The mural could be referring to the original 1891 streetcar that ran from Wisconsin Avenue in Friendship Heights, down roughly along the route of present-day Willard Avenue, through Green Acres, across what is now Little Falls Parkway and the parallel Willett Branch stream, up what is today Massachusetts Avenue extended - passing what is now Westbard Avenue and Little Falls Library, onto Walhonding Road (you can see remnants of the sharp angles established by the streetcar to the left of the Parkway crossing, and on the divergence of Walhonding from Massachusetts behind the Glen Echo Volunteer Fire Department firehouse), and down to MacArthur Boulevard.
Once down the steep Walhonding drop to what is now MacArthur, passengers would disembark from the streetcar, and be taken to the Glen Echo Chautauqua by horse-drawn carriage. The Chautauqua was the forerunner of the Glen Echo Park amusement park that would be built later. This earlier streetcar is not to be confused with the more-famous Washington, D.C. to Glen Echo Park trolley line that operated during the mid-20th-century through Georgetown, the Palisades, and Brookmont. The original 1891 streetcar line was developed by the Baltzley brothers, who lived in the landmark Baltzley Castle they constructed at 5415 Mohican Road in Mohican Hills.
County police provided a few details about the incident, including that there were multiple shooters, who remain at-large. They have not provided a motive or narrative of what happened around 12:13 AM on March 29, but stated that there were two "groups" who "exchanged gunfire." In a twist that perhaps Christopher Wray could appreciate, police indicated that the two victims of the shooting were not wounded, but only injured by "broken glass." A local journalist listening to police radio communications immediately after the 911 call March 29 reported hearing that a female victim had been "grazed in the face by a bullet in the parking lot" of Bowlero. Perhaps the victim or bystanders had not yet realized the cause of the wound at that early juncture, which would explain the discrepancy.
I noticed that many mainstream media outlets were simply glossing over the press release, so it's worthwhile digging a bit deeper into what new information we have - or have not - learned from that statement, and from elsewhere.
Perhaps one of our resident attorneys or law enforcement professionals can comment below as to what the significance of the "Criminal SOC Application" case is in this situation, and why the charges listed differ from those in yesterday's press release.
Given that the other alleged shooters in the incident remain at large, yesterday's press release said, police still need the public's help in this case. Anyone with information regarding the additional suspects or this crime is asked to visit the Crime Solvers of Montgomery County, MD website at www.crimesolversmcmd.org and click on the “www.p3tips.com” link at the top of the page or call 1-866-411-8477. A reward of up to $10,000 is being offered for information that leads to the arrest of the suspects. Tipsters may remain anonymous.
Increasing community concerns about the crime, and the inaction by the County, have led the Westbard Mews Condominium Association to send a letter to County officials and Regency Centers. The Westbard Mews community, which consists of 36 townhomes, is located just down Westbard Avenue from the Westbard Square development.
The association's letter, a copy of which was obtained by Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row, notes that the recent surge in crime "appears to correlate with the new developments and businesses around Westbard Avenue." "Many of our homeowners have lived in their homes for upwards of 30-40 years, and have gotten accustomed to living in relative safety compared with neighborhoods in Washington, D.C.," the association writes. The incidents of the last several months "have understandably caused great concern among our residents, and highlight the need for increased security presence in the neighborhood."
"We kindly request increased patrolling, and a collaborative effort from local law enforcement and county authorities to address these issues promptly. We are committed to maintaining a safe and welcoming environment for everyone in our neighborhood, and believe that with your support, we can effectively mitigate these concerns."
The letter also expresses additional concerns relating to traffic safety along Westbard Avenue, and within the Westbard Square development's garage and internal private streets. It notes that the "State Law" sign at the crosswalk meant for use by Westland Middle School students has been knocked off by a vehicle, and now is laying nearby on a sidewalk. The WMCA is requesting traffic calming measures for Westbard Avenue.
Recipients of the WMCA letter include Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich, Montgomery County Police Chief Marc Yamada, Regency Centers, the Montgomery County Department of Transportation, and other Montgomery County elected officials.
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| Mission: Impossible briefcase popcorn holder as seen at AMC Montgomery 16 in Bethesda |
A third vehicle parked in the garage was broken into this past Thursday, May 22, at 9:45 AM. According to a witness who passed the scene about 45 minutes later, one of the car's windows had been smashed.
This makes a total of at least 16 vehicles that have been broken into in the Westbard Square garage since February. Like virtually all of the incidents, the latest three occurred during daylight hours. Most of the victims report that they had simply parked their car in the garage, and gone into Starbucks, only to come out and find their vehicles damaged and items stolen from within. "This is making me hesitant to shop and go to Starbucks there," the witness said.
As with the March shooting, there appear to be no consequences for the criminals who are preying on patrons of the development's businesses. And, as with the shooting, no surveillance images of the garage perpetrators are being released to the public. Who are these thieves, and where are they coming from?
Word is getting out that this is a "free pass" area for crimes, and that does not bode well for public safety or successful businesses in the Westbard community. Now you have residents and customers starting to say they feel unsafe. I'm surprised that property owner Regency Centers and Montgomery County are not moving swiftly to get this under control.
Where is the surveillance video from Bowlero and Westbard Square across the street? Who fired what several ear-witnesses described as 20-30 rounds, and where did they come from? Where they went would be evident from the many surveillance and traffic cameras along every potential escape route from Westbard Avenue. The current message to criminals in the region is that Westbard is a place where serious crimes can be committed without consequence, exactly the opposite of what Montgomery County should be communicating.
Around 3:00 PM Friday, a massive explosion was heard - and seen - in front of 7944 Norfolk Avenue in Bethesda. One witness saw a bright flash, and noted that power lines on nearby blocks were shaking. The explosion was so big that Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services were dispatched to the scene, but according to witnesses, departed after finding no ongoing fire. Another nearby resident told me that the lights in their apartment blinked, but power remained on. Many others were not so lucky, as you can see in the Pepco outage map shown here.
Along with frequent power outages and transformer explosions in downtown Bethesda, where thousands of new residential units have been approved and constructed under the 2017 Bethesda Downtown sector plan, the Westbard area has been impacted by ongoing brownouts and power outages. The latter began in 2017, which coincided with the redevelopment of the "Westwood Complex" properties that was approved a year earlier, in the Westbard sector plan.
We've also seen increased flooding during heavy rains in downtown Bethesda, Westbard, and White Flint, which County officials have tried to blame on "climate change." In fact, it is those very Planning staff members, Planning Commissioners, and County Councilmembers who are personally responsible for the flooding - which has been fatal, in some tragic cases - because they approved the massive development and reduction of green space that has increased runoff countywide.
All of these problems stem not simply from developer greed, but from County government not placing limits and protections on that greed in the planning process. You can't blame developers for seeking the moon, if they can get it - that's their job. It is the planners, Planning Commissioners, and County Councilmembers who are tasked with protecting their constituents.
Instead, we've seen planners and commissioners who represent development interests fully take over the planning process. And developers in the Montgomery County cartel have controlled a majority of County Council seats since 2002, when they funded the "End Gridlock" slate. Today, we have a Council where all 11 members have taken varying degrees of money from developers. Not surprisingly, the Council's planning agenda has mirrored that of the developers who funded their victorious campaigns.
The approach can be summed up with a childish analogy. Developers - and the elected, appointed, and hired officials they support above and below the table - are skipping the vegetables, and going right to the chocolate cake every time. That all-sweets diet has understandably impacted the health and quality of life in our communities. Instead of doing the hard work of providing the infrastructure for the growth being proposed, our officials are simply approving all the growth, and not requiring those who are profiting from that growth to fund the infrastructure upgrades it requires.
Longtime residents know that developer-beholden officials have been a major factor in the economic, environmental, and quality-of-life decline over the first quarter of this century. Those engaged enough to pay attention can keep complaining about it - or we can actually do something about it. Here are just a few action items to consider:
1. Virtually every town, city, and county has an adequate public facilities ordinance. Montgomery County's is clearly in-adequate. It needs to be beefed up considerably. An APFO doesn't limit growth, it simply ensures that the private companies profiting from that growth pick up the tab for the infrastructure their new development demands: electric grid and sewer capacity upgrades, new classrooms, new social services, new police and fire facilities and equipment, etc. Right now, the majority of those costs - like the taxes the Council increasingly exempts developers from - are being pushed off onto the backs of residents in the form of higher property taxes and higher utility bills.
2. Stop the planning-to-profit revolving door. The Council should pass a law preventing planning staff and commissioners from accepting jobs with development companies and real estate law firms for at least 5 years after leaving their County position.
3. Vote smarter. Do you vote somebody else's ballot on Election Day, a ballot that represents someone else's interests, instead of your own? Think about it. The rotten Apple Ballot represents the interests of the powerful teacher's union, which along with developers and other cartel members, is bankrupting the County finances. Endorsements by The Washington Post editorial board reflect the interests of developers, who not only purchase massive amounts of ads in the Post every week, but have actually bought multiple properties from the Post itself, which has profited from those real estate transactions. The Post, in effect, is engaged in property development itself.
Instead, vote YOUR ballot, that represents YOUR interests. The interests of you, your children and grandchildren, your neighborhood, your business.
Do your research. Find out which candidates are funded by developers, and pay attention to which candidates are calling for responsible growth, and which are calling for unlimited growth unsupported by new infrastructure. The developer-funded candidates can often be identified by their use of terms like "abundance," "housing now," "missing middle," "inclusionary zoning," "redlining," "attainable housing," "social justice," "activity centers," "resilience," "growth corridors," "mix of housing," "Thrive 2050," "a variety of housing types," "equity," "duplexes," "triplexes," "quadplexes," and "parking minimums." That final phrase is utilized in calling for those parking minimums to be done away with to expand developer profits, not the enforcement of such adequate parking space requirements.
Remember, the County Council not only determines who sits on the Planning Board, but also controls the budget of the Planning Department. So, while it cannot regulate who is hired by the department or the policies it puts in front of the Board for approval, it can defund the Planning Department if it pushes policies that are contrary to the public interest.
4. Public financing reform. Currently, developer contributions to those Council candidates using the County's "public" financing system get matched by you, the taxpayer. Does that sound fair to you?
Corrupt users and supporters of the current "public" financing system will tout the "small contributions" that are fueling their campaigns with "people power." What they won't tell you, is that a massive number of those "small contributions" are coming from developers, development attorneys, and their family members. This is a huge advantage, as those candidates can take a great haul in checks from those development interests, and then they receive a matching amount from the pot of taxpayer money that has been budgeted for "public" financing.
Real public financing not only would not allow such outsize developer involvement, but would give every participating candidate at least some respectable amount of money to campaign with, instead of rewarding corrupt candidates who are backed by deep-pocketed development interests with six-figure payouts from the taxpayer. The current system represents a brilliant move by developers and their puppet candidates to force you to fund their campaigns.
Look for UNIQLO on Level 2, in the former Sears wing of the mall. It is in the spaces vacated by Express and Express Men.
