Purple Line trainset reveal backfires

Promotional video appears

to show cramped,

claustrophobic railcar interiors

A video released by the state of Maryland to increase excitement about the future Purple Line light rail Tuesday appears to have had the opposite effect. It shows for the first time the interiors of the actual trainsets that will travel the route between Bethesda and New Carrollton. In the video, the interior of the cars appears narrow and cramped.

Massive bulkheads between seating sections create individual cells within each car, increasing the claustrophobic effect. The cars are clearly narrower than subway or commuter rail cars, and even appear more cramped than other light rail and streetcar vehicles in use across the country and the world. Perhaps it was the type of camera lens used, but the PR impact was not a positive one.

Was shrinking the size of the cars one of the cost-cutting measures employed by the state and its partners? These cars do not resemble the ones shown in previous promotional materials.

Tuesday's backfire was reminiscent of another bait-and-switch PR stunt pulled by Montgomery County elected officials. After showing futuristic Bus Rapid Transit vehicles that looked more like subways for years, the County displayed an actual BRT vehicle at the County Fair that instead looked like existing diesel Metrobuses.

The County continues to use the deceptive BRT images in promotional materials to this day - and no wonder, after fairgoers were shocked to find the $10 billion BRT would look nothing like what County officials had promised.

Maybe they can wrap the Purple Line trains in Chicken of the Sea advertisements to bring in some extra revenue, to justify the tuna-can-cramped ride on what they've promised will be crowded trains.

Thelo Greek Grill temporarily closed last night

Thelo Greek Grill at 8009 Norfolk Avenue in Bethesda was temporarily closed during operating hours last night, according to a sign in the window. No explanation, nor reopening date, was given. Next door neighbor Hannah's Barbershop is preparing to move around the corner due to The Claiborne condo project being built atop this site in the near future. Stay tuned for an update on Thelo Greek Grill.

Gregorio's Trattoria coming to Bethesda

There's good news on the restaurant front at the Shops at Sumner Place. China Pavilion closed at the Bethesda shopping center last December. Now a new tenant has been found. Gregorio's Trattoria, an Italian restaurant with existing locations in Reston and Potomac, will open in the China Pavilion space in 2020. They should be open by spring.

I see Fettucine Alfredo and New York-style pizza on the menu, so I am already sold. They've also got chef's specialties like Rigatoni al Capone and Pollo Donaldo. In an area with few sit-down restaurants, and only fast-casual carry-outs anticipated in the disappointing Westbard plan, Gregorio's Trattoria should be a welcome addition to southwest Bethesda.

Lane, road closures scheduled for SB Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda Ave. on September 14, 15, 21

The Maryland State Highway Administration has posted a digital sign announcing "SB Lane" of Wisconsin Avenue will be closed from 9:00 PM on September 14, 2019 to 9:00 AM September 15, 2019. It is placed by the Air Rights Building (a.k.a. Bethesda Crossing).

There are three southbound lanes of Wisconsin Avenue, one of which is already closed by 7272 Wisconsin Avenue, so this either means a second southbound lane will close as well, or the entire southbound side. But adding the word "lane" negates a total closure, which would just be "southbound Wisconsin."

Unfortunately, the SHA is not providing such details, nor the precise starting and ending points of the "SB Lane" closure. Perhaps SHA should spend less time on local politics, and more time getting their sign messages correct.

It would be best to just detour around this using Woodmont Avenue during the closure period.

A second sign placed along Wisconsin north of Elm Street on Tuesday states that Bethesda Avenue will be closed on September 14, 2019 and again on September 21, 2019.

Bethesda construction update: The Wilson (Video+Photos)

Large glass panels are being installed at The Wilson, the future office tower at the front of Carr Properties' 7272 Wisconsin Avenue development. The building is not even close to topping out yet, so it's interesting to see glass going in so early.

Lord & Taylor scores another one for White Flint Mall

Lord & Taylor continues to rival me in the department of keeping the spirit of the demolished White Flint Mall alive, and blasting the decision to destroy it.

The department store chain fought the mall's owners to stop their greedy, hasty plan to pull the plug on the fully-leased mall, where the parking lots were jam-packed and diners had long waits for seating at popular restaurants like The Cheesecake Factory and P.F. Chang's.

Then they sued the heck out of the mall owners for a clear breach of contract. The court system correctly determined that the owners had royally violated the contract it signed with Lord & Taylor decades ago that required them to keep the mall intact and operating.

Lord & Taylor won bigtime, with a huge cash award. The valiant effort - along with Montgomery County's moribund economy, County elected officials' utterly-humiliating failure to win the Amazon HQ2 for White Flint in an all-or-nothing Hail Mary pass, and the resulting capstone of the total collapse of the vaunted White Flint sector plan vision - has ground the property owners' "town center" plans to a halt.

Not only has Lord & Taylor winningly kept its White Flint store open next to the overgrown field where the mall once stood, but now it has scored another greatest hit. At Lakeforest Mall, where the chain's new owners have decided to close that store, Lord & Taylor has posted a most-interesting sign.

The sign pays tribute to Lakeforest Mall, another mall falling victim to not only greed, but the decline of Montgomery County in general. But it saves the best for last: It directs Gaithersburg customers to the Lord & Taylor at "White Flint Mall." Not only does this warm the hearts of White Flint Mall fans, but it's technically correct. Lord & Taylor's building was part of White Flint Mall, and it remains standing. Thus, it is still White Flint Mall.

“But let it be. Horatio, I am dead;  

  Thou livest; report me and my cause aright

  To the unsatisfied.”

Giant relaunching grocery pick-up service again

What's old is new again at Giant. The grocery chain offered a Pick Up option for customers at the Westwood Giant in Bethesda way back in 2014. Several parking spaces in the lot out front were designated with signage for Pick Up customers, with phone numbers to alert the store by phone that they were outside and ready for their groceries to be loaded into their car by employees. A large, purple storage case was placed outside the store. Since then, all has been quiet on the Pick Up front, the signs were removed from the special Pick Up parking spaces, and the Pick Up storage container often appeared to be empty. Now there are "signs" that the Ahold-owned grocer is going to make a new promotional push for the service.

A different set of parking spaces outside the Westwood Giant at 5400 Westbard Avenue now have bagged signs. It appeared a curious patron had removed the bag from one of the signs, revealing that they are Pick Up space indicators. The phone number to call when you arrive for pick-up is different from the one on the 2014 signs.

According to Supermarket News, an industry publication, Giant is talking as if the Pick Up service is brand-new. They report the chain intends to roll out Pick Up at all Giant stores in the Mid-Atlantic region by December 31 this year. 

The terms are slightly less-generous than the 2014 launch program. There is now a $2.95 fee and a minimum order of $30 for same-day pickup. In 2014, there was no fee or extra charge, and no minimum order. However, Supermarket News reports that the retailer will offer new users free pickup on their first order of $30 or more, if they enter the promotional code GIANT4 at checkout.

So, look for these signs at your local Giant countywide, as a "sign" that your store now has the Pick Up service. It appears that some Giant stores like Westwood were part of a pilot or test of the Pick Up concept, which is now becoming standard among some of the biggest players in groceries like Walmart and Target.

Clearcut! in downtown Bethesda (Photos)

The oxygen level in the area behind the Bethesda Metro station just went down, and the carbon dioxide level has increased significantly. Large, mature trees and bushes have been clearcut at 4885 Edgemoor Lane in preparation for construction of the Edgemont II residential high-rise.

Due to exhaust-churning buses regularly entering and exiting the Woodmont Avenue-level bus bays, this is already one of the worst air-quality areas in downtown Bethesda. Every tree counts at this location.

Hannah's Barber Shop confirms plans to move to Gallery Bethesda II

Hannah's Barber Shop, currently operating at 8007 Norfolk Avenue in Bethesda, has now publicly announced it will be moving into the Gallery Bethesda II at 4825 Del Ray Avenue this fall. As I reported back in May, the move will take place sometime in October, when construction of the new barbershop is complete. So keep going to the Norfolk Avenue location until the moving date is announced. Hannah's was the first retail tenant signed at the new Gallery Bethesda II.

Rosh Hashanah pop-up bakery will offer pick-up at Bethesda Row

Washington, D.C. pastry chef Alex Levin will operate his 4th annual Rosh Hashanah pop-up bakery this year, and there are new delivery and pick-up options for those living inside the Beltway in Montgomery County. Selections this year will include a traditional honey challah (with or without raisins), handmade pies, apple butter honey cake (using Levin's recipe that was featured in the New York Times), two flavors of rugelach, and more.

You can arrange courier delivery between 1:00 and 5:00 PM on Saturday, September 28, 2019, or Sunday, September 29, 2019 if you live inside the Beltway. Or, you can pick up your order at Prima at Bethesda Row, located at 7280 Woodmont Avenue in downtown Bethesda, between 1:00 and 4:00 PM those same days.

Place your order online. If you have any questions, you can contact the chef directly at alevin@schlowrg.com

South Street Steaks returns as food truck in Bethesda

There's some good news for long-patient fans of South Street Steaks in Bethesda. Although their bricks-and-mortar location on Cordell Avenue fell victim to a car crashing into it, they have now launched a food truck. Their website and social media have not yet advertised their location(s) or hours, but the truck has been spotted by the Bethesda Community Store at 8804 Old Georgetown Road. That's just north of Suburban Hospital. Until they start advertising, that's just a tip I can pass along to cheesesteak aficionados.

The food truck would seem ideal to reach one of their largest fan bases, people who took advantage of their late hours, now a rarity among restaurants in downtown Bethesda since the Montgomery County Council tanked the nighttime economy with their disastrous "Nighttime Economy Task Force" initiative. If this were eight or nine years ago, South Street Steaks would have been able to park their truck near the few remaining bars in the Woodmont Triangle, and do some big business.

But Councilmember Hans Riemer also managed to destroy the food truck industry in Montgomery County, along with nightlife. No longer allowed to park on public roadways, 96% of trucks went out of business or fled back into the District. So unless a generous property owner will allow them to operate on private property (such as the Bethesda Community Store lot), they would not be allowed to operate in downtown Bethesda. What a County! No one knows how to stifle free enterprise, business, and entrepreneurs like the Montgomery County Council.

Heckuva job, Brownie!

Yogiberry Bethesda Row reopening date set by new ownership

A construction team was working furiously inside the temporarily-shuttered Yogiberry at 4924 Elm Street last night. The Bethesda Row frozen yogurt shop closed a couple of weeks ago, but a new owner has come in to reopen it. I've just been informed that the reopening date has been set for September 15, 2019. As you can see in the photo, they've kept the store's trademark ceiling light fixtures.

Developer unveils plan for 12-story residential building at 4824 Edgemoor Lane in Bethesda

Architecture firm Bonstra | Haresign promised attendees "a building that will be special and embraced by the community" in revealing its proposal to redevelop 4824 Edgemoor Lane at a public meeting last night. The firm was represented by Managing Partner Bill Bonstra, who was joined by Shawn Weingast of developer Acumen. Under their plan, an existing single-family home on the property would be replaced with a 12-story, 120' tall residential condo building that will stretch to the property lines.

Sketch plan shows anticipated
bike lane on Woodmont with concrete
island in front of the building

Right off the bat, the architecture firm being utilized does slightly raise expectations and confidence. Bonstra | Haresign was the design firm for the impressive Capital One headquarters in Tysons, the surrounding 26-acre Tysons Urban Village project, and the Tapies Condominium with the spiral-bound notebook-style front facade detail in the District. While there is no firm design for this Edgemoor Lane building yet, renderings of three possible designs were displayed at last night's meeting. I would say Option 1 looks best, followed by Option 3, which has a bit of a mid-century German accent to it.

Option 1

The building is planned as a condo tower, equal in height to The Chase, but with fewer units per floor. Acumen is targeting a potential buyer looking for a unit that's "not Cheval big, not D.C. small," referring to already-completed competitor Duball, LLC's The Cheval a few blocks away. The 77 units will be a mix of 1 and 2 bedrooms. Windows will be minimized on the south side of the building, which faces The Chase.

Parking and loading will be accessed from Woodmont Avenue, but there will be no vehicle pull-off for drop-offs and deliveries. The schematic shows a proposed Woodmont Avenue bike lane with island out front.

Acumen believes most residents will use the Metro directly across the street, and will mostly "store" any cars they have. For this reason, they have proposed a robotic automated parking garage beneath the building. "Platters" will pick up cars and insert them into stalls for storage, with an apparent capacity to serve a few residents at once.

Option 2 is the most conventional - you've
seen this building all over the region by now

The garage would be the first of its type in Bethesda. Frankly, I haven't seen one of these in-person anywhere in the region, as far as I can recall. One wonders what happens to this garage in the future once the building is turned over to the unit buyers' condo board. How much does specialized maintenance on a relatively-rare contraption like this cost per year? Who pays if a car is damaged by the machine? There will be only 77 backs to bear the cost of any major repair or other building issue that comes up in the decades to come.

There is expected to be a 24-hour front desk when the building opens, but it will be up to the condo board to decide if they will continue that. The developer is not big on concierge services, noting that most of these tasks are performed on cell phones today. Residents will get the ubiquitous rooftop terrace, and 6 to 7 units per floor. What they won't get is retail. Acumen says there aren't enough pedestrians walking by to make retail viable.

Lack of retail is largely the fault of Montgomery County for not encouraging or requiring it in the newest or past downtown Bethesda sector plans. You can't expect the developer to be the first to pay extra for retail, if there isn't any up and down the rest of the street. The way Woodmont Avenue was mis-planned in the past resulted in a dark and lonely street after business hours. Neither the Planning Board nor the County Council made any effort to fix that in the 2017 plan. The result is that there is less activation of the streetscape today than there was in the pre-Metro days on Woodmont south of Black's Bar + Kitchen, with the exception of the Bethesda Row area.

Option 3

The building materials will be masonry and wood. Bonstra | Haresign architects created thirty sketches of the potential architecture, which were then whittled down to the three you see here.

Groundbreaking for the building, if approved on the anticipated timeline, would be at least 12 months away. Delivery is expected about eighteen months later.

The Bethesda Bazaar to replace convenience store

What started off as a renovation is going to end as a new business at 8006 Norfolk Avenue in downtown Bethesda. The Bethesda Mini Mart convenience store closed about a month ago. Now I've learned it will be replaced by The Bethesda Bazaar this fall.

The new store will be an organic market. It will continue to offer beer and wine sales, but promises more upscale breweries and labels. They will also carry a selection of fine teas. Stay tuned for an opening date.

SunTrust Bank branch offers validated parking at nearby building in Bethesda

SunTrust Bank at 7435 Old Georgetown Road is acknowledging that a large portion of their clientele arrive via automobile, rather than walking. To that end, they are offering a new perk to customers. They are now validating parking for their customers at Bethesda Place II at 7600 Wisconsin Avenue.

Bring your parking ticket in when you come to do business at the bank, and they will validate it for you. While it's not as convenient as retail parking in the actual building where SunTrust is would have been, it's at least going to be validated, rather than paying in the public garage "nearby."

Developer to present revamped plan for 4702 West Virginia Ave. in Bethesda

A developer that previously proposed building an apartment building structure that would hold 9 townhome units at 4702 West Virginia Avenue is now more than doubling the number of units to 19. The lot, which currently hosts a recently-built single-family home, is adjacent to a pubic parking lot. A required public meeting on the new proposal will be held Monday, September 16, 2019 at 7:00 PM at the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center, Conference Room D, at 4805 Edgemoor Lane.

You can see renderings of a previous iteration of the development here. I think they should use a more home-like roofline, whereas this has a boxy, behind-the-Iron-Curtain aesthetic. It should be clear this is a building where people live, rather than a government facility, on a lot that is at the edge of a residential, SFH neighborhood. And in order to actually deliver the green space depicted in some of the renderings, they would need to purchase the lot next door and knock that house down, as well.

Renderings courtesy SK+I Architecture
All rights reserved

More details on Leo & Liv restaurant coming to The Bethesdan Hotel

Earlier this morning, I reported that the new Leo & Liv restaurant opening this fall at the future The Bethesdan Hotel (currently the DoubleTree Bethesda) would be making its Taste of Bethesda debut in October. Coincidentally, I just received some more details about the restaurant. It is being described as a "craft restaurant," serving American cuisine with a Mediterranean "twist."

While some may have hoped it was a 90s-themed restaurant named after Leonardo DiCaprio and Liv Tyler, the meaning behind the moniker is a bit more obvious. Its name was inspired by property owner The Bernstein Companies' founder, Leo Bernstein. Leo & Liv will pay tribute to "the verve with which he approached life," the company says. It's also in keeping with Hilton's concept of each Tapestry Collection property being unique and representative of its local community.

Leo & Liv will play many roles in the new hotel. The restaurant will serve breakfast and dinner in a sit-down setting. For lunch, and 24-hours-a-day, it will offer "grab-and-go" lunch items under the name Leo & Go. And for early evening happy hours, it will mix up cocktails and local beers and wines - along with "light bites" as BFD: But First Drinks by Leo & Liv. There will also be a private dining room available for events.

Taste of Bethesda 2019 set for October 5

New Bethesda hotel

restaurant among 

participating eateries

Taste of Bethesda 2019 has been scheduled for Saturday, October 5 from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM. This is the 30th anniversary of downtown Bethesda's largest annual event. Admission to Taste of Bethesda is free. Tickets will be sold on-site; tickets are $5 for four tickets and each taste costs one to four tickets. Parking is free in public garages nearby, and the free Bethesda Circulator bus will be operating throughout the event.

I have just received the latest list of participating restaurants from Bethesda Urban Partnership, and downtown Bethesda's newest hotel restaurant is on it. Leo & Liv will be opening in The Bethesdan Hotel (formerly the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel) this fall. 

Other first-time participants will include Casa Oaxaca, Lotus Grill & Bar, and Poke Dojo. They'll share the event with some of Bethesda's top, award-winning dining destinations, including Duck Duck Goose, Chef Tony's, Jaleo, Medium Rare and many more.

Live entertainment across 5 stages this year will include 8 Ohms, Caz Gardiner, Chopteeth, Heather Aubrey Lloyd (2019 Bernard/Ebb Songwriting Awards winner), Mary-El, Moonshine Society, Sweetnova and Patrick Alban. The cultural music and dance stage will present Dynamic Dance Team, Furia Flamenca, Rhythmaya Dance, Soul in Motion and Tepua Hio Hio.

Jeff's Best closes in Bethesda

Jeff's Best, a small self-serve ice cream and coffee shop at 8004 Norfolk Avenue in Bethesda, has closed. The business, which used vending machines to dispense both products, was open for exactly one year. Both machines have been removed, and much of the interior has been dismantled. Work men have been going in and out of the store all weekend, and some would-be customers arrived to find it had closed. They did seem to do a decent amount of business, but apparently not enough to remain open.

Crawford Tire Goodyear closes in Bethesda

It's the end of an era again, as another longtime business has closed in downtown Bethesda. Crawford Tire Goodyear at 7015 Arlington Road has permanently closed after 36 years in business. An auction has been scheduled to dispose of the remaining contents of the tire dealership and automotive repair facility.

The property will be redeveloped by EuroMotorcars as an Audi dealership. Goodyear is about as big and all-American a brand name as there is. But it also seems the company is ahead of the curve in preparing for a future in which the suburbs will be demolished in favor of dystopian, wall-to-wall concrete urban megacities. Goodyear has recently opened several Roll by Goodyear stores, where all of the repairs are done off-site. Instead of driving to Frederick to get your oil changed, some guy will drive your car to Frederick to get your oil changed, at Boardwalk prices of course.

In a future without gas stations and auto repair facilities, such as that being planned now by the developer-controlled Montgomery County Council, this will be a business opportunity for those who can provide fuel, tires, and basic auto repairs to customers where they are in these new cities - where essential services are replaced with more stack-and-pack apartments, salad shops and apparel boutiques. Of course, they all may go out of business once your car can drive itself to Frederick to get its oil changed.