Bainbridge Bethesda grand opening – The Bainbridge Bethesda apartment building celebrated its grand opening Thursday night. About 100 people attended the event at the 200-unit, 17-story luxury apartment building at 4918 St. Elmo Ave. (You can take a peek inside by clicking here.) Readers may remember the developers had to settle a multi-million dollar lawsuit with Lenny Greenberg, the owner of the adjoining Fresh Grill building, after a judge ruled in April that the building’s construction techniques damaged Greenberg’s building.
Two Halloween stores pop up in Bethesda area – It’s that time of year again, when specialty Halloween stores open to take advantage of the one-month buying bingesurrounding costumes, candy and spooky decorations. Bethesda blogger Robert Dyer reports Halloween Adventure is back at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda, replacing the Smart Toys store, and a Halloween Megastore has opened at the former Staples location at 1531 Rockville Pike near Woodmont Country Club in Rockville.
McDonald’s looking to replace current building on Rockville Pike – The owner of the McDonald’s at 1390 Rockville Pike has submitted a proposal to the City of Rockville to knock down its building and replace it with a new, modern restaurant. If the proposal is approved, the location would close while the new building is constructed, according to the plans. A pre-application meeting is scheduled for Oct. 9.
Image via Google Maps
StonebridgeCarras acquires police station site – Developer StonebridgeCarras announced Sept. 17 that it had acquired the empty parking lot site at 4823 Rugby Ave. and plans to construct a new 32,000-square-foot building that will house the 2nd District police station. The developer plans to complete construction by 2016. Once the station is completed, the county will take possession and transfer county land at 7359 Wisconsin Ave., the police station’s current location, to the developer, as part of a deal between the developer and the county.
StonebridgeCarras was selected as the winning bidder for the project in the summer of 2013. The developer is currently completing the large Lot 31 project near Bethesda Row, which will include new restaurants, stores, a county parking garage and about 250 condominium units.
Ruby Avenue parking lot site proposed for new police station (left), current 2nd District station (right)
Ted Lerner maintains position as Maryland’s richest person – Real estate developer and Chevy Chase resident Ted Lerner, 88, maintained his position as the richest person in Maryland with an estimated fortune of $4.4 billion, according to the latest Forbes 400 list released Monday. Lerner, the owner of the Washington Nationals and founder of Lerner Enterprises, came in at number 110 on the list of the richest people in America.
The second richest person in Maryland also lives in Montgomery County. Mitchell Rales of Potomac, who grew up in Bethesda, bought and sold companies with his brother to build the conglomerate Danaher Corp. Forbes estimates Rales’ worth at $3.7 billion. You may have visited Rales’ Glenstone museum in Potomac, which features works by modern artists from his own collection as well as works on loan.
Other local billionaires who made the list include Bethesda’s David Rubenstein co-founder and co-CEO of The Carlyle Group, and Chevy Chase resident Bernard Saul II, chairman of the development and real estate firm Saul Centers Inc.
Kevin Plank, founder and CEO of Under Armour, made a big jump on the list to become the third richest person in Maryland, with an estimated fortune of $3 billion, compared to $2.1 billion in 2013. Over the past year, his company’s stock has doubled.
Marriott helps raise $1 Million for Children's National Health System – Bethesda philanthropist Carrie Marriott served as the chair for Children's National Health System's "Race for Every Child" in the District on Saturday, Sept. 13. Over 4,600 people participated in the event that raised more than $1,055,000. Marriott, who is married to David Marriott, an executive at the Bethesda-based hotel chain, said in May she agreed to chair the race to highlight the exceptional care at the hospital. She experienced the care first-hand when her 10-month hold son experienced second-degree burns after touching a hot oven. He later regained full use of his hands after being treated at Children's National. Last year, the event raised about $700,000 for the hospital.
Carrie Marriott, front left, walks in the Race for Every Child to benefit the Children's National Health System. Credit: Emily Weiss Photography
Click here to get Bethesda Beat
delivered to your inbox
Editor's Note: Correction – an earlier picture posted of the McDonald's was the wrong location on Rockville Pike. We've updated the post to reflect the correct one.