TOYS R US TO CLOSE IN JANUARY AT MID-PIKE PLAZA ON ROCKVILLE PIKE (PHOTOS)

STORE WON'T

REOPEN ELSEWHERE

The Dark Side of White Flint, Part 19:

Welcome to The Dark Side of White Flint, an ongoing series about the not-so-wonnerful, wonnerful, wonnerful side of urbanizing the suburbs. These articles provide "the rest of the story" about redeveloping White Flint not found in rosy local media reports.

A Christmas shopping visit to the downscaled Toys R Us store on Rockville Pike brought disappointing, if expected, news: the store will close for good sometime next month, according to a store employee. Worst of all, the store is not relocating; it is the end for Toys R Us here. Having split my childhood toy purchases between this location, and the also-demolished Lowen's toy store in downtown Bethesda, this conclusion is certainly a sad one for me. The original Toys R Us structure was already demolished on the other side of the shopping center; this store is essentially a pop-up affair, but still had a decent inventory. As Toys R Us winds down from its final Christmas shopping season, a closing sale is offering modest discounts of 10-30%. Under the sale's terms, there are no refunds or returns. Shelves throughout the store are increasingly bare, and most are not being restocked.

The anti-suburbia activists will say this is no big deal, "change happens, deal with it," and that urbanizing strip malls on Rockville Pike will reduce exhaust emissions. All three arguments are false.

There is no equivalent toy store anywhere in the Bethesda or Rockville area. Furthermore, Toys R Us carries multiple toy lines exclusive to its stores. Having come directly from the nearby Target, I can confirm that the selections are quite different. And when the Toys R Us was fully stocked, there was simply no comparison between the stores. I am a big fan of Target, and shop at several of their stores frequently. But they understandably cannot devote the space or depth to toys that Toys R Us can, given the broader merchandise array of a big box store. The loss of convenience and toy merchandise selection is indeed a "big deal" for downcounty residents.

Change may happen, but in this case, the desire of parents and children to buy toys has not changed. Development decisions cannot be made in a vacuum, but must take into account the needs of current residents, and the general economic best interest of the area. There is no convincing argument for the destruction of a successful commercial area like Rockville Pike. And even less logic behind one that then banishes the longtime businesses whose stores are demolished. Change in Montgomery County today is primarily driven by development interests, even when other business interests are damaged in the process.

Finally, urbanization of White Flint and Rockville Pike is leading to more driving, not less. The patrons of demolished businesses astronomically outnumber the future residents of luxury buildings in the area. When that Hallmark ornament cannot be found in White Flint, or that Toys R Us-exclusive toy must be had for Christmas, shoppers don't deprive themselves - they hit the road. And now their shopping trip burns several times the amount of gas. So we've made our community less convenient (unless your life revolves around $100 restaurant dinners and high-end shopping 365 days a year), and increased auto emissions, to boot.

In what is becoming a "disposable society," there are costs. Welcome to the dark side.

More articles in this series:

White Flint Mall demolition, phase one (Photos)

Phase one demolition continues (Photos)

The Cheesecake Factory goes dark at White Flint Mall (Photos)

WHITE FLINT CHEESECAKE FACTORY GOES DARK (PHOTOS)

NEW BETHESDA LOCATION

OPENS 11:30 AM TODAY

The Dark Side of White Flint, Part 18

Welcome to The Dark Side of White Flint, a frank and candid examination of the not-so-wonnerful, wonnerful, wonnerful side of urbanizing the suburbs.

The Cheesecake Factory pulled off their dramatic exit from dying White Flint Mall like clockwork. With their new Bethesda location at Westfield Montgomery Mall opening this morning at 11:30 AM, the original White Flint outpost went dark this week.

It's been an entertaining 24 hours, as after originally breaking the story about The Cheesecake Factory fleeing White Flint for Montgomery Mall, I was criticized by a handful of anti-suburb/anti-car critics for being excited about the famous chain at all. Reality paints a starker landscape, I'm afraid. Diners arriving at White Flint Mall last night for ample portions of Cheesecake Factory specialties were flabbergasted to find the doors locked and the windows dark. Discussions ensued. Rather than heading to restaurants in the new developments nearby, one group concluded they were heading to McDonald's. They wanted Cheesecake Factory, not the new White Flint.

"Cheesecake Factory is great. It
should have Michelin stars."

Equally entertaining was a well-timed weigh-in on the joys of The Cheesecake Factory by actress Blake Lively. Lively is usually associated with trendy New York City eateries and nightclubs, primarily due to her years on the series Gossip Girl. But like most average Americans, she is not ready to give up on indoor malls and The Cheesecake Factory just yet. In an interview with New York Magazine's The Cut, Lively says, "Cheesecake Factory is great. It should have Michelin stars." Interviewer Kathleen Hou points out that "you'd have to go to New Jersey, then." "I would go to New Jersey for Cheesecake Factory," responds Lively.

This is not unique to the stars. I've spoken to many people from the Big Apple who are excited to dine at The Cheesecake Factory in the DC area. I think most people, including myself, like dining at great restaurants in New York City and at The Cheesecake Factory in a mall. This is just real life, and reality doesn't fit the claims that indoor malls and the suburbs are "over," or a "mistake."

Exterior views of the new Cheesecake Factory
at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

What was a mistake, was for White Flint Mall's ownership to let The Cheesecake Factory - and its diehard fans - slip away. Those folks will head over to the expanding Westfield Montgomery Mall, which is one Great American Restaurant or Sugarfish away from being competitive with Tysons Corner as a dining destination. The exit of Legal Sea Foods has provided Westfield with the opening to make that happen now.

ZEN TARA TEA CLOSING MAY 26 IN BETHESDA

Tea aficionados in Bethesda are saddened to hear Zen Tara Tea on Bethesda Avenue plans to close on May 26.

The shop has always had a wide selection of teas, and a welcoming atmosphere. It has been perhaps known best for its tea events, and efforts to remain open during Bethesda bad weather events, when other businesses closed up.

Zen Tara Tea does have an online tea shop where orders can be placed, at ZenTaraTea.com.

BLASTING REQUIRED AT 4500 EAST-WEST HIGHWAY SITE, W LANE OF PEARL ST. TO CLOSE MARCH 12

The office building project at the former Bethesda McDonald's site (4500 East-West Highway) is about to get complicated.

If you work in one of the many office buildings nearby, or live in the Topaz House or Riviera and are at home during daytime hours, it's also going to get loud.

Workers excavating at the south end of the site have struck a layer of solid rock. An engineering study has clarified that blasting is necessary to continue excavation.

Blasting will begin in the coming weeks. If you live around Bethesda Row, you know the drill.

If not, here is the signal code explosive technicians will use during blasting at this site:

° Long horn blast warning, 5 minutes before detonation

° 3 short horn signal immediately before detonation

° "All Clear" long horn blast after explosion

Isn't that going to be fun?

The other big news, is that the western lane of Pearl Street will close "on or around" Tuesday, March 12, 2013.  Pearl Street, as I reported a few weeks ago, will become a southbound-only, one-way street for the duration of the building construction.

That western lane of Pearl will be sealed off with jersey barriers. And driver information signage will be placed along East-West Highway and Montgomery Avenue.

Support pile installation is now complete, and excavation will continue concurrent with blasting operations.

DADDY & SON CLOSES AT BETHESDA ROW (PHOTOS)

Who's your daddy? The cupboards are bare at upscale Italian shirt specialist Daddy & Son on Bethesda Avenue.  Without public announcement, the shop closed, and cleaned out the store.

I've mentioned the lack of apparel stores for men at Bethesda Row a few times over the last 5 months. Now, with this closure, there are officially zero men's shops around the Row.

If I was Federal Realty, I'd be trying to get a Hugh and Crye or Lost Boys outpost on this side of the DC line pronto. Of course, there are many other local or national names, as well.  But with no men's stores, they really need a compelling name in men's fashion to provide quality, in the absence of quantity.

By the way, this photo showing the interior seems to insist on publishing sideways - if that's how it appears, I apologize.

WEST RIVER DELI HAS CLOSED IN BETHESDA (PHOTOS)

Well, I gave you the good Westwood Center II news first today.

And now, the bad news.

West River Deli, a tenant of the Westwood II for nearly 30 years, has closed.

I fear this sort of news is only going to become more-frequent in the Westbard area, as well as in downtown Bethesda, as both sector plans are due for developer-friendly overhauls this decade.

Growing up in the Westbard area, I do have some memories of the deli. I didn't usually eat there, as I tended to favor Roy Rogers, and Farrell's and Bowl America for hot dogs. West River Deli did have a good steak sandwich, with a special Korean-style twist, that was popular.

My main recollection was going there after school to play the Popeye arcade game right inside the front windows you see in the pictures below. What a classic game, and what a great service the owners provided to the community for 3 decades. Another sad moment in Bethesda history.

I do not have any firsthand information about the reason for the closure; it could even be that the owners simply were retiring after a successful career.

But I do know that Capital Properties previously - and Equity One now - owns almost all of the Westbard properties, and eagerly wants to redevelop them. Westwood Center II was a contemporary design, and still looks fresh today. It would be a hoggish waste to tear it down. 

I am waiting to hear what Equity One's plans are. Capital Properties took a very aggressive, very antagonistic approach. It will be interesting to see what overtures to the nearby communities the new landowner makes.

I know that the CP plan was to build something entirely out of character from the suburban, residential area I grew up in.

WHY THE PANIC? WOODMONT AVE. CLOSURE DELAYED UNTIL FRIDAY - BETHESDA ROW CONSTRUCTION UPDATE

The TV stations are hyping the closure of part of Woodmont Avenue as an end-of-summer Apocalypse.  But even worse, they got the date wrong.

Many outlets are reporting that Woodmont Avenue between Bethesda and Miller Avenues will close today.  But last Friday, Ken Hartman of the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Services Center said the closure would actually be September 7, which is this Friday.  Hartman is "The Man" when it comes to county government-related actions in downtown Bethesda -  if he doesn't know about it, it's not likely to be happening.  Since the county is a partner in the subterranean public parking garage that will be built during the street closure, Hartman's schedule is as close to official as it gets.

Plus, I was around that intersection last night, and nothing was in place for a closure.  Now, maybe some hard hat guy will blow a whistle, and run across Woodmont with a roll of police tape during rush hour.  But barring some rush job like that, I think it's safe to say it's not closing today.

Beyond that, the effects of the closure are being blown out of proportion.  The worst thing - closure of Lot 31 and 31A - has already happened.  Compared to Parkmageddon, the Woodmont closure is going to have far less impact on Bethesda Row businesses.  It's also not going to affect traffic on the Beltway or around the county, although you might think otherwise from the hype we're hearing.

There are three main impacts that are worth monitoring during the closure.  First, it is certainly going to slow traffic around the "block" of Bethesda Row.  But then, traffic already is slow around Bethesda Row.  The difference is that people used to "split the difference" when heading to 355:  some used Bethesda Avenue, and some used Woodmont.  Now 100% of those drivers are going to use Bethesda.  Combined with the impact of that on the already-frustrating Barnes and Noble intersection, that is going to lengthen travel times around the Row.

Second, the impact on Wisconsin Avenue will be that same issue; there could be backups during rush hours at the Bethesda-Wisconsin intersection.  Whether that slows traffic flow along 355 is going to be interesting (can it get any slower?  It's faster to walk during rush hour).  Conversely, no one will be making a left turn onto Woodmont from westbound Bethesda Avenue.

Third, there is a minor public safety issue, in that firetrucks answering calls will have to take an additional 10-20 seconds to turn down Bethesda Avenue, rather than using Woodmont.  They will also have to pause for oncoming traffic at one additional intersection of 355.  I'm sure these sorts of things have been coordinated with public safety officials in advance.

So, delays won't be surprising, but this is not going to be the end of the world.  The main thing is, with the closure being later this week, everyone will have a few days to readjust to the post-summer traffic congestion, before this monkey wrench hits the works.

Frankly, closing Woodmont for 2 years is one of the craziest ideas I've ever heard of.  But as they say in business school, "It is what it is."

HAANDI ANNOUNCES "OUR LAST DAY" - BETHESDA RESTAURANT CONSTRUCTION UPDATE

As we all know, Haandi is closing its doors temporarily, to make way for a new building at Norfolk and Fairmont Avenues.

The restaurant has now announced its "last day" will be September 2.

A sad Post-it Note added to sign at Haandi

If you want to be one of the last (or the last) to dine at Haandi's current location, you now know when to go.

It won't be too long before Haandi reopens at 7905 Norfolk Avenue this winter.

Where will you go for Indian food while Haandi is closed?