Public meeting scheduled for redevelopment of Jewelry Exchange/Old Georgetown Grille in Bethesda

Developer Stonebridge is preparing to submit its Preliminary and Site Plans for its proposed redevelopment of 7749 and 7755 Old Georgetown Road, and adjacent property along St. Elmo Avenue, in downtown Bethesda. It has scheduled a required pre-submittal public meeting for Monday, June 10, 2024, at 6:00 PM at the Connie Morella Bethesda Library at 7400 Arlington Road. Give Stonebridge some credit for having the meeting prior to when most people begin going on summer vacations. We've all seen public meetings for projects that were actually controversial sometimes held between mid-June and August, or during the December holidays.

The assembled project site includes the office building that holds the currently-operating Old Georgetown Grille and Colonial Opticians, and the former Jewelry Exchange retail building. Some one-level retail buildings directly adjacent on St. Elmo will be torn down as well, but Serpentine Dance Studio and House of Milae will remain between this new high-rise, and the Sophia Bethesda apartment tower.

Bethesda Jewelry Exchange/Old Georgetown Grille redevelopment heading to Planning Board Dec. 14

Sketch and Preliminary plans for a high-rise development that will replace the Old Georgetown Grille, Bethesda Florist and the old Jewelry Exchange building are headed to the Montgomery County Planning Board for approval December 14, 2023 at 9:20 AM. Developer Stonebridge is proposing a 175' tall apartment tower with 240 residential units, and 6000-square feet of retail and restaurant space on the ground floor. It would provide the minimum 15% Moderately-Priced Dwelling Units required by Montgomery County, and will place loading dock and parking access on the St. Elmo Avenue side of the lot, which consists of 7749 Old Georgetown Road, 7747 Old Georgetown Road, 4934 St. Elmo Avenue and 4940 St. Elmo Avenue.

A 143-space parking garage will be located under the building, fewer spaces than the minimum ordinarily required by Montgomery County. Bicycle lanes will be placed alongside the building on St. Elmo Avenue, as recommended in the 2017 Bethesda Downtown Plan. Planning staff are recommending approval of the Sketch and Preliminary plans.

7749 Old Georgetown Road redevelopment will include Old Georgetown Grille building property

Developer Stonebridge's proposal to redevelop the former Jewelry Exchange building at 7749 Old Georgetown Road in Bethesda will include the adjacent 7755 Old Georgetown office building property that is home to Old Georgetown Grille and Colonial Opticians. Renderings show the lots assembled for the project also include one-story retail buildings on St. Elmo Avenue next to 7755 Old Georgetown. They depict the Serpentine Dance Studio and House of Milae buildings remaining in place between the future high-rises of 7749 Old Georgetown and currently-under-construction St. Elmo Apartments.

Stonebridge is proposing a 175' tall apartment tower that would include up to 240 rental apartments, 15% of which would be Moderately-Priced-Dwelling-Units (MPDUs), the minimum required by Montgomery County. Up to 6000-square-feet of ground floor retail and restaurant space are proposed, as well as a 150-space underground parking garage. Rooftop features would include a partially-covered terrace, a not-yet-determined amenity, and a green roof area. 

The architectural firm contracted by Stonebridge for the development is Bethesda's SK+I Architectural Design Group. Renderings show the building will follow the base-and-tower massing design that has become ubiquituous among projects built under the guidelines of the 2017 Bethesda Downtown sector plan. VIKA is the engineering firm.

A required public meeting regarding the project Sketch Plan will be held tonight, Monday, June 26, 2023 at 7:00 PM at the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center at 4805 Edgemoor Lane in downtown Bethesda. The meeting will be held in the Wisconsin conference room at the center. Stonebridge will present the project to the Bethesda Design Advisory Panel on June 28, and submit its Sketch Plan to Montgomery County in July. 

The Montgomery County Planning Board is expected to review the Sketch Plan at a future public hearing in October or November of 2023. It would then review the subsequent Preliminary and Site plans for the project in 2024. If all plans are approved, a Q1 2026 groundbreaking is anticipated.

Images courtesy Stonebridge/SK+I

Bethesda Jewelry Exchange building to be redeveloped by Stonebridge

The former Jewelry Exchange building at 7749 Old Georgetown Road was purchased by Bethesda-based development firm Stonebridge last fall for $3.6 million. Stonebridge was represented in the purchase by Jack Alexander and Mark Rittenberg of another Bethesda real estate firm, AMR Commercial, LLC. At the time, speculation by local real estate observers centered on two questions: How soon would Stonebridge seek to redevelop the 0.165 acre property, and could it assemble it with any adjoining sites to create a larger potential project? We now have a solid answer to the first question, and are sixteen days away from a solid answer to the second.

Stonebridge initially leased the building to Nazlymov Fencing. But it now intends to move forward with redevelopment of the property. Stonebridge is proposing a mixed-use residential building with 240,000 square feet of residential space, and up to 6000 SF of ground floor retail and restaurant space. As proposed, the development would provide the minimum-required 15% Moderately Priced Dwelling Units (MPDUs). The site is zoned with a maximum height of 175 feet (approximately 18 stories) unless bonus density is sought through the optional points system, such as providing more than 15% MPDUs.

Here's the interesting part: The Jewelry Exchange site is 0.165 acres. Stonebridge describes its redevelopment project as being 0.43 acres. That would suggest it will be incorporating additional, adjoining property. The math of adding the 0.099 acre site of 7755 Old Georgetown next door doesn't quite add up for me. Perhaps one of my math whiz readers can figure out where Stonebridge is adding .265 acres of land to get to 0.43 acres?

7749 Old Georgetown Road is outlined in green;
potential adjoining properties are outlined in red;
directly to the right of 7749 is the 12-story
Fairmont Building at 7735 Old Georgetown, which
at .52 acres is alone larger than Stonebridge's .43 acre
plan, ruling it out as a potential addition to the project

We'll have the answer soon enough: A required pre-submittal public meeting on the proposed Sketch Plan for the project has been scheduled for Monday, June 26, 2023 at 7:00 PM at the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center at 4805 Edgemoor Lane in downtown Bethesda. The meeting will be held in the Wisconsin conference room at the center.

Stonebridge acquires The Jewelry Exchange property in Bethesda

Earlier this month, I learned that the former home of The Jewelry Exchange at 7747 Old Georgetown Road in Bethesda had been sold. Now the new owner is known, as well, and it boosts the likelihood of a future redevelopment of the site. Bethesda-based Stonebridge has acquired the property for $3,600,000, according to Maryland real estate records. 

The development firm has already delivered two major projects in downtown Bethesda, the Lot 31 mega-redevelopment (The Darcy and The Flats at Bethesda Avenue, along with the gigantic public parking garage beneath the two buildings) and Avocet Tower. It has acquired several other large properties in Bethesda and Chevy Chase, and is a major player in the D.C. market. Currently, the one-story Jewelry Exchange building is on the market for lease. It is a prime property for redevelopment, particularly if Stonebridge can assemble it with one or more of the adjoining properties along St. Elmo Avenue.

Avocet Tower lights up with Ukrainian flag colors to support Ukraine (Photos)

Avocet Tower was lit up in the blue and yellow colors of the Ukrainian flag last night, in solidarity with the people of Ukraine resisting a Russian military invasion. As I have posted previously, the Class-A office building's accent lighting can change - and does change - based on events, holidays and seasons of the year.

Sidewalk reopens in front of Avocet Tower in Bethesda

The sidewalk in front of Avocet Tower at 7373 Wisconsin Avenue has reopened. an Avocet Tower logo has been installed above the lobby entrance. StonebridgeCarras' new development on the former site of the 2nd District Montgomery County police station includes an office tower, and an AC Hotel by Marriott.

Avocet Tower light show over downtown Bethesda (Photos)

The new Avocet Tower Class A office building at 7373 Wisconsin Avenue put on a light display high above downtown Bethesda Friday night. Lights on the tower's roof deck cycled through a rainbow of colors. A faint beam of light appeared to project from the roof across Wisconsin Avenue, perhaps enhanced by the humid conditions.

Corella Café & Lounge to open April 2022 at AC Hotel at Avocet Tower in Bethesda (Photos)

New public art

installation activated

The ground floor restaurant at the new AC Hotel Bethesda Downtown at 4646 Montgomery Avenue will be called Corella Café & Lounge, parent company Marriott International says. Serving "locally-inspired" American cuisine, the casual restaurant will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. It will feature a "lavish bar," as well as outdoor patio seating. Marriott says the hotel, part of StonebridgeCarras' Avocet Tower development, is now on course for an April 2022 opening.

Bar area

Outdoor patio seating

AC Hotel Bethesda Downtown will also contain a convenience store selling snacks and sundries. Its 4000-square-foot rooftop fitness center will feature state-of-the-art equipment, a spin room, a yoga studio, The Mirror Home Gym, and spectacular views of the region.

New sculpture on the Avocet Tower
plaza Tuesday night

A second public art installation at the adjoining Avocet Tower, which is on the other side of the property at 7373 Wisconsin Avenue, was officially activated Tuesday. Located on the plaza in front of the office tower, the new sculpture was lit last night. The first art installation, an interactive star field suspended over the plaza, was activated back in June. 

Avocet Tower

AC Hotel (left) adjoins Avocet Tower

AC Hotel (left) Avocet Tower (right)

AC Hotel

Avocet Tower (left) AC Hotel (right)

Photos: Robert Dyer

Renderings courtesy Marriott International