Early morning break-in at Kenwood Place condos in Bethesda

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a burglary at the Kenwood Place condominiums at 5301 Westbard Circle in Bethesda on the morning of March 31, 2024. The burglary was reported at 6:32 AM that morning. Officers arriving at the scene found evidence of forced entry. However, police say that there is so far no evidence that anything was stolen from the building. A witness could only describe the suspect to police as being male in gender. 

Ride On 23 will not service 9 Bethesda stops during long-term Ridgefield Road/Westbard Avenue construction detour

UPDATE: MCDOT has confirmed that the actual closure of Ridgefield Road is set for 12:00 AM on June 5, 2022. The decision was made because the Maryland State Highway Administration would only allow Montgomery County to shut the road down on a weekend, and at night. Expect the Ride On detour to begin on June 5, then.

There's more bad news on the Ridgefield Road closure front in Bethesda. For at least 12 months of the closure of Ridgefield between River Road and Westbard Avenue, Ride On Route 23 will drop 9 of its usual bus stops in Bethesda. The bus will detour around the construction using Little Falls Parkway, and rejoin the rest of its stops at Westbard and Massachusetts Avenue when bound toward Sibley Hospital, and the reverse when heading toward the Friendship Heights Metro station. Detours begin June 1, 2022 or June 6, 2022 and will end on May 31, 2023, according to the Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT tweet says "June 1," but its detour announcement says "June 6." I am awaiting a response from MCDOT and will update as soon as I hear back).

A Ride On Flex shuttle bus will operate between the Westwood Shopping Center on Westbard and the Ride On stops still operating on Massachusetts. It will turn around on Fort Sumner Drive and head back to the shopping center.

A Ride On Flex shuttle bus like this will
operate between the Westwood Shopping Center
and Massachusetts Avenue to replace the
Westbard Avenue stops of Route 23

Stops between Little Falls Parkway and Ridgefield Road along River Road? Well, you're out of luck, according to Montgomery County. So if you rely on Ride On 23 to get to Whole Foods, McDonald's, 7-Eleven or Talbert's, you're out of business for at least a year. Although the official County announcement does not mention this, if you are a River Road rider who needs to get to and from the Friendship Heights Metro station, the T2 Metrobus is another option.

Folks like this who rely on 
Ride On 23 along River Road are
about to get some tough love from
Montgomery County

The detour plan discriminates against Ride On 23 riders, and discourages use of transit at a time when gasoline prices are at an all-time high. This is only the latest transit failure related to the 2016 Westbard sector plan. The County Council already eliminated the proposed Westbard Transit Hub, and a Westbard-Friendship Heights Metro free shuttle bus, from the plan prior to approving the document. More recently, the Council voted to end free Ride On service, instituting a $1 fare that will take effect July 1, 2022.

"Elections have consequences."
- President Barack Obama

A look back at the early years of the Kenwood Place condos in Bethesda (Photos)

The Kenwood Place condominiums remain one of the best-kept secrets in multifamily housing in Bethesda. Pricing has usually been lower here at 5301 Westbard Circle than in downtown Bethesda, and the units are far more spacious than almost anything downtown. The initial advertising touted "condos as big as a house."

Check out this wacky map that was used in early marketing of the property. It looks like Kenwood Place is a block away from all of the prime, upscale shopping that is hard to find in today's Friendship Heights: Woodward & Lothrop, Lord & Taylor and Mazza Gallerie - a big R.I.P. to all three. The map even shows Ward Circle and Nebraska Avenue! Scale was clearly an issue here. Location, location, location!

Then there was this controversial marketing campaign, "Should people over forty own a condominium?" This was apparently a hot topic at the time. So were those outfits! The ad copy sets the scene familiar to Kenwood Place residents and neighbors in that "prestigious neighborhood." Navigate the "long winding driveway" in your town car, to the "grande entrance portico, stately lobby...verdant gardens and picturesque swimming pool."

Kenwood Place was converted to condominiums in 1981. The mortgage rate that year was a far cry from recent times, that's for sure. Rates have changed, but Kenwood Place is here to stay. Its next door neighbor, the Westwood Shopping Center, is undergoing a major transformation into the Westbard Square mixed-use development, with a new Giant, new retail, rental apartments and townhomes. Whether it's big units for lower prices, or Springfield residents wanting to use that dang back gate to get to the Giant, some things never change at Kenwood Place!

FIRST LOOK: MOCO PLANNER'S PROPOSALS FOR KENWOOD PLACE IN WESTBARD SECTOR PLAN UPDATE (PHOTOS)

Senior Urban Designer Paul Mortenson, of the Montgomery County Planning Department Director's office, hosted a discussion with residents of the Kenwood Place condos Friday morning. The primary topic was the property's future borders with Equity One's planned town center, and a potential new elementary school alongside it.

Mortenson took residents' input, and then sketched out a few potential designs for the land around the condo complex's edges. Here is how it would look if left alone, which would likely result in a "double road" (the existing Westbard Circle, paralled by a new Equity One-built road), an outcome that planners and Equity One have said is undesirable:

Concept 2 is a composite that uses one road for both Kenwood Place traffic and "outside" traffic.

Concept 3 shows a greater barrier between the Equity One property and Kenwood Place, while still avoiding a double road at the lower edge of the condo site.

Also shown in Concept 3: A new soccer field for a potential shared site holding the existing Westland Middle School and a new elementary school (on the current Little Falls Library site downhill from there). Mortenson said the current tennis courts could be moved further back, with two of them being eliminated. The windows of residential units on the Westland side of the Equity One site would look down onto the field, increasing safety for pedestrians and field users, Mortenson said. He noted that would preserve the baseball diamond on the Westland site, but would also result in a significant loss of mature trees in that vicinity. Environmental planner Katherine Nelson said she would not recommend cutting down those trees, saying that the plan should instead preserve them under a forest conservation easement.

New soccer field to left of
Westbard Circle

SMOKE EVACUATES BETHESDA CONDO BUILDING OVERNIGHT ON WESTBARD CIRCLE

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue units responded to a report of smoke at the Kenwood Place condominiums, at 5301 Westbard Circle, around 3:20 AM this morning.

According to scanner reports, firefighters found no fire, but the initial investigation indicated an electrical problem. One firefighter reported a blown fuse, as personnel searched units on the third and fourth floors of the garden-style building. Shortly afterward, it was determined further units were not needed, as fire officials continued to investigate the incident. Residents who were outdoors at that point were told they could shelter in the building lobby.

ASSAULT REPORTED FROM WESTBARD CIRCLE IN BETHESDA SATURDAY

Another Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row Exclusive

One day before a 21-year-old female jogger was sexually assaulted on the Capital Crescent Trail, an unspecified type of assault was reported to police a few blocks away.

Saturday's assault was reported from the 5300 block of Westbard Circle in Bethesda.  That is the Kenwood Place condominium complex off of Westbard Avenue.

The assault comes about a month after a pepper spray assault and robbery blocks away at Massachusetts Avenue and Baltimore Avenue.  There was also a recent robbery on Cammack Drive on October 6 [previously reported here], and a burglary in the 6000 block of Massachusetts Avenue on October 15.

An assault could simply be a domestic violence incident, or a fight between intoxicated individuals.  So Saturday's assault is not a cause for alarm, unless details emerge to suggest otherwise.  But given the serious nature of the nearby trail assault the following day, and the September pepper spray assault/robbery, any assaults reported in that area of Bethesda are worthy of attention.

In related news, Park Police are now conducting extra patrols along the CCT.  But the best advice at this time is to avoid using the CCT after dark.  Period.

THIEVES PROWLING WESTBARD AREA OF BETHESDA

BACK-TO-BACK THEFTS

MAKE LOCKING DOORS

A MUST

Another Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row Exclusive

Two thefts on back-to-back nights along Westbard Avenue in Bethesda suggest thieves are trolling the area for easy loot.

A theft from a parked vehicle was reported Monday in the 5100 block of Westbard Avenue.  That would be the Westbard Mews townhome complex, to be more precise.

On Wednesday, a theft was reported in the 5300 block of Westbard Circle, which consists entirely of the Kenwood Place condominiums.

Residents of the Westbard area would be well-advised to remove valuables from their vehicles, and to lock car, home and apartment doors.

STILL DARK

Large Sections of Westwood Shopping Center

Remain Unlit for Fourth Consecutive Night

Another Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row Exclusive!!!

Two large parking areas at the Westwood Shopping Center remained in darkness for the fourth night in a row.

As I reported yesterday, the reduced lighting has also reduced safety for patrons, Westbard pedestrians, Bowlmor customers and residents of Park Bethesda and Kenwood Place.

Bowlmor patrons were shadowy figures on the sidewalk outside the bowling nightspot, now that illumination from the shopping center is gone.

It remains unknown why shopping center owner Capital Properties has ordered or allowed the blackout, or if the reduced lighting is permanent.

Stay tuned for further updates.