. Please call the municipality or organization in question to confirm displays are going forward if there is an air quality warning in effect that evening.

The best fireworks display in the D.C. area will once again be presented by the Kenwood Golf and Country Club in Bethesda (although the club is technically in Chevy Chase). This year's Kenwood fireworks will be held on Thursday, June 29, 2023 (in case of inclement weather, the rain date will be June 30). The event at the private club is for members only, so do not trespass on club property. However, the fireworks are visible some distance around the club, and usually begin sometime between 9:00 and 9:30 PM.

You don't have to be part of the landed class to partake of the fireworks. A popular viewing spot is in the church parking lot across River Road from the club, where those-in-the-know converge on foot or by car. Earplugs are strongly recommended for children, or those with sensitive ears.

Other private fireworks displays in the Bethesda-Chevy Chase area this year include:

Bethesda Country Club - June 25, 9:00 PM

Columbia Country Club - June 27, 9:00 PM

Chevy Chase Club - July 3, 9:30 PM

Congressional Country Club - July 4, 9:00 PM

Two cars reported stolen in as many hours from apartments near Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Montgomery County police are investigating the reported thefts of two vehicles from apartment buildings near Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. Officers first responded to an apartment building in the 7400 block of Westlake Terrace at 6:20 AM yesterday, June 21, 2023. The second vehicle was reported stolen from a residential parking lot in the 7400 block of Lakeview Drive exactly two hours later, at 8:20 AM. There is no word yet as to whether the thieves are numerologists.

Colony Grill opens in Potomac (Photos)

Colony Grill is now open at 11325 Seven Locks Road at Cabin John Village in Potomac. The first guests attending Monday's grand opening were entertained by local R&B ensemble Let It Flow Band, which performed live at the pizzeria. They also saw the first photos to be added to the restaurant's Wall of Heroes, which features local veterans and first responders. This is the Connecticut-based chain's first Maryland location, and one of several high-profile dining additions at the recently-renovated and expanded Cabin John Village property.

Let It Flow Band

Outdoor patio seating

Catch the latest sporting events on TV

Wall of Heroes