Bangkok Garden sale could pave way for major redevelopment of Lot 667 in Bethesda

I'm hearing that the property containing the recently-closed Bangkok Garden restaurant has been acquired by entities affiliated with the Greenhill Companies. That firm already owns the Lot 667 property adjacent to it, which includes 4901 Fairmont Avenue, 4905 Fairmont and 4909 Fairmont; and 4910 St. Elmo Avenue, and 4912 St. Elmo. A major redevelopment of that prime Woodmont Triangle site may now be in the works for the future, with the addition of 4906 St. Elmo, the Bangkok Garden property.

Lot 667 outlined in blue, with the
rumored addition of the
Bangkok Garden property included

From what I hear, this new building would encompass all of the land east of the Bainbridge Bethesda up to Norfolk Avenue, except for Hanaro Sushi, which is under separate ownership. What's currently rumored, is a high-rise with a height of 250' at the corner of Norfolk and Fairmont, that would step down to 173' along St. Elmo. It would hold around 330 apartments, and ground floor retail-restaurant spaces.

The good news about Hanaro staying in place is that there is the potential for an activated streetscape all the way around that end of the block. Hanaro is open relatively late, especially towards the end of the week. If desirable retail and restaurant tenants fill the ground floor of a new Lot 667 development around it, there would be a more pleasant pedestrian experience after business hours. Especially if the Bainbridge Bethesda can find a winning tenant for the Clove & Cedar space on St. Elmo, and with the St. Elmo Avenue Apartments being constructed west of the Bainbridge in the next few years.

Former Red Tomato Cafe demolished in Bethesda (Photos)

All that's left of the popular Red Tomato Cafe this morning is their old brick pizza oven. It stands amid the rubble of the restaurant, which was condemned after the building was damaged during excavation for the neighboring Bainbridge Bethesda luxury apartment tower.

You'll notice one wall remains standing, which means it is not technically a full demolition under Montgomery County code; in contrast, the old BCC Automotive facility adjacent to this had demolition permits posted.

This is part of the Lot 667 project by Greenhill Capital, which will transform an L-shaped collection of properties (old Fresh Grill and Dansez! Dansez building on Fairmont Avenue, and Red Tomato and BCC Automotive on St. Elmo Avenue - - renovation of 4901-A Fairmont has already been completed and is occupied by Tapabar and European Wax) into a new retail and restaurant center.

The project's design is by the local architecture firm of Steven J. Karr, AIA, Inc.

Repair of Fresh Grill building to begin in Bethesda

Greenhill Capital has retained the architecture firm of Steven J. Karr, AIA, Inc. to repair damage to its 4905 and 4909 Fairmont Avenue buildings, which once housed Fresh Grill and Dansez! Dansez!. The damage was caused "by an adjacent high rise building's deep foundation excavation operations," referring to the construction of the Bainbridge Bethesda luxury apartment tower next door. The damage, which led to a lengthy legal fight, was diagnosed in a prior report by Karr's firm.

The work will include foundation repairs, reconstruction of load-bearing masonry walls, and replacement of steel roof joists. In addition, alterations will be made to prepare the structures for tenants, and to repair and update the front facades. These changes are also in preparation for an extensive update to the entire Lot 667 property Greenhill owns, which has also been designed by Karr. That makeover is expected to reinvigorate several portions of Fairmont, and Norfolk and St. Elmo Avenues.

The estimated cost of the repairs is $500,000. Sigal Construction is the contractor, and the work is expected to be completed by May 2016.

Mural added to Lot 667 redevelopment plan on St. Elmo Ave. in Bethesda (Photos)

A paneled mural is the latest addition to the Greenhill Capital Lot 667 redevelopment plan, as part of the project's public space along St. Elmo Avenue. The lower-case "b"-shaped lot is bordered by St. Elmo, and Norfolk and Fairmont Avenues, in downtown Bethesda's Woodmont Triangle. It includes the former BlackFinn Bethesda nightclub building and current Bold Bite properties (4901-A/B Fairmont Avenue), the former Fresh Grill and Dansez! Dansez! building adjacent to those on Fairmont, and former BCC Automotive and Red Tomato Cafe structures on St. Elmo.

The redevelopment plan, created by the architecture firm of Steven J. Karr, AIA, Inc., would add floors to some of the existing structures, delete one current vehicle driveway, and create new public space. Greenhill seeks to increase the maximum developable non-residential space on the site from 19,835 SF to 25,259 square feet. The Montgomery County Planning Board will take up the project at its September 17 meeting. Planning staff is recommending approval of the project.

Proposed public space on the site will be on both Fairmont and St. Elmo Avenues. A previous design rendering for public space on St. Elmo was shown on the SJKAIA, Inc. website, but the mural described in planning documents isn't shown in that earlier image. The latest blueprint-style rendering indicates that the mural will be on an existing wall of the Red Tomato Cafe building. Amenities will include landscaping, Bethesda Streetscape-standard brick pavers, a scored concrete surface, and chess/checkers tables.

An early design study did show a large mural on the Fairmont side, but that space was eliminated by a later design (it was where the vehicle entrance is off of Fairmont today). SJKAIA also designed a mural for a new retail building on Cordell Avenue, which has attracted a lot of attention for its New York via Las Vegas theme.

The driveway off of St. Elmo (depicted in the top image) will become the sole vehicle access for deliveries and trash removal, creating a better walking environment for pedestrians and a more unified design. Located within the urban parking lot district, Lot 667 does not have to include parking in its design.

Here are new aerial/blueprint-style renderings of the proposed public spaces on Fairmont (901.67 SF) and St. Elmo (975.39 SF):

Renderings courtesy Steven J. Karr, AIA, Inc.
All rights reserved

BlackFinn Bethesda demolition update (Photos)

Demolition and reconfiguration of the interior of 4901-A Fairmont Avenue, the former home of BlackFinn Bethesda, continues. Under a redesign of Greenhill Capital's larger Lot 667 property by the architecture firm of Steven J. Karr, AIA, Inc., the large structure's interior is being redivided to allow for multiple new retail storefronts.

The structural changes, additions and renovations also include the nearby former Fresh Grill and Dansez! Dansez! spaces on Fairmont Avenue, and the BCC Automotive and Red Tomato Cafe buildings on St. Elmo Avenue.

New renderings of Lot 667 restaurant-retail project in Bethesda's Woodmont Triangle (Photos)

The reimagining of several vacant Greenhill Capital properties, collectively referred to as Lot 667, took a leap forward this week. Local architecture firm Steven J. Karr AIA, Inc., posted new renderings of the project online. Most significant among the changes since my last update on the project is a building addition linking the former Fresh Grill building with its Fairmont Avenue neighbor, home to Bold Bite.

Fairmont Avenue

This addition expands on the "Windows on Woodmont Triangle" design of Karr's Norfolk-Cordell II building, with a facade that is dominated by glass on both of its two levels. Steven Karr says that glass curtainwall will "evoke a sense of transparency and coherency to the complex as a whole."

Goodbye, BlackFinn.
Hello, Norfolk Avenue retail.

Some interesting rooftop spaces are also included, as is new retail space on both St. Elmo and Norfolk Avenues. The revamp will also repair damage to several of the Lot 667 structures caused during excavation on an adjacent property several years ago. That damage was what led to most of them becoming vacant, as the buildings were deemed unsafe to be occupied. 4901-A only became vacant after tenant BlackFinn reportedly fell behind on rent payments and closed.

Public space

1877 SF of public space will also be added to the site, and a service court will handle both stormwater management and loading/delivery access, with the latter being facilitated by the existing St. Elmo Avenue driveway.

St. Elmo Avenue retail, public
space and driveway to access
loading area for delivery vehicles

All renderings courtesy Steven J. Karr AIA, Inc.

All rights reserved.

DEMOLITION PERMIT SOUGHT FOR BCC AUTOMOTIVE BUILDING IN BETHESDA (PHOTO)

A demolition permit request has been filed for the former BCC Automotive building at 4912 St. Elmo Avenue in Bethesda. The filing is seeking permission to demolish only the building in the back of the property, with the intention of rebuilding it at a later date.

This is one of several buildings in Greenhill Capital's Lot 667 project, which is renovating and updating that plot along St. Elmo, Norfolk and Fairmont Avenues. An interior demolition is already underway at 4901-A Fairmont.

Meanwhile, in a sign of things to come in Bethesda, former tenant BCC Automotive is alive, well and operating - at 15882-C Frederick Road, in Woodbine, Maryland, near Interstate 70. With the demise of gas and service stations in downtown Bethesda, and the current proposal for the new Westbard Sector Plan showing all of its gas stations (and most auto repair facilities) being demolished in the future, getting your car fixed could one day mean a trip that far for repairs.

BETHESDA BAR ONCE HOME TO BLACKFINN BEING GUTTED

The vacant restaurant/bar building at 4901-A Fairmont Avenue, previously known as BlackFinn (and Willie & Reed's before that), is being gutted and renovated. Owner Greenhill Capital has hired local architecture firm Steven J. Karr, AIA, Inc,, to remove all of the previous tenants' interior improvements, and the entire 2,246 SF second floor, reducing the building to core and shell components.

The demolition work will be done by Sigal Corporation, also the contractor for another Karr project currently underway on Cordell Avenue. Demolition is expected to be completed by March. This is part of a larger overhaul of Greenhill's multi-building Lot 667 along Fairmont, Norfolk and St. Elmo Avenues that is also being designed by Karr.

NEW RENDERINGS FOR FRESH GRILL BUILDING REVAMP IN BETHESDA (PHOTOS)

The architecture firm of Steven J. Karr, AIA, Inc. has produced new renderings for a redesign of the former Fresh Grill building on Fairmont Avenue. Structural damage of the Greenhill Capital-owned building will be repaired, and this will be part of the firm's larger project at Lot 667 on Fairmont, Norfolk and St. Elmo Avenues.

A new restaurant side entrance is shown along the existing driveway west of Bold Bite, as well as a public art mural at the rear of the drive. Some limited patio dining space will be included on Fairmont Avenue.

All renderings courtesy Steven J. Karr, AIA, Inc.
All rights reserved

PLANS FOR FRESH GRILL/LOT 667 REDEVELOPMENT UNVEILED IN BETHESDA (PHOTOS)

Greenhill Capital held a pre-submittal meeting for its Lot 667 redevelopment plan last night in Bethesda. The presentation was made by Todd Brown of the Linowes and Blocher law firm. An L-shaped property fronting on Fairmont, St. Elmo, and Norfolk Avenues in the Woodmont Triangle, Lot 667's current structures are mostly vacant. Bold Bite and office space remain active at 4901 Fairmont Avenue, but former tenants Fresh Grill, BlackFinn, Dansez Dansez, Red Tomato Cafe and BCC Automotive have vacated the premises.

The plan unveiled last evening is a interim project, meaning that a more-ambitious redevelopment of the site - such as the proposal designed by architecture firm of Steven J. Karr, AIA, Inc. - is being postponed to a future date. In short, new floors and new structures will be added to the buildings already there, to create a uniform facade. Eventually, after the second phase is completed, all of the structures will be connected, via the new structure in the center. As a reconstruction, no site plans will need to be submitted, Brown said. A preliminary plan will be filed with the county planning department this fall, however. The project will go to the planning board in the fall or winter, with construction beginning in spring of 2015.

The old Fresh Grill structure, condemned after damage caused by excavation on an adjacent property, will be reconstructed to make it habitable again. It will continue to be 1-story.

Bold Bite will remain in place on Fairmont Avenue, and the BlackFinn space at 4901-A Fairmont will be leased to a future tenant as expected. A new, 1-story addition will be added to the rear corner of the Fresh Grill space at the back of the driveway off of Fairmont Avenue.

Vacant storefronts formerly
inhabited by Dansez, Dansez
and Fresh Grill

Bold Bite is here
to stay on Fairmont

The Red Tomato building - also damaged and condemned - will be stabilized and reconstructed in a later Phase II of the project. It will receive an addition in the rear at that point, and a second story. All floors are currently expected to be retail space.

BCC Automotive building

Only the BCC Automotive structure will be razed. There will be slightly over 1000 SF of public space on the St. Elmo side of the property.

Overall, this is an opportunity for the landowner to finally get some revenue coming in from some of the now-vacant, condemned structures on the property. And a chance to reactivate some dead space along Fairmont and St. Elmo, assuming Bainbridge can get some exciting tenants for its ground-level retail/restaurant space next door to Lot 667.

REDEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR FRESH GRILL/LOT 667 TO BE UNVEILED AT PUBLIC MEETING IN BETHESDA

Representatives of Greenhill Capital will reveal the landowner's redevelopment plan for Lot 667, an L-shaped property along Fairmont and St. Elmo Avenues in downtown Bethesda, at a public meeting on July 31. Readers may recall one potential development concept for the property I posted about a few weeks back, which was created by Steven J. Karr, AIA, Inc. The site includes the former homes of Fresh Grill, Dansez Dansez, Red Tomato Cafe and BCC Automotive.

What is known so far, is that the project will add 5,429 square feet of non-residential space to the site. Although 4901 Fairmont Avenue (formerly leased by BlackFinn; Bold Bite is a current tenant) is part of Lot 667, landowner Lenny Greenberg says that building will not be demolished.

The meeting will be held on Thursday, July 31, at 7:30 PM, at the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Services Center, at 4805 Edgemoor Lane.

NEW ROOFTOP COULD BE COMING TO BETHESDA'S WOODMONT TRIANGLE (PHOTOS)

A new project proposal for the Lot 667 site, along St. Elmo and Fairmont Avenues, includes a rooftop deck. The 3-story retail-office building, designed by the architecture firm of Steven J. Karr, AIA, Inc., would also feature a pedestrian plaza connecting St. Elmo with Fairmont, as the neighboring Bainbridge Bethesda project does. That Lot 667 plaza appears to be wider than Bainbridge's, and would include seating and a covered, shaded area. Use of the rooftop space is not specified. Renderings do not show a bar like the neighboring Roof restaurant, so it is unclear if the rooftop is limited to office tenants (like 7550 Wisconsin) or could accommodate a dining/nightlife tenant.

While the building will house 7,000 SF of floor space, the ratio of retail-to-office is not known at this stage. That could be determined by market conditions and potential interest. The upper floor window designs could be appropriate for either use. Glass facade atriums that appear to rise the full height of the building on the Fairmont and plaza sides are particularly nice elements, I think.

The surface grade of the site would descend toward St. Elmo, and be made navigable via stairs and a handicapped ramp. So the St. Elmo side would be dominated by public space, rather than the building itself. That location is currently home to the Red Tomato Cafe and BCC Automotive buildings and driveway. Structures that would be demolished to make way for the new building on the Fairmont side are the former homes of Dansez Dansez and Fresh Grill, and a driveway.

Importantly, the proposal again leaves 4901 Fairmont Avenue intact at Norfolk Avenue. 4901-B is currently leased by Bold Bite, and 4901-A is available for lease, after former tenant BlackFinn failed to pay rent. SJKAIA has been retained by property owner Greenhill, which is exploring options for the Lot 667 properties. Hanaro and Bangkok Garden are not part of Lot 667, and will remain in place.

Overall, the project is architecturally more ambitious than the initial proposal, while the modest height will limit vacancy risk in Montgomery County's currently-miserable office space market. It also appears to meet the demands expressed by residents for more public space in downtown Bethesda. Certainly, the proposal is an upgrade over what is there now.

All renderings courtesy of Steven J. Karr, AIA, Inc.
All rights reserved
Renderings drawn by Andrew Bzdega