The Palisades touts public EV charging station in Bethesda

"PARK HERE," beckons the sign on a quiet, out-of-the-way street in Bethesda's Woodmont Triangle neighborhood. It sits outside the parking garage of The Palisades apartments at 4835 Cordell Avenue, but on the rear side of the building on Del Ray Avenue. A total of three signs posted around the garage entrance promote a public EV charging station located inside the garage. The Palisades has a history of being ahead of the curve, being one of the few buildings in the region that boasts a backup electricity generation system that activates during power outages.

Christmas lights return to The Palisades in downtown Bethesda (Photos)

The famous Christmas lights display at The Palisades apartments at 4835 Cordell Avenue has returned for 2021. It's a must stop on any downtown Bethesda Christmas lights walking or driving tour. 

Hallmark Store closes at Montgomery Mall; does your building allow contactless delivery?; 17 Metro stations closing Thursday

Hallmark Fonz Christmas
ornament from 2014

WHEN YOU CARE

ENOUGH NOT TO

SPREAD COVID-19

Banner's Hallmark Shop at Westfield Montgomery Mall is temporarily closing. The store said it decided to close to protect its employees and customers from the coronavirus, and that they hope to reopen soon. Gov. Larry Hogan ordered the closure of all non-essential businesses in the state on Monday.

17 METRO STATIONS TO

CLOSE TOMORROW

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan has already warned residents that you shouldn't be on transit unless you are an employee of an essential business, or a frontline healthcare worker. Riding Metro will get even tougher tomorrow, Thursday, March 26, 2020, when WMATA closes 17 Metro stations.

Red Line stations closing that may impact Montgomery County residents most are Grosvenor-Strathmore, Cleveland Park, and Judiciary Square. 

In addition, the Jennifer Street entrance to the Friendship Heights Metro station will be closed. So will the SW corner of L and Connecticut Avenue NW entrance to the Farragut North station, the South Entrance at 19th St & Connecticut Avenue at Dupont Circle, and the 12th and F Streets entrance at Metro Center.

SHOULD RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS

ALLOW CONTACTLESS DELIVERY

TO THE DOOR OF YOUR UNIT?

The coronavirus pandemic, and its national and worldwide impacts, have put us in uncharted territory. Another new controversy emerging from the outbreak is whether multifamily buildings should permit contactless delivery of food directly to a resident's unit, or bar deliverypersons from elevators and hallways, and require tenants to come down to the lobby to pick up their food.

A change in policy at The Palisades apartments in downtown Bethesda has ignited the online discussion. One resident expressed concern that the building's management has reversed its policy that allowed delivery of food to unit doors in the building. The new policy is that the deliveryperson must place the food package(s) down on a table in the lobby for that purpose. Then the resident must come down to the lobby and retrieve their delivery.

The resident noted that having to travel through the corridor, elevator and lobby would naturally increase her exposure to the coronavirus. She is requesting the management company change the policy.

Several residents agreed with her. However, some said a delivery person traveling the corridors and "touching all the buttons" in the elevator is a health risk, as well.

This is a tough call. Clearly, having to leave your apartment puts you at greater risk than staying in. At the same time, the delivery man or woman is also contacting numerous customers and restaurant staff throughout his or her shift. That multiplies the number of contacts. Of course, with contactless delivery, he or she theoretically is not making contact. 

What do you think about this? What is your building's policy, and do you think it should change? Give your two cents in the comments below, and maybe we can get a sense of what policies are in place around Montgomery County, and which of these two reasonable and compelling arguments is stronger from a medical and contagion standpoint.

TALBERT'S DELIVERS

Montgomery County landmark Talbert's, the longtime convenience store and beer/wine retailer at 5234 River Road in Bethesda, is reminding drivers on River Road that it always has made deliveries. A sign attached to the store's famous sign pole out front reads, "TALBERT'S DELIVERS: 301-652-3000." I can confirm that they have just about every snack or beverage you would need to survive the pandemic, and ice in case the freezer you stuffed full suddenly gives out.

NEW YORK IS THE EPICENTER;

WHAT ABOUT THE D.C. REGION?

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is warning America that New York City's increasing coronavirus death rate and spread is a preview of what's coming to other parts of the country in the next few weeks. Join Marsha Coleman Adebayo of Bethesda's Macedonia Baptist Church this morning at 9:00 AM on WPFW-FM 89.3 for a discussion with NYC activist Margaret Kimberly, the Senior Editor of the Black Agenda Report, and the author of Prejudential, and King Downing, JD, WBAI morning host.

SURVIVING CORONAVIRUS

IN ROCKVILLE

The same day that Montgomery County removed basketball hoops from some of its parks, Rockville Mayor Bridget Donnell Newton said basketball hoops had to be removed from city parks due to groups violating the governor's ban on gatherings of more than ten people, and of Hogan's order to maintain social distancing. In an ongoing series of video updates posted by the City, Newton encouraged residents to follow Hogan's directives. "We will get through this if we follow the rules, make smart decisions, and, above all, be kind and supportive of each other," she said.

Christmas decorations at The Palisades, Triangle Towers in Bethesda (Photos)

The Palisades and Triangle Towers on Cordell Avenue have set up their annual Christmas decoration displays. Let's take a look.

Signage installed at Barre3 in Bethesda (Photos)

The signs are up at the future Barre3 gym in The Palisades, located at 4835 Cordell Avenue in Bethesda. An opening date has not yet been announced, so stay tuned.

Christmas decorations at The Palisades in Bethesda (Photos)

It's time to take our annual trip to see the Christmas decorations outside The Palisades luxury apartments on Cordell Avenue in the Woodmont Triangle. New this year are light-up candy canes around the circle out front.

Barre3 to open in Bethesda - free classes tonight & Dec. 6, 13

Step up to the barre - - the latest fitness studio entry with a "barre"-branded name will be Barre3. They're going to open in the ground floor of the Palisades apartments at 4835 Cordell Avenue in downtown Bethesda. But at 6:00 PM tonight (Wednesday, November 29) and December 6 and 13, you can try one of their classes for free in the Palisades' community room. No Barre3 experience is necessary.

Just bring a yoga mat and water bottle, and enter the Palisades' main entrance, stay to the right past the elevators, then turn left and follow the signs to the community room. Barre3 is described as "a killer 60 minute workout that will give you a deep muscle burn, heart rate spike and an endorphin high while also balancing your body and centering your mind."

When the actual Barre3 studio opens, they will have a Play Lounge where you can drop off your kids while you work out.

Christmas lights return to Triangle Towers/The Palisades in Bethesda (Video + photos)

The Christmas lights and animated snowflakes are back on Cordell Avenue, at the Triangle Towers and Palisades apartment buildings. There are even a couple of nutcrackers guarding the doors. We may need them year-round once the Purple Line is built.

Palisades Eye Surgery Center reopens in new Bethesda location (Photos)

Palisades Eye Surgery Center has completed its downtown Bethesda move, and has reopened in the front courtyard area of the Palisades apartments at 4831 Cordell Avenue. They've moved around the block from their previous location on Del Ray Avenue.

Prior to opening, they made over $60,000 in renovations to the new space.

WSSC FAILED TO NOTIFY BETHESDA BUILDINGS ABOUT NIGHTTIME WORK NOISE (PHOTOS)

Montgomery County's point man on noise says the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission failed to properly notify residents near St. Elmo Avenue of nighttime work that has kept many tossing and turning this week. Steve Martin, Environmental Compliance Supervisor for the county's Department of Environmental Protection, said in a letter to the Triangle Towers Apartments on Cordell Avenue that the WSSC admitted to him they did not provide the notifications. 

Martin informed the utility that there were 3 residential buildings within the 300' notification range that should have been notified in advance of the noisy work: Triangle Towers, the Bainbridge Bethesda apartments, and the Fairmont Plaza condominiums. I personally have heard from several residents in each of those buildings, as well as one resident of The Palisades, all of whom have complained of the noise over the last several nights.

And the work is not finished. According to a copy of the memo obtained by Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row, WSSC's contractor will be back on-site tonight, and on the evenings of September 2 and 3, 2014. The work involves a sewer line replacement, mandated by federal regulations on aging and failing sewer lines, according to Martin.

What can you do about the noise? Martin advises sleepless residents to contact Brandon Stewart, the WSSC Customer Care Representative for Bethesda, by email.

Martin says that, as a state entity, the WSSC is exempt from the county's noise ordinance - and that they did not advise him of the work in advance, either. He said he has informed the Bethesda Urban Partnership, Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center, and the 2nd District station of the Montgomery County Police about the noise issue.

Here are some photos from their work last night:

PALISADES APARTMENTS CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS (PHOTOS) - BETHESDA CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS

The Palisades luxury apartments on Cordell Avenue are ready for the holidays:

CONSTRUCTION UPDATE ON THAT 70s BUILDING (PHOTOS)

Despite having begun construction more recently, Donohoe's That 70s Building is further towards completion than the Bainbridge Bethesda.

That 70s Building (a.k.a. The Gallery at Bethesda) will be located between Del Ray and Auburn Avenues.  As you can see in these photos, foundation work there is ahead of that which you saw in my Bainbridge update last week.

One other comparison of the projects raises a safety question: Why is the Miller and Long crane at the 70s Building site unlit, while the Bainbridge crane has red warning lights at night?

Does the proximity of the lit WHFS radio tower atop Triangle Towers exempt the 70s Building crane from safety lighting?  There is legitimate cause for concern.  Suburban Hospital and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center both draw heavy helicopter traffic, and are close by.

Should a helicopter not see the crane, the resulting crash could topple the crane.  Chopper and crane could both conceivably crash into the Palisades and Triangle Towers apartment buildings.  Catastrophe would be an understatement in such a disaster.

So, should that thing be lit at night? Or is the situation by the book?

I've read 62 pages of FAA structure lighting regulations, and there was no clear answer either way.