Montgomery County considers abandoning two Bethesda rights-of-way

Kentbury Drive right-of-way

Montgomery County is being asked to abandon two rights-of-way properties it currently controls, one on Kentbury Drive in East Bethesda, and the second on Greentree Road. Each was dedicated for future public use by the County in 1949, and 1946, respectively. The County has scheduled a public hearing for Wednesday, June 26, 2019 at 7:00 PM in the Executive Office Building Lobby Auditorium at 101 Monroe Street in Rockville regarding the two proposed abandonments. What is to be decided, based on testimony at the hearing and other factors, is whether the ROWs being sought for abandonment are "necessary for a present or anticipated, future public use."

Kentbury Drive right-of-way

I contacted the Montgomery County Department of Transportation regarding the two proposed abandonments, which were difficult to locate on maps (more on that momentarily). MCDOT Property Acquistion Section Chief Eric Willis provided some very helpful information and documents for both.

Kentbury Drive right-of-way
also extends to Rosedale Avenue (not
part of the portion being sought for
abandonment)...

The portion of Kentbury Drive being sought by an adjoining property owner for abandonment is actually a grassy lot between homes that backs up to Columbia Country Club. On Google Maps, however, it is listed as Chestnut Street; a street sign in the center of the lot at the curb delineates the "real world" boundary of both roads. It is part of a longer ROW that actually connects Chestnut and Kentbury all the way over to the Lynbrook School Center. 

...and to Maple Avenue, creating
a walking route to Lynbrook School Center

But the public purpose of the segment being requested for abandonment is unclear - dedicated in 1949, it was already blocked from going any further east at that point by the country club, which has been there since 1911. The one conceivable use would be as a future road, bicycle or pedestrian connection if the Columbia Country Club were to be redeveloped - an unlikely but real possibility, if a plan by developers to tax country clubs out of existence (so that they can acquire those large sites for redevelopment) ever passes in Annapolis. A pedestrian connection would provide a mostly off-street walking route all the way to the Lynbrook School site and Lynbrook Local Park for kids in that case.

Unbuilt Andrus Road, off
Greentree Road across from WMAL
transmitter site

Andrus Road has its own Google Maps-challenged identity. You see, Andrus Road doesn't exist. It was never built. But it is shown on a plat recorded in 1946. Intriguingly, at that time, Greentree Road was called "Cabin John Road," according to the plat map. Today, the ROW for Andrus Road sits between Barnett Road and Grubby Thicket Way, off Greentree Road toward the I-270 spur.

"Andrus Road"

The abandonment request is for a 6700 SF portion of the ROW at the western end (at the I-270 spur). A developer is proposing to construct the rest of Andrus Road eastward from there to Greentree as part of a residential development project.

Andrus Road as recorded on a
1946 plat

What's notable about this location is that it is directly across the street from the WMAL transmitter site, which is about to be redeveloped into a massive Toll Brothers community. Many residents in the area have noted that they walk their dogs on that property. So it would seem that there might be a need for a dog park there.

However, the road is listed on the historical plat, and the developer indeed plans to build it in this case. There may not be any legal standing to deny the abandonment for the purpose of a dog park. The property owners who would receive the abandoned ROW land will not have to compensate the County for them, Willis said. They do pay a $2500 abandonment processing fee, however.

Both abandonment requests are mainly notable for being coincidentally timed to major changes at one end or the other - the Toll Brothers project across from the future Andrus Road, and the possibility of Lynbrook School Center being reopened as a school.

Map images via MCDOT

Citizens of Bethesda Barbershop opens

A new barbershop has opened in downtown Bethesda. Citizens of Bethesda Barbershop is located in the ground floor of the 8200 Wisconsin Avenue apartment tower. You can see a list of services and prices below. The American flag is a nice touch.

Kenwood fireworks 2019 set for Sunday, June 30

via GIPHY
The best fireworks display in the D.C. area will once again be presented by the Kenwood Golf and Country Club in Bethesda. This year's Kenwood fireworks will be held on Sunday, June 30, 2019. The event at the private club is for members only. However, the fireworks are visible some distance around the club, and usually begin after 9:00 PM. Rain date this year for Kenwood is July 1.

Nearby residents - and those nearby or in downtown Bethesda lucky enough to have apartment balconies facing the club - know the drill by now: Plan a backyard party modest or grand, and then gain the cachet of The Great Gatsby himself when an expensive fireworks display suddenly erupts in the sky above, and caps off the evening.

Savvy Bethesdans (a.k.a. readers of this blog) who aren't part of the landed class can still partake of the fireworks - if they know where to go. The smart spot is in the church parking lot across River Road from the club, where those-in-the-know converge on foot or by car. Earplugs are strongly recommended for children, or those with sensitive ears.

I haven't bothered to go into D.C. or out to Rockville for fireworks since Kenwood began their fireworks displays over a decade ago. The Kenwood display is superior, and gets better each year, and it certainly did again in 2018.

Impress your friends, avoid getting your pocket picked or purse snatched downtown (or by the crooked Montgomery County Council!), and take in the best fireworks in the D.C. area. Gracious toast and "I'm Gatsby" line are optional.

Other 2019 fireworks scheduled in the area include the Chevy Chase Club on July 3, and Congressional Country Club on July 4.

Sign installed at LensCrafters at Bethesda Row

The permanent sign was installed at LensCrafters at Bethesda Row yesterday. LensCrafters is located at the corner of Arlington Road and Elm Street, in part of the space formerly occupied by Lebanese Taverna, one of many victims of the closure of the nearby Regal Cinemas Bethesda 10 theater.

The Montgomery County Council declined to require the eventual developer at 7272 Wisconsin Avenue to provide a replacement cineplex, which kneecapped dinner-and-a-movie business at downtown Bethesda restaurants. A study showed a cineplex showing mainstream blockbusters (Landmark Bethesda Row shows arthouse independent films, not the blockbusters) can draw an average of 20,000 additional people to a downtown area per weekend.

Moge Tee soft opening today at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Moge Tee, the latest bubble tea spot to arrive in Montgomery County, will open today, June 20, 2019, at Westfield Montgomery Mall. Buy one drink and get another for 50% off today only at this location only, if you check in at Moge Tee or either Facebook or Yelp. Moge Tee is located at the edge of the Dining Terrace on Level 2, where Frozen Stuff on a Stick was previously.

Sidewalk work around the Woodmont Triangle

Watch your step in the Woodmont Triangle neighborhood of Bethesda. There is sidewalk work going on along Del Ray Avenue, and on Old Georgetown Road.

Brightview Bethesda installs sign, signs another retail tenant

Who would have thought an assisted living apartment building would lease up its ground floor faster than many of the luxury residential towers have in downtown Bethesda? The high number of visitors expected to pass in and out of the Brightview Bethesda daily likely is a factor in attracting tenants here. Just days ago, I reported the signing of More Than Java Cafe as the first Brightview ground floor occupant. Today, I can report a second tenant on board, Vivant Salon.

Both retail spaces are now under construction. Meanwhile, the official signage for the Brightview Building itself was installed yesterday, and signage for the residential parking entrance was placed over the garage door. It's intriguing that they are also adding the label of "Woodmont" to the building, either to note the Woodmont Triangle neighborhood, or perhaps in expectation of future projects in Bethesda.

Mad Science Days start today at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Westfield Montgomery Mall is launching its summer program for kids called Mad Science Days today, June 18, 2019 from 3:00-5:00 PM in the Forever 21 wing on Level 1. Each Tuesday through July 30 at that time in the afternoon will feature a free science show, followed by a science workshop that costs $10 to participate in. All proceeds from the $10 fee are being donated to the Suburban Hospital Foundation, earmarked for the Shaw Family Pediatric Emergency Center.

Today's topic will be "Things that Go Boom." Subjects covered in the show and workshop will include sound and vibration, chemical reactions, color changes in chemicals, sumlimation, and a bubble experiment. You can register online, and all children must be accompanied by an adult.

MOD Pizza sign installed at Montrose Crossing

The sign is up at MOD Pizza's newest Montgomery County location, opening soon at Montrose Crossing on Rockville Pike. Because of the placement of the restaurant in the parking lot, there's also a similar sign above the rear service entrance. There's still one prime space available for lease in this new building at the Federal Realty-owned shopping center.

Moge Tee to open at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Moge Tee, a New York City-based bubble tea chain, is coming to Montgomery Mall. The latest of many bubble tea destinations in the county has at least one trendy new item on its menu. Cheese Tea at Moge Tee is made with fresh cheese imported from Australia. I guess we'll find out soon enough what the significance of that is. Moge Tee will be in the spot where Frozen Stuff on a Stick was previously.

Rochambeau French International School Bradley campus for sale

Depending on purchaser, land could

become hot spot for County Council's

radical new zoning scheme

The future relocation and consolidation of the Rochambeau French International School's existing three campuses could be back on the table, as their 7108 Bradley Boulevard campus has been listed for sale. A 2.32 acre property, it is currently zoned R-200, allowing by-right development of single-family homes, residential or day care for up to 8 residents, or a cultural or religious institution. Limited and conditional uses allowed include group homes with more than 8 residents, home health practitioner, non-profit organization, day care for more than 8 children, private school, private organizations, veterinary office, or medical offices for up to 4 practitioners. 

However, depending upon the timing of the sale, the purchaser, and the date of redevelopment, the site could become a flash point for the Montgomery County Council's plan to destroy single-family home neighborhoods like this one by allowing multifamily development in current SFH-zoned areas. The current push for accessory dwelling units is a calculated trojan horse to break the barrier to multifamily development within established single-family home neighborhoods. 

Under new zoning quietly forwarded to the Planning Board by Councilmember Hans Riemer, this site could be redeveloped as an apartment building, duplex, triplex, quadplex or boarding house. Large enough sites, assembly of several SFH homesites, or supersized housing vouchers will be utilized to inject Section 8 housing into wealthy neighborhoods where crime is currently low. ADUs will be attached to each duplex on a lot, and the overall impact will create a fourfold increase in student generation rates for Montgomery County Public Schools.

If the future new owners are developers, they might wait to redevelop until the Council rams the radical new zoning through. The sales listing notes that the buyer will be required to allow Rochambeau to stay in place at Bradley through the winter of 2020/2021, more than enough time for the Council to pass the destructive new zoning update. 

While the new Seattle-style zoning (and we know how well that's worked out there) is sure to be highly-controversial, the Montgomery County cartel now feels invincible after defeating their long-time nemesis the Columbia Country Club. Privately, politicians and developers have expressed confidence that if they can beat CCC, they can beat anyone. The fact that we've heard nothing about MCPS purchasing this site for a new school tells us all we need to know about how deeply the cartel's control of County government runs at this point.

Rochambeau currently has 3 campuses. In addition to the Bradley campus, they have upper grades split between the Rollingwood campus at 3200 Woodbine Street in Chevy Chase, and the Forest Road campus at 9600 Forest Road in Bethesda. 

Flower Child sets opening date at Wildwood in Bethesda

Flower Child is opening its latest location in Bethesda, at the Wildwood Shopping Center. The Fox Restaurants chain that promises "healthy food for a happy world" for a variety of diets at Flower Child has set July 2, 2019 as the opening date for this restaurant.

As you can see, they will have outdoor patio dining. This end of the shopping center was revamped in part for the addition of Flower Child. You can get an idea of what to expect by looking at my preview and watching my review of their Rockville location that opened last year.

More Than Java Cafe to open downtown Bethesda location

The new Brightview Bethesda assisted living apartment building has its first retail space tenant. More Than Java Cafe will open a new location there, at 4907 Rugby Avenue. The local coffee shop chain has existing locations near Montgomery Mall at 10411 Motor City Drive, and in Laurel.

There is at total of 2957 SF of retail space in the ground floor of the Brightview Bethesda. Developer Shelter Group had hinted from the beginning that they had hoped to attract a cafe to the ground floor.

Chevy Chase Acura to open showroom at Westfield Montgomery Mall

Chevy Chase Acura has displayed some of its latest models in the atrium areas of Westfield Montgomery Mall for a number of years. Now the downtown Bethesda dealership is moving into an actual storefront at the mall, creating an additional interaction point with potential buyers besides their 7725 Wisconsin Avenue location.

They will be opening a Tesla-style mall showroom in the space previously occupied by the Kia Stinger pop-up, yet another mall auto showroom. Other Acuras are parked in lots near the mall, as many dealerships in Montgomery County try to find places to store inventory as they are squeezed by redevelopment.

Little Falls Parkway road diet to end after Planning Board vote

Shockingly, the Montgomery County Planning Board made the second-best right decision on the future of the Capital Crescent Trail crossing at Little Falls Parkway yesterday. Voting 4-1, with Chair Casey Anderson dissenting, commissioners sided with nearby residents in recommending restoring two lanes in each direction on the parkway, and moving the trail crossing to the traffic light at Arlington Road and Little Falls Parkway. This was a modified version of Alternative B. Commissioners also recommended the best option, a trail bridge over the parkway, as the long-term goal, and instructed staff to come up with information and cost estimates.

"For me, the safest option will be option B," Commissioner Natali Fani-Gonzalez said, "move the Capital Crescent Trail to Arlington Road. The safest option...for me has to be a traffic light."

It appears that, in addition to the strong lobbying efforts by the surrounding community to end the road diet, the lack of supporting data did-in the proposal by staff to shrink Little Falls Parkway to two lanes. Kudos to Commissioner Tina Patterson, who chastised planning staff for misrepresenting data regarding accidents and fatalities at the trail crossing. "I'm extremely disappointed to hear that we presented a fatality without really giving the specifics," Patterson said just before the Board voted. "If we're going to talk about something that's impacting the community, we have to give the full details. If I had moved forward without knowing this after the fact, I would have been embarrassed. so it's again as a matter of oversight, let's just be transparent in presenting our reports when we have data.

"Sometimes we need to listen to the community," Patterson added. And this was a rare recent vote in which the Board actually did. Their choice was not even one listed in the staff report; all staff options had a permanent road diet of two lanes.

The decision is a good one for the community. Now we may again actually be able to see cyclists and pedestrians, without the clear view being blocked by a maze of ugly poles sticking up all over the road. Cyclists and pedestrians will not be able to blow through the crossing stop signs, but will cross in an orderly fashion at the light at Arlington. There will be less cut-through traffic speeding past houses in Kenwood and along Hillandale Road.

The bridge is still the best solution, and it is good to hear it is on the table still. Cost estimates and design complexity for that option were severely overblown in the staff report; a new bridge design and cost estimate should be developed with the assistance of executive branch employees who can provide cost-cutting oversight.

Most importantly, if a barrier is erected in the median, and the crossing removed, the random interaction and guessing games will be gone. If the light is correctly timed, and adjusted as needed going forward, additional delays should be minimal at the Arlington-Little Falls intersection. This will allow the full capacity of Little Falls Parkway to be restored, just as the same Board has recently approved over 10,000 new cars to be added to that area via the Westbard and Bethesda Downtown sector plans.

Former Remix Recycling Co. space for lease in Bethesda

Remix Recycling Co., formerly Mustard Seed, has moved to 7022 Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Bethesda. Their former location at 7349 Wisconsin is now available for lease. It is right by the construction site for the Avocet Tower development, so a great location long-term, but a noisy and dusty one short-term.

Custom Ink to open first MD store at Bethesda Row

Custom Ink is coming to Bethesda Row. They will be located in the separate retail structure at 7029 Arlington Road. The store is scheduled to open Monday, June 17, 2019. This will be Custom Ink's first retail location outside of Virginia.

But it's also again indicative of the changing demographic target in Bethesda, with LensCrafters and t-shirt shops moving in as Kate Spade and Le Creuset exit. With the ultra-rich fleeing to lower-tax jurisdictions in the region, Montgomery County's moribund economy no longer has the wealth base to support high-end retail, as our "Rodeo Drive" in Chevy Chase has turned into a skid row of vacant storefronts, aging apartments, and smashed-out bus shelters.

Little Falls Parkway trail crossing plan would increase head-on crashes

MoCo government hiding crash data

from residents, made its own

plan after ignoring resident feedback

The Montgomery County Planning Board will review a final proposal for the Little Falls Parkway Capital Crescent Trail crossing this afternoon at 8787 Georgia Avenue in Silver Spring. A not-so-shocking twist for those following this illegal scam from the beginning, is that the final proposal is one ginned up behind the scenes by the Montgomery County cartel in league with the Planning Department - not the solutions endorsed by actual residents who attended the Kabuki theater meetings the department held over the last two years. That final proposal would not only retain the dangerous conflict of driver-trail user interactions, but will actually further increase crashes by removing the median of the road, placing drivers in greater danger of head-on collisions. And speaking of crashes? Well, the report claims certain crash statistics to justify its previous road diet (constructed with illegal use of money that had been designated for maintenance of countywide trails, not road construction), but provides no documentation to back it up. When Kenwood residents attempted to acquire the documentation on collisions, they were stonewalled by Planning and every other department in County government they contacted.

A staff report on the proposal is filled with bizarre verbal jujitsu attempting to first establish a new precedent for such a road diet. Among the laughers, it claims that Westbard-area commuters are drastically shifting modes of transportation away from automobiles, while again providing no statistical reports to back up the false claim. In fact, the only report ever done on commuting modes in the Westbard area found that over 90% of commuters are solo automobile users, far above even the regional average. But unsurprising, given that Westbard is a transit desert about two miles from the nearest Metro station, far beyond the standard quarter-to-half-mile distance required for transit-oriented development.

The report hysterically trumpets long traffic backups on southbound Arlington Road - that Parks & Planning created with their illegally-funded road diet - to be an example of "effectively metering" traffic. It also reveals that fewer cars are now using Little Falls Parkway in the evening rush hour because of the congestion the department created. The report calls diversion of traffic from a major thoroughfare like Little Falls Parkway onto nearby residential streets a success. Again, they dodge data by not reporting numbers for all of the nearby residential streets onto which those cars have been diverted. Their extreme fear of data clearly indicates their final conclusions are without basis.

One thing the report does openly admit, is that Planning and the War-on-Cars cartel have created their own proposal, tossing aside the solutions endorsed by actual residents, which were diverting trail traffic to one of the nearby signaled intersections, or construction of a pedestrian bridge.

Government of the People, by the People, for the People?
Not in authoritarian, corrupt Montgomery County

What is the smoke-free-back-room Planning Department final proposal?

Reduction of Little Falls Parkway to two lanes, a "speed table" a.k.a. long flat speed bump trail crossing in the roadway, and "traffic calming" measures will be implemented on Hillandale Road. In other words, maximum punishment for drivers while allowing bicycle stop sign blowers to continue to wreak havoc. Head-on car crashes, such as drunk drivers at night, will clearly increase and the Planning Board will be held responsible for the injuries and deaths that result from those head-on car crashes currently reduced by the wide median. 

This is the height of corruption - spending over $1 million of taxpayer money (on top of the previous illegal use of trail maintenance funds) to reduce vehicle capacity by 50% on Little Falls Parkway, after the same corrupt, developer-controlled commissioners voted to add over 3000 new housing units and 5910 additional cars in the same area via the 2016 Westbard sector plan. 

This is not government of the People, by the People, for the People. It's a criminal cartel in charge of Big Government run amok.

It's outrageous.

Bethesda cemetery advocates endorse Brandy Brooks for MoCo Planning Chair

MoCo Planning Board chair Casey Anderson
summons armed police officers to confront representatives
of a black church on February 16, 2017

Cite current chair's record

of calling police on peaceful

black protesters at meetings

The Bethesda African Cemetery Coalition has endorsed applicant Brandy Brooks to replace current Montgomery County Planning Board Chair Casey Anderson. A coalition press release cited Anderson's record of calling in police officers to confront peaceful protesters at commission meetings on the future of the desecrated Moses African Cemetery in Bethesda.

Anderson's escalation of a peaceful situation by calling in law enforcement on representatives of a black church was "placing them in direct confrontation with armed police, arrest, possible injury and death," the coalition said in a statement. Noting that Montgomery County Housing Opportunities Commission Chair Jackie Simon also condoned the same armed police response to cemetery protesters, the coalition declared that Ms. Simon and Mr. Anderson have relinquished any credible moral authority to lead these organizations. Marc Elrich, Montgomery County Executive said that he 'does not believe in incremental change.' It is impossible to understand how in the face of actions placing Montgomery County residence in harm’s way, that Mr. Elrich could re-authorize Jackie Simon or Casey Anderson."

The coalition has instead urban planner and former Democratic At-Large County Council candidate Brandy Brooks as chair. They said Brooks has "demonstrated a keen sensitivity to the Moses African Cemetery issue that has been conspicuously absent throughout the County’s regulatory leadership."

BACC also endorsed Dr. Jeanne Toungara and William Cook, who have applied to fill vacancies on the HOC. They are urging residents to call the County Council and Elrich's offices immediately to voice your support for Brooks, Toungara, and Cook:

Call the County Council and the County Executive today:

Main line 240-777-0311
Special Assistant Debbie Spielberg: 240-777-2515