Your Next Place

By Franklin Schneider

This Chevy Chase colonial is totally fresh new construction - you know how when you buy a new sweatshirt, the inside is so soft and velvety that it's almost sensory overload? Extrapolate that to an entire house and you get the idea. Everything was so shiny and vibrant, I feel like living here would be like being a kid again. And let's be honest, living in a newly-constructed house is the really the only way to guarantee your new home isn't haunted. If I was an agent, I'd have that stamped on those glossy fliers for any new house I was selling - "Guaranteed Ghost Free!" I suggested this to the agent at the open house, but she just looked at me like "you're lucky I left my pepper spray in the car."

At 6200 square feet, this house is also palatially big. The family room, the dining room, the very fine kitchen - each one of these rooms was bigger than my entire apartment. Upstairs are five bedrooms, all spacious, and a fantastic master suite that features a tray ceiling, a fireplace, and his and her closets. No more intermingling your stuff! Because let's be honest, there's nothing worse than being on the train to work and realizing your shirt is exuding amber vanilla body spray after months of close confinement with your girlfriend's cardigans. I mean, I like it on her, but by mid-morning I was ready to roll around on the floor under the urinals, just to cut down the cute stench.

The lower level features a rec room, a game/media room, an office/exercise room, another bedroom/full bath, and a laundry room. Like I said, huge. I half-expected there to be a food court down there. The highlight of the house for me, though, was the enclosed porch, arguably the largest and nicest I've ever seen. It's also on the second level, which means your al fresco dining will be able to continue even in the event of flash flooding.

3211 Tennyson Street NW
6 Bedrooms, 5.5 Baths
$2,195,000

Where the Sidewalk Ends - Chevy Chase to Meet Bethesda

Great news for those who shop at Tiffany's and Jimmy Choo, then have to hoof it all the way up Wisconsin Avenue with their bags of goods to catch the bus: they will soon have it much easier. The Maryland State Highway Administration (MSHA) has secured funding to design (but not build) a sidewalk to fill in the gap on Wisconsin Avenue from Chevy Chase to Bradley Boulevard in Bethesda, says Kellie Boulware, Spokesperson for MSHA. The new sidewalk will fill in the eastern side of the street.

MSHA will begin design in the next couple weeks, which will include working with the county, Chevy Chase Village and Chevy Chase Country Club, whose western boundary the sidewalk will traverse. "This is long overdue since it connects two shopping districts and makes it easier for people who rely on bus service and public transportation," said Boulware. Four bus stops rest on the unpaved stretch. The western side has long had a narrow sidewalk, and is broken by cross streets.

MSHA has alloted $10,000 for this phase of the project. Though design is slated for completion in the spring, funding for the construction of the sidewalk has not yet been secured. The news has reignited the debate over whether it is architects - or engineers - that design sidewalks.

Washington, D.C. real estate development news

Whole Foods - Gentrification Comes Belatedly to Chevy Chase

Chevy Chase may get its first Whole Foods, the much-anticipated second "anchor" to the Shops at Wisconsin Place, by the spring of 2010. While the Bethesda-Chevy Chase corridor may seem like a scripted stage setting for the Whole Foods phenomenon, Chevy Chasers have until now had to drive all the way down to Tenley for their organic Gruyere, or eke by (gasp) on Giant or TJ's foodstuffs.

New England Development (NED), Archstone and Boston Properties are jointly developing the Wisconsin Place shopping center at the Chevy Chase-DC border. The entire development took five years to complete. Today, the shopping center features 432, SK&I-designed, upscale apartments, 295,000 s.f. of office space, and 305,000 s.f. of swanky shopping destinations including Cole Haan, White House/Black Market, and Bloomingdales—a.k.a. "Wisconsin Place Anchor Number One."

Turner Construction began working on the shell that would become the new Whole Foods back in August of 2004. Just this past July, Wisconsin Place General Manager, Christine Norris assured DCMud that work on the grocery's escalators had already begun.

Now, four months after that update, construction by L.F. Jennings is underway and Amanda Orr, Communications Rep for NED, told DCMud that Whole Foods is "slated for a spring opening, for sure," but she could offer no more detail because the Whole Foods powers-that-be "made it very clear that they don't want any outside media reps speaking on their behalf."

Unfortunately, when it comes to answering questions about the new store's square footage, its design, and even the estimated Spring 2010 grand opening date posted on the Wisconsin Place web site - Whole Foods PR rep, Katie Hunsberger is only willing to confirm that the store will open sometime in the first half of 2010. And yes, we know River Road has its own, in a bad strip mall.

We got it: What happens in Whole Foods, stays in Whole Foods.

Chevy Chase Real Estate News

Marriott Opens Hotel in Chevy Chase

Marriott opened a new Courtyard hotel this week in Chevy Chase Maryland, furthering Marriott's domination of the local hotel market. The 226 room hotel, at 5520 Wisconsin Avenue, is two blocks north of the Friendship Heights Metro near the DC border. Developers began a $35m rehab of the old Holiday Inn Hotel just last summer, with architects / designers OPX stripping the rectangular tower down to its shell, making structural repairs and rebuilding within a year.

The new Marriott Courtyard is designed to meet the Gold LEED standard set by the U.S. Green Building Council, using low-VOC materials, solar-powered trash compactor, a reflective roof, and HVAC systems that don't use ozone-depleting refrigerants. Very cool. In addition, "100 percent of its energy" will be provided from wind power through the use of renewable energy credits by purchasing energy through an alternative provider, which in turn sources energy from an assortment of wind farms. Michael Ward, VP of Development at Grosvenor, said the hoteliers expect the alternative energy to cost the hotel an estimated $6,000 per year in increased charges.

Designed as one of Marriott's "refreshing business" concepts, the hotel replaces the traditional check-in desk with "welcome podiums" (an inn-convenience?) and business-oriented lobby. The hotel was purchased in 2004 by Grosvenor Americas, managed by Bethesda-based Hospitality Partners, and operated by the Courtyard, a sub-brand of Marriott.

The original hotel was built in 1970; the new Marriott comes online at a propitious moment, with the opening of Wisconsin Place, a large mixed-use project, now beginning to open for business.

Chevy Chase real estate development news

Purple Line Vote Affirms Maryland "Rail on the Trail"

The metro area's arbiters of all things transit, the National Capital Transportation Planning Board (NCTPB), today voted unanimously to endorse light-rail as the preferred mode of transport for the 16-mile Purple Line project between Bethesda and New Carrollton. The light-rail option, which has already received the support of both the Montgomery and Prince George's County Executives and County Councils, along with the Coalition for Smart Growth and the Washington Area Bicyclist Association, has faced a long string of criticisms from Bethesda/Chevy Chase area residents who fear that the project will render their three-mile spur of the Capital Crescent Trail system both physically and environmentally unsound.

Trail supporters lobbed various critiques at the Purple Line prior to the vote, including claims that it would make the area unsafe for schoolchildren, lead to the deforestation of Bethesda’s last remaining green space and the system will amount to little more than a “two billion dollar trolley line.” Others reasoned that the planned location of the Purple Line’s Bethesda depot at Woodmont East is too far away from the Metro, the National Institutes of Health and the soon-to-be relocated Walter Reed Army Medical Center to have any impact on traffic in the area. Anti-light rail advocates instead proffered that the NCTPB should endorse rapid bus service from Bethesda to Silver Spring as the Purple Line’s preferred mode of transport.

“Some of my constituents in Chevy Chase will advocate…bus rapid transit on Jones Bridge Road - [an alternative that] is not supported by the residents of Jones Bridge Road,” said Montgomery County Councilmember and Purple Line Now! founder, George Leventhal. “The difficulty that we have in proposing an alternative that is preferred by both counties, and that is likely to be endorsed imminently by Governor O’Malley, is that anywhere you try to move this transitway, you encounter other problems…This alternative, which is included in our master plan and has been endorsed by both counties, is indeed the right transitway for our congested, urban, inside-the-Beltway corridor.”

Leventhal went onto to point out that his county initially acquired the Capital Crescent Trail for the express purpose of having both a “recreational hiker/biker trail” and future transit line at the same site.

“There would not be a trail today had not Montgomery County, back in 1990, acquired that right-of-way for the purpose of building what is now called the Purple Line,” he said.

Though some area organizations- most notably the Bethesda Civic Coalition's Save the Trail campaign, which collected some 18,000 signatures in support of their cause – opposed the plan, the majority of testimony submitted to the NCTPB was overwhelmingly favorable. With an estimated daily ridership of between 42,000 and 46,000, many believe that the “Rail on the Trail” will provide a crucial east-west link between Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties, resulting in an economic boom for outlying communities and a more efficient Metro system. Even frequent trail users spoke out in support of the plan, illustrating just how multifaceted the Purple Line debate had become.

“The media, unfortunately, portrays the issue of the Purple Line as black and white. You either support the Capital Crescent Trail or you support the Purple Line, but not both. That’s not the case with WABA,” said the cyclist organization's Executive Director, Eric Gilliand. “When finally constructed, the Purple Line will include a direct bike-ped link with the Silver Spring Transit Center, where it will eventually link with the Metropolitan Branch Trail coming out of DC. This is a critical bike/pedestrian transit project that must move forward.”

With NCTPB approval now in hand, the Purple Line’s next stop is with Maryland governor Martin O’Malley, who is expected to endorse the light-rail option and announce a timetable for construction by year’s end. In the meantime, NIMBYs on the other side of the Potomac can get ready for another Metro-centric debate now that plans for a proposed Silver Line, running from downtown Washington to Dulles Airport, are being openly discussed.

McMansion Watch: Chevy Chase

Even through the worst of economic slowdowns, the Montgomery County hamlet of Chevy Chase has proven to be one of the most insulated from market declines - at least with regard to home values. The fact may have something to do with schools, proximity to DC and Metro, walkability or history, but certainly housing is the dominant factor, and close-in single family homes have fared best. Which helps explain the surfeit of increasingly imposing, over-sized homes that have dominated the architectural style of new homes. With that in mind, here's a look at some projects currently underway:

Properties 1 & 2: 3823 Bradley Lane

Two single family homes will soon be situated on these dual 17,000 square foot development lots, which formerly hosted the now-demolished Nigerian ambassador's residence.

Developer: Sandy Spring Classic Homes

Architect: GTM Architects

Builder: Sandy Spring Builders, LLC

3810 Club Drive

Formerly home to a split-level rambler that has increasingly become the target of developers, this parcel has been reborn as a goldenrod...chateau? Or English manor, we're not sure.

Developer: Mitchell & Company

Architect: Mitchell & Company

Builder: Mitchell & Company

3516 Turner Lane

Wrapping up construction next month, this garage-centric home sits on a 7,000 foot lot a block over from Chevy Chase's only (and tre exclusive) shopping center on Brookville Road. The convenience will only run you $2,199,000.

Developer: McNamara Bros., Inc.

Architect: Studio Z Design Concepts

Builder: McNamara Bros., Inc.

New Friendship Heights Commercial, Residential Center Gets Underway

Demolition has now begun on Wisconsin Place, a mixed-use, 1.1 million s.f. project at the corner of Wisconsin and Western Avenues in Chevy Chase. Wrecking crews began a very visible demolition in January of the Hecht’s department store, while the foundation is currently being poured on the 480,000 s.f. residential tower, which is expected to come out of the ground in April. The nine-building, four-architect project, developed by a partnership of New England Development Company, Archstone-Smith, and Boston Properties, will be completed by 2009, and include 423 residential units, 305,000 s.f. of office space, retail space, and a 20,000 s.f. community center.

While there are a number of prospective vendors for the town center, Whole Foods Market and Bloomingdales are the only confirmed companies at this time. The trapezoidal Wisconsin Place will front four different streets; specialty retail and office space will overlook Wisconsin Avenue and the Metro Station, while Bloomingdales and other retail space will be located at the corner of Friendship Boulevard and Western Avenue. Connected to the community center, the residential tower will encircle a courtyard, with exterior units facing the new Whole Foods Market on Willard Avenue and a one-acre park at the corner of Willard Avenue and Friendship Boulevard.

Construction on the eight-acre property began two years ago with the construction of the Bloomingdales’ parking garage on which the store will eventually sit. Hecht’s Department store remained open until late last year, a condition of NEDC’s acquisition of the property from Hecht’s parent company, May Department Store Co., but has now been closed for demolition. Bloomingdales, expected to open in September, will take Hecht’s place as the plaza’s department store. The "Residences at Wisconsin Place", developed by Archstone-Smith and designed by Bethesda-based SK&I Architects will include 423 "luxury" rental studio apartments. According to Darryl South, Vice President of Development at Archstone, the residences will feature a high percentage of glass including living rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows. Initial occupancy of these one, two, and three bedroom apartments, starting at $1700 a month, will begin in June 2008.

Washington DC real estate development news