Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Construction Update - Lot 31 - Upscale Condos!


For the past few years we have all been wondering what would be built on the county parking lot - known as lot 31 - adjacent to Bethesda Row. The Washington Post gave us an answer to this question in an article yesterday.

Monty Hoffman, owner of PN Hoffman and Doug Firstenberg owner of StonebridgeCarras spoke with Johnathan O'Connell of the Post to give them an overview of what is to come.

Latest word is that there will be 60 luxury condominiums above retail at street level. Prices of the condo units will range from $750,000 to $3,000,000. They are hoping that construction can begin next spring or summer. Much depends upon their ability to convince financial backers that the project is viable.

In addition - there would be over 40,000 square feet of ground level retail space and close to 1,300 underground parking spots. This will considerably increase the amount of parking that is there currently - and hopefully be enough to support the additional commercial and residential development.

The names of the projects will be "The Loft's" for StonebridgeCarras and "The Darcy" for PN Hoffman. "The Darcy" is named in honor of 19th century Bethesda store owner William E. Darcy.

Any concern about construction of this new project wreaking havoc in the resale market should now be allayed. The high end construction would be more likely to raise prices in our marketplace then depress them. For all condo owners in the area - congratulations! Your values will be going up.

I will continue to report on status of this project. Feel free to e-mail me at any time with questions. Click here for The Washington Post Article regarding construction!

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Taste of Bethesda - October 2nd!


It is hard to believe a full year has gone by since the last Taste of Bethesda. What started as a smaller street festival has morphed into one of the best food festivals in the MD/VA/DC area.

Bring your appetite, your camera and your family to join the fun. One of the best places in Bethesda to people watch, you can eat drink and be merry at this years festivities.

Here is a list of the Taste of Bethesdsa Restaurants: SEE YOU THERE!

Angeethi
Bangkok Garden Restaurant
Bangkok One Thai Restaurant
Ben & Jerry's
BGR The Burger Joint
Bistro Provence
Blackfinn
Brasserie Monte Carlo
Bundles of Cookies
California Tortilla
Caribou
Chef Tony's
Cookies by Design
Daily Grill
Dehli Dhaba
Divino Lounge
Flanagan's Harp & Fiddle
Flaxella Café
Fresh Grill
Georgetown Cupcake
Giffords Ice Cream and Candy Co.
Haagen Dazs
Haandi Indian Cuisine
Hanaro Sushi
Hard Times Cafe
Honest Tea
Jaleo
Just Cakes
Lebanese Taverna
Louisiana Kitchen & Bayou Bar
M & N's Pizza
Mamma Lucia of Bethesda
Matuba Japanese Restaurant
Mia's Pizza
Morton's
Nest Café
Olazzo
Original Pancake House
OZ Restaurant & Wine Bar
Passage to India
Penang Malaysian Cuisine
Quartermaine
Ri Ra Irish Pub
Rock Bottom Brewery
Ruth's Chris Steak House
Saveur India
Shangrila
Smoothie King
Spring Mill Bread Company
The Barking Dog
Tommy Joe's Restaurant
Uncle Julio's Rio Grande Cafe
Union Jack's Bethesda
Yamas Mediterranean Grill
Zen Tara Tea