Holladay In for Bethesda

Development of Bethesda's Edgemoor district has been been surprisingly stop-start given its location between the Metro and a thriving town center. But the Holladay Corporation is throwing their hat in the ring, adding to the chorus of developers intending correct to that malady. Alongside projects such as 4917 Hampden Lane, Edgemoor at Arlington North and City Homes of Edgemoor, the self-referential Holladay at Edgemoor will deliver 48 condominiums to the intersection of Montgomery Lane and West Lane - dead center between Bethesda's two main retail areas and just a block from the Bethesda Metro.

Located on a flatiron-shaped, half-acre parcel next to the Chase at Bethesda, the six-story building project will occupy three lots that currently host three office space-converted colonial homes. Comprised mainly of conventional flats, Holladay will also build 4 two-story townhouses on the building’s east side, fronting along Montgomery Lane. Of the units contained in the 71,343 square foot development, 6 units have been earmarked for affordable housing. The residences will all sit atop a 77-space underground parking garage – a measure designed, no doubt, to relieve overcrowding in one of Montgomery County’s most parking-challenged areas. Holladay has taken on Bethesda-based architects, SK&I, to design the project.

The project comes in with especially low density for a Metro site, with 30% open space, and an approved maximum density of 2.5 FAR, the multiplier of buildable space relative to lot size. Of that, 10% will dedicated to publicly accessible areas, while the remaining 20% will go towards "active and passive recreation space" for residents.

The Holladay at Edgemoor was initially denied by the County Planning Board back in April, due to a zoning conflict with the neighboring Villages of Bethesda at the corner of Arlington Road and Edgemoor Lane. After a short round of retooling, the developer rectified their design and the project approved the following month. According to Sami Kirkdil of SK&I, construction is expected to commence in 2010.

Elm Street Receives Zoning OK for "Dr. Dremo’s" Mixed-Use Project

If you are parched and in need of a cold microbrew pint, now is the time to head over to Dr. Dremo’s TapHouse at 2000 Wilson Boulevard in Clarendon, as the last drink will be served in about a year, if all goes according to Elm Street Development’s plan for this stretch of prime Arlington real estate. On February 26, after two years of rumblings, Elm Street received rezoning approval to demolish this stretch of buildings containing Dr. Dremo’s and Taco Bell to make way for a seven-story,141-residential unit complex (pictured is an older rendering - we are working on finding an updated one), with 35,000 square feet of ground-floor retail and 243 underground parking spaces. The developer is undecided whether they will be condos or apartments at this point. To better fit in with the scale of this block, which steeply inclines as it goes West, the structure will gradually build upward from two stories to seven stories. Elm Street will also incorporate several "green" building techniques to increase its ability to filter storm water. Construction is expected to start in early 2008 and be completed in 2010. Architecture will be by WDG. Once done, Elm Street’s project will join the 153-unit condo structure by Holladay Corp. at 1800 Wilson Boulevard, and Monument Realty's 306-unit Odyssey directly across Clarendon Boulevard.