More vacant buildings boarded up in Bethesda (Photos)

Clearly someone has had enough of the break-ins, vandalism and squatting in the vacant buildings of the Woodmont Triangle. It's not yet clear who that is - the property owners, the police, or Montgomery County government officials (although it's hard to believe it's the property owners, as they haven't secured these buildings adequately for years). But someone has finally ordered the buildings on the sites of 8000 and 8008 Wisconsin Avenue to be boarded up, following Monday's burglary-fire-flood incident that followed Sunday's glass-smashing rampage on the block. Yesterday, lower rear windows and doors of the Saphire Cafe and Parvizian Rugs were sealed, and plywood was placed inside the windows of 8011 Woodmont Avenue.

The front porch of the abandoned Dunmor's (a.k.a. the "beer house") at 8013 Woodmont has recently become a hangout spot, complete with tables and chairs. Yesterday, that furniture was removed, and access to the porch and porch steps was physically blocked off. These buildings are still eyesores and create an abysmal pedestrian environment around that whole half block of Woodmont, Cordell and Wisconsin Avenues. 

Redevelopment projects planned for both sites - 8000 Wisconsin and 8008 Wisconsin - have been in development hell for about 6 years, but the Artena Bethesda project at 8000 Wisconsin had been expected to finally break ground before the end of this year. Public Parking Lot 43 on the 8000 Wisconsin site's Woodmont Avenue side (seen in the top two photos in this article) was closed earlier this summer for that express purpose. Stay classy, Bethesda!