Groundbreaking for Lot 31, the public-private StonebridgeCarras-PN Hoffman project on Bethesda Row, in the works since 2004, missed its January target date after being delayed yet again. But lead developer Stonebridge and Montgomery County government officials say it's not because the project is flagging on the home stretch - nor was the delay a response to complaints from local businesses about the closure of the lots and of Woodmont Avenue during construction.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Bethesda Lot 31 Project Delayed (Again) Until February
Labels: Bethesda, Bethesda Row, SK and I Architects, StonebridgeCarras, Woodmont Triangle
Groundbreaking for Lot 31, the public-private StonebridgeCarras-PN Hoffman project on Bethesda Row, in the works since 2004, missed its January target date after being delayed yet again. But lead developer Stonebridge and Montgomery County government officials say it's not because the project is flagging on the home stretch - nor was the delay a response to complaints from local businesses about the closure of the lots and of Woodmont Avenue during construction.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Woodmont Triangle Apartment Developers Seek Approal for Trillium Successor
Labels: Bethesda, Davis Carter Scott, StonebridgeCarras, Walton Street Capital, WDG Architecture, Woodmont Triangle
“This is my new favorite project,” enthused Ellen Miller, Principal at Stonebridge. “This building is a gateway to Bethesda. The lot to the north [at the corner of Woodmont and Wisconsin] is owned by NIH and is a beautiful greenspace, and coming from the north you'll look across that and see this very handsome glass and brick building.”
The site, way back when, was once home to the Clarion hotel, which was demolished in 2007 to make way for the Trillium project, the defunct condominium complex spearheaded by Houston-based Patrinely Group.
Doug Firstenberg, another principal at Stonebridge, told DCMud last year that he hoped this project could “anchor the redevelopment of Woodmont Triangle." Woodmont Triangle, situated as it is between the Medical Center and Bethesda metro stops on the Red Line, has attracted quite a bit of attention from developers recently. In addition to this project, developers are now building a pair of 17-story buildings in Woodmont - Bainbridge Bethesda as well and the long-delayed rebuild of 4900 Fairmont Avenue.
Bethesda, Maryland real estate development news
Friday, January 20, 2012
JBG/Ross Gains Momentum at 4900 Fairmont Avenue
Labels: Bethesda, JBG Companies, Preston Partnership, Ross Development, Woodmont Triangle
The Woodmont Triangle area was once, in attorney Bob Dalrymple's words, “ground zero not long ago,” but much of the energy has moved southwards in the past several years. A recent zoning plan amendment was the city's first attempt at revitalizing the area, and just across Fairmont is Bainbridge Bethesda (formerly the Monty), also a 17-story building, and the first project using the new standards of the zone. (Excavation on the Bainbridge site is just about halfway done, so expect to see cranes soon.) The amendment encourages new, denser development (read: residential), though even with the new zoning standards, 4900 had to purchase density rights from four nearby buildings.
Bethesda, Maryland real estate development news
Monday, August 15, 2011
Bainbridge Starting on 17-Story Bethesda Apartments
Labels: Bainbridge companies, Bethesda, SK and I Architects, Woodmont Triangle
One of the tallest projects in the area, the apartment building will feature a four-story underground parking garage and is meant to animate both the skyline and street level, the former with its height and periodically receding facade, and the latter with a new pedestrian boulevard that will feature retail and art, breaking up the block and endowing the building with a corner presence.
Some sources say the project could cost $80m to build. The selling feature, to developers, is the raised amenities, placed at the top to take advantage of views over Bethesda and Washington D.C. The building will feature a gym leading out to a 15th floor terrace and rooftop pool. "Obviously that's really expensive real estate that high that we're forgoing, but its the kind of thing that inspires people on a daily basis" says Josh Wooldridge, Senior Development Director with Bainbridge. "You just can't compare that to a gym in a basement."
The project is a long time coming, having been before the county planning board for 5 years. Bainbridge purchased the site with approvals last summer, and expected to break ground almost immediately, but equity issues have held up construction, which has been billed as nearly imminent since that time. Now Bainbridge has corralled equity partners, including Greek shipping company Restis Group and DC-based National Real Estate Advisors, along with the Department of Housing and Urban Development, to provide the needed capital, having closed on financing just two weeks ago today. Since the county adopted the Woodmont Sector Plan 6 years ago, no highrises have been built in the area (Lionsgate was planned previously).
Bainbridge will now start 3-4 weeks of demolition, followed by an estimated 18-20 months of construction. The building will take over mostly vacant retail space, replacing it with a 20-foot wide pedestrian passageway that links Fairmont and St. Elmo Streets, with retail fronting both streets. Wooldridge says design of the 7500 s.f. of retail will be finalized next year when the project is under construction.
Architects at SK&I have designed a LEED Silver project with green roof that will be notably taller than the low density architecture of Woodmont Triangle. "We'll be 5 stories taller than anything else around" says Wooldridge, although the 174-foot project will fall short of the Clark building at 200 feet. With demolition permits in hand, site work will commence immediately.
Bethesda, MD real estate development news
Thursday, April 07, 2011
Donohoe's Trifecta in Woodmont Triangle
Labels: Bethesda, Donohoe Companies, WDG Architecture, Woodmont Triangle
The biggest draw for the area is 8280 Wisconsin Avenue, now the site of a Texaco station, the area's only car wash. Once the building is razed, Donohoe will develop a 91,600 s.f. Class A office building with 11,000 s.f. of retail. Gartlan said he hopes to break ground on this facet of the project in 2013.
Nevertheless, Donohoe plans to break ground on the two residential buildings in the second quarter of 2012. First up is Phase 1B, also known as The Gallery of Bethesda at 4800 Auburn Avenue. The building will replace old commercial buildings and surface parking with 234 units, 5400 s.f. of retail and its own pedestrian street with public art displays. The second building, now dubbed Phase 2, also know as The Gallery of Bethesda II, will be a 221-unit building at 4850 Rugby Avenue with 19,500 s.f. of ground floor retail. WDG Architecture is on the hook for design of each of the three buildings.
The Montgomery County Planning Board has already approved the preliminary plans of a project that's been in the works following the amendment to the 2006 Bethesda Sector Plan.
Until the 2006 amendment, said Gartlan, density was site-specific. "The adjustment that allows non-contiguous transfer of density was changed specifically to help cultivate the redevelopment of Woodmont Triangle, which is what used to be the center of Bethesda," said Gartlan. Because of the amendment, Donohoe was able to transfer density from one of their sites to another. "We have designed our plans in accordance with the adjustment, working closely with the city, which seems to really like our final designs."
Jad Donohoe, Development Director for the company, told DCMud, "[The transfer is] a new idea and the thought was that because there is such fragmented ownership in that section of Bethesda, this would be a way to bring the density needed to make more of a Bethesda Row-type of experience."
Woodmont Central is much further along than another huge Donohoe project, the hotel, jazz club and retail outlets the company is planning to build called the Arts at 5th and I in Mt. Vernon Triangle. Because the project has yet to be financed, ground breaking isn't yet on the horizon.
Bethesda, MD real estate development news
Friday, November 05, 2010
Bethesda Highrise Sets January Start Date
Labels: Bainbridge companies, Bethesda, SK and I Architects, Woodmont Triangle
Though Bainbridge only recently acquired the land, the deal had been in the works for several years and came with the original SK&I designs and the county's approvals, leading Bainbridge to predict that demolition of the current retail stores would commence by the fall. The mid-block apartment building will feature a 20-foot wide pedestrian right of way connecting Fairmont St. with St. Elmo's Avenue with retail fronting both streets as well as the ped path, cutting the long block and giving the building a corner presence. At 174 feet plus mechanicals, The Monty - a name that current team will retain - will be slightly shorter than the 200 foot Clark building.
"It will be very tall for the area, so its going to be like a sculpture" said Senior Associate Federico Olivera-Sala. "It will be shaped in a way that will give it some articulation, it disintegrates as the building goes up, like a box at the bottom, but parts start to disappear as it rises. This is meant to animate the Skyline of Bethesda." The building will feature a gym and terrace on the 15th floor for fitness buffs that prefer a view, and four levels of below-grade parking.
The Monty will bring 200 rental units with 30 moderately priced dwelling units and should begin occupancy by early 2013, the first high-rise mixed-use project to be constructed under the Woodmont Sector Plan. The project owners hope to achieve LEED Silver certification; a minimum of LEED certified is required for projects in the area.
Bethesda, MD real estate development news
Thursday, July 01, 2010
Bainbridge Buys Bethesda's Monty, Readies for Construction
Labels: Bainbridge companies, Bethesda, SK and I Architects, Woodmont Triangle
According to Thomas Keady, President of Development for Bainbridge, the project receive unanimous approval from the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission (MNCPPC) and will be the first high-rise mixed-use project to be constructed under the Woodmont Sector Plan. Keady said his firm, which has projects along the east coast but is concentrated in Florida, chose the location because of its proximity to the Metro, restaurants and shops, scoring high for walkability.
The design team at SK&I includes Senior Associates Federico Olivera-Sala and Marty Towles. Olivera-Sala said the relatively low-density of the remainder of the block, which is populated by three- and four-story buildings, posed a challenge for the design team in creating a tall but contextual structure. The chosen design features several setbacks and varying levels of volume,"it's very 3-D," said Olivera-Sala. Towles explained that the setbacks are planned in different directions on different levels: the second story setback acknowledges the height of neighboring street-level buildings and offers a courtyard area, a sixth-story setback creates the wings of the building, and the fifteenth-story setback creates a terrace that connects to the party and exercise rooms. The breaks in the facade also effectuate a plan to minimize shadows on the street.
The design calls for a largely brick face in three different colors to emphasize the varying volumes of the building, and includes an 18-20 foot wide cut-through between St. Elmo and Fairmont Avenues, which Towles described as a "good way to energize mid-block. The retail will front three sides, including the new cut-through. Olivera-Sala said the Monty will have windows on all four sides: "the building basically has no back." Towles added "the thing that is exciting...is that the owner put so many amenities up in the air, creating opportunities for great views" as people exercise or party on the 15th floor. The project owners hope to achieve LEED Silver certification; a minimum of LEED certified is required for projects in the area.
Bethesda, MD real estate development news
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
The Monty: St. Elmo's Spire
Labels: Bethesda, MNCPPC, SK and I Architects, Woodmont Triangle
Robert Kronneberg, Lead Reviewer for the Montgomery County Planning Commission, confirms that the site plan for the project was approved last July, with final plans approved just this past February, finalizing all county reviews needed for the project. So if the details of the design are finalized and the site plan has been approved, does that mean building permits are on the horizon?
According to the architects at SK&I, the "owner is working on getting financing like anyone else," but they are "hoping to break ground by September or October of this year." Kronnenberg says Hillerson has sent consultants to meet with Planning Board staff "to look at the streetscape requirements," but adds carefully that "in terms of any kind of permits that have been submitted for buildings, I don't know that right now."
The SK&I design for The Monty will include up to 200 residential units, 7,700 s.f. of ground floor retail and and 5,500 s.f. of "animated" art experience, according to the artist - when it gets off the ground. Project Manager and Senior SK&I Associate, Marty Towles, says his team was proud to help usher in such a large-scale project in a neighborhood notorious for its abundance of "low-rise" single family homes.
"The design of the building on the 15th floor takes advantage of the views to the south of the city and panoramas over to Rosslyn," says Towles enthusiastically, who adds that planned amenities like The Monty's rooftop pool and sweeping terraces are not currently so easy to come by in Woodmont Triangle.
The owner behind Monty LLC's corporate veil is Robert Hillerson, the same developer whose Limited Liability Corp., Michael LLC, became entangled in a dispute with the Maryland Transit Authority over its Studio Plaza project. Located at the intersection of Georgia and Thayer Avenue in Silver Spring's Business District, Studio Plaza's ambitious plans call for 525 residential units and redevelopment of the public parking lot adjacent to the Purple Line. MTA got wind of the idea and lobbied to keep the lot vacant so it could be used in conjunction with future Purple Line development.
MTA eventually backed off from its parking lot crusade and Studio Plaza finally shows signs of moving forward. But with so many large-scale residential/mixed-use projects downsizing and sputtering to a halt inside the beltway, Hillerson is understandably uneasy when it comes to speculating about potential groundbreaking dates for his Monty project.
When asked about when his project will get off the ground, Hillerson told DCMud that he "would rather not talk about that project for a couple of months. But call me back June 17th." A developer with an exact date in mind for updates? Is that a sign of progress?
The architects are optimistic, and surmise that the developer is merely setting expectations. Towles reiterates that the developer's reticence to talk about the project until June could be a sign that Hillerson "wants to make sure everything's set in stone" before making any public announcements about groundbreaking dates. But since no one else is breaking ground in Woodmont Triangle, despite a surfeit of plans, one can't be too careful.
Silver Spring, Maryland Real Estate Development News
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Bethesda Church Plays the Development Game
Labels: Bethesda, Bozzuto, MTFA Architecture, Woodmont Triangle
On the boards is an eight-story residential building with 107 residences and six-story church and community center, combined for an unlikely architectural partnering.
The original plan called for separation of church and, well, community center, but concerns raised by neighbors and the hearing examiner compelled the Church to adjust its plans and marry the two uses into one 53,000 s.f. structure, reducing the size of the overall project by 25,000 s.f. The church and community center will sit next to the new residential building. Virginia-based MTFA Architecture is the project architect.
The Church project will sit on two-acres, currently occupied by a church building and attached community center, several single-family homes and a surface parking lot, all of which will be razed. All parking for the new project will be in two levels of below-grade lots.
The Church originally partnered with Bozzuto in 2006. When the hearing examiner denied the application in 2007, thereby lengthening the development process, and the economic situation took a turn for the worse in 2008, the team "reevaluated" their relationship, according to Barry Lemley, the owner's representative for the church. Lemley said the partners looked into revising the sale agreement, but when "it became apparent we still had some differences, we agreed to not renew the sale agreement" in April 2009. The break up left the church without a private development partner and Bozzuto with the right of first refusal should the project be resurrected. Lauren McDonald, Manager of Corporate Communications at Bozzuto, confirmed that the company was "actually not involved in the project anymore."
"We are not your normal developer," said Lemley, "we are not in this for profit and we brought this to market - we were not approached by Bozzuto or another developer." Lemley was optimistic that the new plans would be approved and that either Bozzuto or another developer would come to the Church about partnering on the project. Lemley said the Church wants a developer to build the core of both structures and to finish the residential project. Another developer with expertise in such structures would likely work on the interior of the new church and community center. Suggestion: talk with First Baptist in Silver Spring to see how they're doing things, but MFTA has a similar project on the boards with the Views at Clarendon.
The building will include 17 moderately-priced dwelling units.
Bethesda real estate development news
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
Bethesda's Battery Park Gets Recharged?
Labels: Bethesda, Oculus, Polinger Shannon and Luchs, Woodmont Triangle
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
A New View in Bethesda's Woodmont Triangle?
Labels: Bethesda, Morrison Architects, new condos, Woodmont Triangle
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Bethesda's 4900 Fairmont Seeks More Delays
The would-be 16-story residential project would have replaced the eateries on the corner, including Indian restaurant Haandi, with 118 units of housing at the corner of Fairmont and Norfolk Avenues. With approval of the application likely, developer 4900 Fairmont, LLC has until January of 2011 to file a site plan with the county. The project was initially approved in December of 2007; the extension request will be formally heard at the county board's July 30th meeting.
Bethesda real estate development news
Friday, June 26, 2009
The Monty Makes (Another) Go of It in Bethesda
Labels: Bethesda, MNCPPC, new apartments, retail, SK and I Architects, Woodmont Triangle
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Donohoe Galvanizes Bethesda Development in the Woodmont Triangle
Labels: Bethesda, Donohoe Companies, new apartments, WDG Architecture, Wisconsin Avenue, Woodmont Triangle
Within the next few years, Phase 1A, as Donohoe is calling it, will be the 8280 Wisconsin - a commercial complex with 80,792 square feet of Class A office space, along with 10,820 square feet of ground floor retail, at the corner of Battery Lane and Wisconsin Avenue. At present, it's the site of a Texaco that boasts the area’s only car wash. Unfortunately for area auto buffs, both will be razed prior to build out. It will, however, be the first sign of new development at the very same intersection that had previously been slated to host the now indefinitely on hold Trillium Condominiums.
In a first for Woodmont Triangle development, Donohoe's office building will be followed by Phases1B and 2 - but not at the same site. It’s a split that will allow the development team to benefit from a recent amendment to Bethesda zoning statutes. Said Jad Donohoe, Donohoe's Development Director:
[The parcels] are three blocks apart, but in the same project…Back in 2006 there was an amendment to the Bethesda Sector Plan for the Woodmont Triangle. For the first time it allowed this transfer of density between sites that aren’t contiguous or are even across the street from each other…It’s a new idea and the thought was that because there is such fragmented ownership in that section of Bethesda, this would be a way to bring the density needed to make more of a Bethesda Row-type of experience. If you look at what Federal Realty Trust did on Bethesda Row, those things have been happening on that side of Bethesda for 10 years. By contrast, Woodmont Triangle has been kind of struggling. This is the solution and it’s one of the first projects to take advantage of that provision.
And take advantage they shall. Currently the home to a surface parking lot and "some old two-story buildings", the corner of Rugby and Del Ray Avenues will eventually host The Gallery at Bethesda - a high-rise with 457 rental apartments (including 51 MPDUs), 9,051 square feet of ground floor retail and public park that Donohoe describes as being comparable in size and scope to the nearby Veteran’s Park. "It’s really going to be one of the few green spots there in the Woodmont Triangle for public space,” said Donohoe.
Though still “a couple years away from breaking ground,” Donohoe speculates that "The Gallery will be home to approximately 900 new Bethesdans, with occupancy beginning in 2013. 8280 Wisconsin will deliver in late 2012." The team's first project plan was filed with the Montgomery County Planning Board in January and they're currently scheduled to make a second appearance before the Board on April 23rd. Bethesda real estate is for sale.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Bethesda Condo Gets the Go-Ahead
Labels: CORE Architects, Polinger Shannon and Luchs, Triumph Development, Woodmont Triangle
The Woodmont Triangle project will now include only 61 condominium units, 8 of which will be affordable, 2,000 s.f. for four art studios, and a 3,277 s.f. outdoor public plaza. Now nine stories, the building will replace two small office buildings on the north side of Rugby Avenue at the intersection of Auburn and Rugby Avenues, and will include two and a half levels of underground parking.
"Obviously we are in the Bethesda Central Business District – which is a dynamic market in and of itself," said Elliot Schnitzer, a manager at Polinger. "Walter Reed is relocating to Bethesda Naval. Our site is between the Medical Center and Bethesda Metro stops and in walking distance to Bethesda Naval," he said.
Schnitzer also told DCMud that the developers will now work with Guy Martin of CORE Architects on construction drawings. When asked about the likelihood of joining the go-rental trend, Schnitzer said the company was standing by their condo plans. As DCMud reported last week, Triumph Development canceled its plans for 4901 Hampden Lane in the center of the Bethesda shopping district just last week, citing the approval process and market factors.
“People who have changed to rental have already broken ground. We hope to time it to hopefully hit the market on the rebound,” he said. A construction schedule has not been set, though the project will certainly beat out its neighbor - 4823 Rugby Ave. - which has submitted plans for a 24-unit building but remains in the 'concept' phase.