OFFENSIVE COMMENTS, ORWELLIAN DOUBLESPEAK ON BETHESDA PLANNING RADIO

Yesterday there was an interesting discussion of the Bethesda Downtown Plan on the Kojo Nnamdi Show, and you can read an entire transcript here.

But I wanted to respond to a couple of misleading statements made during the broadcast by Washington Post columnist Roger Lewis, and Montgomery County Planning Director Gwen Wright.

I found Roger Lewis' comments offensive and troubling. Regarding "urbanization" (which is nonsensical, because downtown Bethesda is thoroughly urban already! We're not "urbanizing" Bethesda - we already did that), Lewis made the following statement:

Roger Lewis: "I think loading the dice against urbanism is usually motivated by either resistance to change, as we talk about all the time, or concern that I'm not going to find a parking space and I'm going to sit through four cycles of this signal at this intersection.

"I mean, I think traffic congestion -- I think a lot of what we hear are essentially code words, if you will, for what people directly experience and perceive and worry about urbanism, which is both -- well, it's traffic congestion. It's also the arrival of people who maybe are different. I mean there's a sociological dimension to this. I mean, that's my interpretation. Whenever I hear, if you will, the nimbi (sic) argument, it's almost always based on that."

This is complete hogwash. Along with Planning Director Gwen Wright's assertions that affordable housing will be magically-increased in the Bethesda Downtown Plan, and that millennials will be able to afford Bethesda, this was a truly 1984-esque moment in yesterday's broadcast. What is happening now, and unless there is a policy change that accompanies the passage of the new downtown plan, is the exact opposite.

We just witnessed - especially readers of this blog - the demolition of The Hampden apartments on Hampden Lane. Those are being replaced by The Lauren, an ultra-luxury condo building with units "from the several millions." The end result is a net loss of affordable units on that site (not to mention several mature trees).

Battery Lane will soon have several demolitions, again with a net loss of affordable units. The same is coming for a building on MacArthur Boulevard, and - potentially - along Bradley Boulevard.

All of those threatened buildings had, or have, something in common. They were, and are, among the last buildings that an actual millennial could afford to rent in.

Much as in similar demolitions across the county, such as in Wheaton, Glenmont and at Halpine View, they will be replaced with luxury housing, not equal or greater racial and economic diversity. The "arrival of people" resulting from this will be a group very much like the one that dominates Bethesda today - rich, white people. Roger Lewis himself admitted long ago that the DC area building boom is not going to generate the adequate amount of affordable housing it promised. Instead, we are getting luxury buildings, with a handful of MPDUs in each. At the same time, we are demolishing more affordable units than we are building.

Res ipsa loquitur. But don't come on the radio and mislead people about affordable housing. And absolutely don't come on and accuse the people trying to maintain diversity and affordable housing in Montgomery County of using "code words," or having a fear of people who are "different." That is Orwellian doublespeak at its worst (or, best?). Mr. Lewis should be embarrassed about that, given his previous admission that the building boom indeed will not provide the affordable housing he claims Bethesda fears.

"OFFENSIVE" BETHESDA LUXURY CONDO SIGNS IGNITE AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEBATE (PHOTOS)

Several times recently, I've been walking past The Hampden apartments, at Hampden Lane and Woodmont Avenue, and seen people aiming cell phone cameras toward the building.

They're not house hunters. They're not investors. They're snapping photos of large signs that foretell doom for The Hampden, and sharing them online.

The signs are touting The Lauren, which may eventually be the most exclusive address in downtown Bethesda. As part of an edgy, frank marketing push towards the few who can actually afford condos starting in "the several millions," the signs have succeeded in getting attention. But it hasn't been all the right kind.

"Today...in Bethesda this huge obnoxious sign caught my eye, along with some other people who were taking pictures of it as well," a Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row reader (who asked to remain anonymous) emailed me.  "They all agreed it was distasteful, couldn't they print 'High Luxury' instead of 'several millions?'  I hope I'm not the only one who finds this offensive."

"I understand that development is important in our area. I just dont agree that it needs to become such a high end place on the market. I feel like Bethesda is growing, and I welcome that, but I feel the sign was in poor taste. I understand that they wanted to stand out with their signage but they may be pushing it a bit too far."

So one issue is the marketing message itself.

For me, as I noted in the original article on The Lauren (linked above), the concern is the net loss of affordable units with this project. If there were 12 affordable units in The Lauren, and current tenants of the relatively-affordable Hampden had first dibs on them, I would probably be able to support the project. But, the fact is, there aren't, and those current residents are going to be out on the street.

One of my followers on Twitter has similar concerns. @Casielee tweeted a link to my original Lauren piece yesterday, and added, "Wow. How long until you drive my middle class out of Bethesda, Bethesda? So sad."

The lower and middle classes are, without a doubt, the big losers in the countywide "smart" growth developalooza.

Poor residents are about to get tossed out in Wheaton, Silver Spring and Glenmont, to make way for new apartments they can't afford.

Two other sites in downtown Bethesda are about to suffer the same fate. Affordable housing for young people and seniors on Battery Lane is going to be demolished. And a small apartment building at the corner of Sangamore Road and MacArthur Boulevard is facing the wrecking ball, as well.

Developers are building like mad, but we've yet to see the "affordable housing" urbanization proponents have facetiously claimed was the raison d'etre for such development.

Not long after the signs got citizens talking about the affordable housing crisis in Bethesda, a leading advocate of urbanization and smart growth made a shocking admission.

Roger Lewis, a Washington Post columnist, architect and proponent of massive infill redevelopment (like The Lauren), suddenly acknowledged Saturday that the DC area building boom won't provide the promised affordable housing after all.

In a 180° turn from the unified message of developer-backed smart growth advocates, Lewis wrote:

"Future metropolitan Washington real estate growth will be substantial. In every municipal and county jurisdiction, plans for redevelopment of existing properties as well as new land development envision tens of thousands of housing units, mostly at high densities, and mostly unsubsidized.

"Yet low- and middle-income families will be unable to afford these new urban and suburban homes," Lewis concluded.

This is a frank admission of what I, and other responsible growth advocates in the county, have been saying for years.  And really, it's just acknowledging the reality all around us.

If even an advocate of demolishing affordable apartments and urbanizing the suburbs like Lewis can have an epiphany on affordable housing, isn't it time to reexamine our growth and affordable housing strategies in Montgomery County?

When even the proponents admit we're failing, it's time to face the facts: it's not working.

BETHESDA ROW

DEVELOPMENT TO

IMPACT RESIDENTS

OF THE SEASONS,

SACKS SUBDIVISION

Parkmageddon is upon us at Bethesda Row, now that Public Parking Lots 31 and 31A have closed for demolition. But the two luxury residential buildings to rise in their places will most directly impact current residents of The Seasons apartments (pictured above) which border Lot 31A, and homeowners on Leland Street in the neighborhood known as Sacks, which is directly behind Lot 31 (top photo).

Sacks is named after the original landowner, George P. Sacks - now there's some Bethesda history for you!

Both communities have enjoyed fantabulous views of Bethesda Row and downtown Bethesda. But that will be lost for the apartments and homes directly aside the new buildings.

As one can imagine (and is quite obvious from the above photos) there is also going to be quite a bit of noise from the construction site over the next 2+ years. The unique quality of Sacks will be all but lost; up until now, a person walking through the neighborhood could fool themselves they were on a leafy, suburban street miles from the city. At the same time, residents could take a 1 minute walk to all of the downtown excitement at Bethesda Row. Now Sacks will be the literal manifestation of the Roger Lewis cartoon, which showed condo towers looming over a family's backyard barbecue.

Let's not forget that a developer tried to buy the whole Sacks neighborhood just 7 years ago, and extend Bethesda Row to Bradley Boulevard. That case became enshrined in history, as not only an example of the real estate madness of that era, but a warning to all that developers and the politicians they elect know no bounds. And that they will bulldoze suburbia in Montgomery County, if and when they can "change behavior and attitudes" regarding home ownership, backyards, trees, and white picket fences. I think urban living is great, and clearly, more and more people agree every day in the DC area. But so are suburban and rural living, and how boring would it be if Montgomery County lost that variety? Not to mention the environmental damage.

It's also hard to believe that, just a decade ago, residents behind the Giant/Trak Auto (I can hear some of you asking, "What's that?!")/Baskin Robbins shopping center were up in arms about a two-story grocery store and the relatively-short Upstairs at Bethesda Row project. While ridiculously low-density, short, boutique condo buildings near the Bethesda Metro station unbelievably - and foolishly - receive continuous approval from the county council and Planning board, the old "step-down" concerns where urban meets suburban seem to have been tossed out the window.

The fact is, in downtown Bethesda since the late 80s, the only constant has been change, as they say. For some residents near Bethesda Row, change is about to hit home.