BETHESDA CONSTRUCTION UPDATE: 7770 NORFOLK LUXURY APARTMENT TOWER (PHOTOS)

The 17-story 7770 Norfolk luxury apartment tower continues to make progress at the corner of Norfolk and Fairmont Avenues in downtown Bethesda. Some of the first glass is being installed on the lower floors right now. You can see corner balconies that look almost livable right now, minus their necessary railings, of course. 7770 Norfolk is being developed by The JBG Companies.

NEW IMAGES OF PROPOSED MIXED-USE TOWER ON ST. ELMO AVE IN BETHESDA (PHOTOS)

New images of the future 16-story mixed-use tower proposed for St. Elmo Avenue by the Lenkin Company are in. The St. Elmo Apartments will house 210 residential units, and up to 15,488 SF of office/commercial space. The above image (and many other details) was already seen in my earlier report on the project, but there are some additional sketches, blueprints and plans for the David M. Schwarz-designed tower.

You can see it will be massed as a "C" shape building, and - if all goes as planned - will share an enhanced 10,865 SF public space with next-door neighbor Bainbridge Bethesda apartments. According to a letter to the Montgomery County Planning Department, the developer has already met with representatives of the Bainbridge to begin those discussions.

The sketch plan proposes up to 32 MPDUs, using a higher 15% affordable housing standard than the Montgomery County requirement of 12.5%.

While the current address of the development site is considered 4931 Fairmont Avenue, the future building's lobby will be on St. Elmo Avenue, as will its 4-level underground parking garage entrance. The tower's loading dock will be on Fairmont, however.

Construction would not begin until mid-2016 or 2017, attorney Steve Robins said in August.

Other than the sad news that Chef Tony's and Pizza Pass would have to be demolished prior to construction, most indications seem promising for this project. It will provide high density near Metro, has proposed higher than the required amounts of parking and affordable units, and could create an enhanced public gathering space. What would really make that work best would be if the St. Elmo and the Bainbridge can get some restaurants to lease in their ground floors, so that there will be activity over a greater range of hours, as opposed to a bank or shop that closes at 5 or 6 in the evening. The revitalization of that block of Fairmont Avenue seems stalled out at the present, with no tenants in the Bainbridge ground floor yet, and other future towers still under construction (7770 Norfolk) or in the works (former BP gas station at Fairmont and Old Georgetown Road).

MONTGOMERY COUNTY'S TALLEST BUILDING PROPOSED FOR WESTBARD AVENUE IN BETHESDA (PHOTOS)

Should a 25-30 story building be constructed far away from any Metro station? Some at Capital Properties appear to think so. The previous owner of the Westwood Complex, a massive portfolio of properties along Westbard Avenue, Ridgefield Road and River Road, still holds the Park Bethesda apartments after selling the rest to Equity One. At a presentation to planners during the Westbard Sector Plan charette Wednesday morning, Capital Properties proposed adding two new high-rise apartment towers to its existing one, and demolishing the large surface parking lots that exist on the site today in favor of an underground garage.

Planner Marc DeOcampo makes
recommendations to owners of
the Park Bethesda site

A CP representative showed a series of renderings and said the firm was using downtown Bethesda's new 17-story buildings as the baseline, and wondered if they could go even higher. How high? 25 to 30 stories, he said, which are more indicative of White Flint's height limits than the current zoning in downtown Bethesda. The renderings showed options for the two towers of 300'/150', 200'/150', and 250'/150'. With the tallest tower on Westbard Avenue next to the existing Park Bethesda, the shorter 12-14 story tower would be close to the potential Crown Street bypass planners are considering. Planner Marc DeOcampo suggested CP flip the two buildings, as the one near Crown Street is significantly below the grade of Westbard Avenue. That would reduce the impact of such a tall building on the adjacent townhomes at Westbard Mews and Westland Middle School. DeOcampo noted that residents were interested in a much shorter height of 6-8 stories.

CP was open to a new road such as Crown Street on or through its property, but had mixed feelings about the feasibility of the proposed Crown Street bypass from Westbard to River Road.  It has its own Crown Street extension concept that goes through the property, rather than behind it. Their representative said mixed-use with retail on the ground floor was still a possibility, and that the taller buildings would allow for more green space on the site. One tower would be a "low-amenity building."

Not surprisingly, a good number of residents in attendance at the meeting expressed displeasure at the proposal, with one asking how a potential 2000 cars could be accommodated. Capital Properties suggested there could be 700-1000 units in total when the two towers are completed.

Capital Properties holds some leverage over the potential construction of a Crown Street bypass for Westbard Avenue, as it owns part of the land between the 2 existing County rights-of-way that the project would use. A 25-30 story building would take the title of Montgomery County's Tallest Building from North Bethesda Market. Park Bethesda is a former NIH office building converted into luxury apartments, and at 11 stories is a non-conforming structure grandfathered into the new zoning code.

BETHESDA CONSTRUCTION UPDATE: 7770 NORFOLK LUXURY APARTMENTS (PHOTOS)

Here's the latest update from The JBG Companies' 7770 Norfolk luxury apartment tower construction site at Norfolk and Fairmont Avenues in Bethesda. There's an interesting new structural detail: angled support columns between some of the floors, which you can see in the third and fourth photos below. The finished product will be 17 stories, so we still have a ways to go here.

BETHESDA CONSTRUCTION UPDATE: THE DARCY AND THE FLATS AT LOT 31 (PHOTOS)

Things are really taking shape at the Lot 31 construction site of The Darcy condos and The Flats luxury apartments at Bethesda and Woodmont Avenues.

SOLAIRE BETHESDA LUXURY APARTMENTS CONSTRUCTION UPDATE (PHOTOS)

Solaire Bethesda is still in the early stages of construction on the former site of Eastham's Servicenter, at 7100 Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Bethesda. Eastham's has moved to the corner of Fairmont Avenue and Old Georgetown Road. Solaire is being developed by Washington Property Company, and has signed its first ground floor retail tenant, True Food Kitchen. The new building's close-by neighbor seen in these photos is Crescent Plaza.

GALLERY BETHESDA APARTMENTS WINS PACE AWARD

The Gallery Bethesda luxury apartment tower continues to be a magnet for industry awards in downtown Bethesda. Yesterday, the building's management announced the Property Management Association's annual PACE Awards has recognized Gallery as the top building for Lease Up in Maryland. Open since January, the Donohoe-developed property is currently 80% leased and rising.

In a statement, PMA Executive Vice President Thomas B. Cohn said, “PACE recognizes exceptional apartments and identifies communities that are passionate about providing exceptional resident services and delivering unparalleled living experiences.  PACE not only celebrates excellence in the management of apartment communities, it also fills a void. PACE is the only awards program in the national capital region that evaluates apartment communities on their operating efficiencies and ability to deliver world-class customer service. Unlike many apartment award programs in other parts of the nation, PACE is not a beauty contest or a program to honor as many communities as possible. Instead, PACE looks to recognize truly extraordinary properties that are the best of the best.”

TRUE FOOD KITCHEN TO OPEN BETHESDA LOCATION IN 2016 (PHOTO)

The future Solaire Bethesda luxury apartment building has its first tenant, a healthy lifestyle-themed restaurant based on the principles of Dr. Andrew Weil. True Food Kitchen will occupy a 6400 SF ground floor space when it and the Solaire open in 2016. A partnership between Phoenix-based Fox restaurants and bestselling medical author Dr. Weil, True Food Kitchen has an existing area location in Fairfax County's Mosaic District.

Developer Washington Property Company believes the restaurant fits Bethesda's reputation as a healthy place to live. “We think Solaire Bethesda is the perfect location for True Food Kitchen,” said Daryl A. South, Senior Vice President of Development and Acquisitions in a statement yesterday. “Bethesda is home to the National Institutes of Health and is one of the nation’s most bicycle-friendly communities. We think this exciting restaurant concept will be a magnet for Bethesda’s discerning and health-conscious residents, as well as visitors from all over the area.” Two other healthy dining concepts attempted in Bethesda have had mixed results - Rock Creek closed on Elm Street (and at Mazza Gallerie) a few years ago, but Seasons 52 remains a mainstay at JBG's North Bethesda Market.

In addition to the restaurant, the Solaire Bethesda will house 139 luxury apartments, and is being marketed with its proximity to the popular restaurants, shops and theaters of the Bethesda Row area in mind.

The Solaire will rise on the site remembered for its historic Eastham's Exxon service station, which was demolished to make way for the new development at 7100 Wisconsin Avenue.

BETHESDA CONSTRUCTION UPDATE: 7001 ARLINGTON LUXURY APARTMENTS - OPENING IN DEC.? (PHOTOS)

The website for the future 7001 Arlington luxury apartments has gone live, and a new banner at the site is promising a December opening. That's ambitious for a building that still has Tyvek on it. The building is on the former site of the Arlington Road U.S. Post Office, and its ground floor retail space will house a Volkswagen dealership. On the new website, you can find floorplans, renderings and more - although it was down for maintenance when I last visited.