Assault in downtown Bethesda parking garage

Montgomery County police were dispatched to a public parking garage in downtown Bethesda on Saturday afternoon, March 16, 2024, after an individual reported having been the victim of a 2nd-degree assault there. The assault was reported at a parking garage in the 7700 block of Woodmont Avenue at 3:58 PM. That is the Montgomery County-owned Woodmont Corner Public Parking Garage 11.

Marriott crosswalk on Woodmont Avenue to have traffic signal (Photos)

A potential pedestrian safety nightmare has been sidestepped in front of the future Marriott Bethesda Downtown hotel at 7707 Woodmont Avenue. Marriott International employees were expected to park in the Woodmont Corner public parking garage directly across the street from the hotel and new corporate office tower when they open in 2022. A planned crosswalk between the hotel and the garage is meant for those employees and other pedestrians to utilize. But concerns over the safety of a high-traffic unsignalized crosswalk can be put aside, as a new traffic signal is now being installed at that spot.

This will regulate traffic on Woodmont, as well as some of the garage vehicular traffic. Just how many Marriott employees will be using this is not yet known. Prior to pandemic-related layoffs and work-from-home options, Marriott's HQ had 3300 employees on-site, 2500 of whom drove to work. Also notable, as seen in the photo above, is the opening and first use of the hotel's porte cochere off-street driveway - an increasing rarity in new developments in Montgomery County.

Verizon proposes new cell antennas for downtown Bethesda

Verizon Wireless is proposing to erect new wireless communication antennas atop the Montgomery County-owned Woodmont Corner Public Parking Garage 11 at 7730 Woodmont Avenue in downtown Bethesda. The company intends to place antennas and related equipment "at a centerline height of 58 feet" onto the structure.

MoCo to end frequent parker program in Bethesda's Garage 11

Montgomery County has announced it will end the Frequent Parker debit card program at the Woodmont Corner Public Parking Garage 11 on October 1, 2019. Card holders can continue to use them until that date. The deadline for turning in your card and receiving a refund for any unused funds loaded on it is December 31, 2019.

County officials say they are pursuing other payment programs to replace Frequent Parker. One possibility would utilize cell phone payments. To return your Frequent Parker debit card, bring your card to the Woodmont-Corner Garage Office at 7730 Woodmont Avenue between 7:00 AM and midnight, Monday through Friday. For more information, call (301) 657-0848.

Can an "emergency" power outage be planned in advance? Find out at Bethesda's Garage 11 Monday

The Montgomery County Department of Transportation has announced there will be an "emergency power outage" in the Woodmont Corner public parking Garage 11 on Tuesday, May 30, from 4:00 AM to 5:30 AM. There is no explanation why the power will be out, nor why it isn't described as a "planned power outage."

A security team will patrol the garage during the blackout.