Thursday, August 03, 2023

Norfolk Avenue Streetery updates in downtown Bethesda


Montgomery County and the Bethesda Urban Partnership continue to advance efforts to make the Norfolk Avenue Streetery outdoor dining area a permanent fixture of the block between St. Elmo and Cordell Avenues. A liquor license for the space has been applied for. The hearing date is scheduled for August 17, 2023 at 1:00 PM.

Bethesda UP is also seeking artists interested in winning the commission to paint a mural for the Streetery. The public art addition will be 2,000-square-feet in size, and be placed in a portion of the "emergency lane" on Norfolk Avenue. August 7, 2023 is the deadline to apply online.

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

There will be an uncontrollable stampede of customers unparalleled to date.

Anonymous said...

Confused about that liquor license. The sign says "consumption." So is it just a post-COVID update/red-tape thing so people can still drink outside, or is the county thinking about serving alcohol themselves?

JAC said...

Yep. That stretch, Little Falls Parkway and Old Georgetown Road will never return to their original designs. It's absolutely insane to close streets in a commercial district like Woodmont Triangle. As has been reported many times, the business owners are mostly against the closure because without car traffic going by (it's a road don't forget) far fewer people notice businesses as they travel by daily or often. The businesses definitely get fewer looks and thus they suffer. And what about winter? This is anti-business and anti-car a predictable posture for the Far Left cabal ruining things around here.

Anonymous said...

The battle against moribund continues!

Anonymous said...

JAC has such a warped view of the world. Imagine crying that the county closed off a block of street as community gathering spot and now you can’t drive your car through there. How will you survive?!

Anonymous said...

@JAC I am waiting for the next chain collision at 1am.

Anonymous said...

Why even talk about anything then? Maybe you should just stick to Thermonuclear sites and not waste your time and opinion on us.

JAC said...

7:59 - the warped view is that a Covid era idea, and certainly a laudable one, be made permanent. The voices of the few, it seems these days, far outweigh those of the many. The businesses are not in wide support. Doesn't business matter or are we catering to the very few who use that area? Please tell us how this closed stretch of road benefits anyone in the cold, dark months of winter? How many other places in the nation are doing this? I travel often and have never seen a similar area remain post Covid. Warped? No, it's total control by power hungry radicals in Rockville.

Anonymous said...

A nice compromise which would also help businesses would be a taped-off streetery Friday and Saturday nights and open roads all other times.

Anonymous said...

Hey Jack, did you take a survey or is this like the 2020 election results? I won, I don't care what the results say. Just asking.

Anonymous said...

The streetry killed Harp & Fiddle since they weren't able to benefit on their section of Cordell.

METaphor said...

I don't mind this being closed although I would prefer a narrower open street like woodmont with more pedestrian space and eatery space.

Please reopen little falls or as a compromise restore the median and put a single lane on both sides to eliminate blind spots. What a waste. I take that road every day and have seen maybe 30 people use it since it opened. And I am pro bike lanes, including the one on Old Georgetown (although that is pretty empty too).

Anonymous said...

Who's Jack?

JAC said...

METaphor - I agree. Little Falls Parkway must be reopened. Everyone against the closure, hundreds of areas resident's signatures and even a neighboring mayor in Somerset, has been ignored. It's absurd. Old Georgetown, as you noted, is very infrequently used. And the traffic from Wildwood south towards Cedar has most definitely increased. Except PM rush hour (pre-Covid) that stretch never had a delay in either direction. They will not budge on that unless a lot more noise is made.

Anonymous said...

{, including the one on Old Georgetown (although that is pretty empty too).} I saw a bicyclist on Old Georgetown Rd. the other day and whooped and yelled and told him "You're the first one today"! Guy thought I was a lunatic, but the real lunatics are those who pushed this fiasco on the little people.

Anonymous said...

I ride the length many mornings just as the sun in coming up (lately) and see quite a few people riding both ways. Should increase as the weather gets better. It's turned a horrible bike commute into a pleasure-not having to look over your shoulder as cars race by.

Anonymous said...

Yeah never mind the Bethesda Trolley Trail which runs parallel with ZERO cars and has it's own bridge over the I495. Better to create idling standstill rush hour traffic so someone can ride to Aldi on an empty lane.

JAC said...

6:53 - Well said.

Anonymous said...

Do you even live downtown? I see this space get used daily by a multitude of people. It’s also a nice spot for kids to play on their scooters while the parents eat, drink and catchup with each other.

Anonymous said...

BTT is for idly exercising locals, geriatrics, dog walkers, and people who have no concept of trail etiquette and flow.

Anonymous said...

So let's take away 1/3 of OGR and inconvenience thousands per day because 10 riders don't know how to use their bike bell.

Elrich could have upgraded the trail for millions less, (yes millions because maintaining any road requires periodic re-paving in this case has the added cost of removing/reinstalling the barriers & line painting). The trail could have been improved which would last considerably longer because the lightweight use of the trail doesn't degrade pavement like your EV does.

Anonymous said...

?

Anonymous said...

The steeteries are great for people to come and hang out. I’ve heard similarly that businesses were not in favor but it makes no sense. It’s a great vibe when you can walk around there. And there are multiple other streets for cars around there. Wish they would do they same on Bethesda row again. That one was just a pleasant and the current solution is worse.

Anonymous said...

Come on. This is not what killed harp and fiddle. Nobody was going to the bars for years. That’s what killed them.