Bethesda nightlife still going to the dogs

Another shuttered nightclub

to become doggy daycare

It's not the first time, and with the Montgomery County political cartel holding onto every seat on the County Council, it probably won't be the last. A new doggy daycare business has leased 4459 SF at 4936 Fairmont Avenue, formerly home to the Relic nightclub. This is the second shuttered nightspot to become a doggy daycare business in the last year. The larger square footage of nightclubs probably lends itself to such a use. But it's also a clear reflection of Bethesda's transformation from nightlife hub to sleepy bedroom community.

Despite being owned by Douglas Development, a powerhouse DC real estate firm, there haven't been any high-profile takers for 4936 Fairmont since the County Council's Nighttime Economy Task Force debacle ended with 18 nightspots closing their doors. Escape Quest is a current tenant. There was hope that three new Fairmont Avenue buildings (and a fourth on the way in the St. Elmo Apartments project) with ground floor space for restaurants might reactivate the streetscape and increase the appeal for a new bar or club here.

7770 Norfolk delivered in terms of evening restaurant hours with the very popular Medium Rare and Anthony's Coal-Fired Pizza; The Bainbridge and Cheval, not so much. This stretch of Fairmont therefore remains dark and lonesome later at night. Until Montgomery County election results have less "quality control" changes after voters cast their ballots than Iowa, this will continue to be the case.

START THE BETHESDA SHAKE SHACK RUMORS

BURGER EMPIRE'S

DC LANDLORD

TAKES COMMAND OF

RELIC NIGHTCLUB

BUILDING

Another Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row Exclusive

DC powerhouse firm Douglas Development has taken charge of the 4936 Fairmont Avenue building that housed the now-defunct Relic Lounge.   The company, founded by Douglas Jemal in 1985, not only is an award-winning developer, but also landlord to many prime restaurants and retailers like LivingSocial, Carmine's and... Shake Shack.

Douglas is now leasing the building's units for office and retail space.  But with Relic having been configured as a food service operation, and Shake Shack's rapid expansion to 3 DC locations in 12 months, the scenario is bound to fuel rumors.  If any company has the inside track, and established relationship, to score the next DC area Shake Shack, it's Douglas.  So Bethesda has to move up on the list of potential locations on those merits alone.

Shake Shack will not reveal specific plans, but does not deny the company is actively expanding.

That block of Fairmont Avenue is currently underappreciated.  But JBG is about to redevelop half of it into a 17-story residential building, and The Monty is currently under construction on the Relic building's side of the street.  Now add a major player like Douglas, and the game has changed on this almost-forgotten block.

So the atmosphere on Fairmont - and level of pedestrian traffic - is bound to change over the next two years.  This could make 4936 Fairmont a prime target for Shake Shack, which undoubtedly would like to tap into the deep pockets of Bethesda diners.

Have we maxed out on burger restaurants?  Burger aficionados wouldn't say so!  With spaces opening at Bethesda Row, there will be a lot of speculation about the most-wanted restaurants and retail in the near future.

The only certainty is that, with Douglas Development in charge, 4936 Fairmont is likely to end up with at least one prominent tenant.

RELIC NIGHTCLUB BUILDING TO BE AUCTIONED OFF

FORECLOSURE FINAL BLOW TO

SHUTTERED BETHESDA 

NIGHTSPOT

Another Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row Exclusive

The saga of the beleagured Relic nightclub will reach an end on Thursday, August 9, at high noon.  At that moment, the small building that houses the club and office space at 4936 Fairmont Avenue will be auctioned off to the highest bidder, on the sidewalk out front.

Apparently, Montgomery County's seizure of the club's liquor license - which forced its indefinite closure - sent the building into foreclosure when the property owner defaulted on the mortgage, according to Craig Haughton and Nina Basu, who have been named substitute trustees of the property.

The 15,000 square foot property continues to house several offices, as you can tell by scanning the lobby directory.

Thinking of placing a bid?  You'll need $100,000 cash or certified funds if you win.

The property has potential for either a long-term investor, or a large developer.  Someone wanting to run a nightclub or restaurant - and who has the capital and patience to wait 5 years for the rebirth of dilapidated and deserted Fairmont Avenue - will be rewarded with a prime spot in the new Old Bethesda.

Developers might be interested in the property, if they can buy adjoining plots to allow for a larger, mixed use development.

Whatever the future of this building, this block of Fairmont is dead, dead, dead right now, and not a street people like to venture down after dark.  Of course, that's because pro-developer tax and planning policies by the county have indirectly forced out many of the street's tenants.  Although Relic has been the source of many complaints, the tearing-up of its liquor license certainly came at a most convenient time.  The shark fins are circling most of the mom-and-pop shops on the most promising avenues across Old Town Bethesda.

So far, nearby residents have been displeased by the project proposed at Fairmont's corner with Norfolk.  A primary complaint is the developer's plan to have an "inactive" street level (i.e. no restaurants or shops to activate the area after business hours).  I share their concerns.  This block is one of the darkest and loneliest at night in town, and the entrance to the street should not be essentially a Berlin Wall.

As I've said many times, with little room to develop downcounty, it is imperative that the Planning Board ensures the most added value from each and every project it approves.  And the maximum height and density within walking distance from Metro in downtown Bethesda.

Otherwise, many of those projects will suffer the same fate as 4936 Fairmont Avenue, in the not-so-distant future.