The Washington DC Real Estate Blog

Those who currently live in homes in Montgomery County and more specifically in the town of Bethesda are being called to voice their opinion about a planned 6,400 foot sidewalk that will run along a highly traveled road near the National Naval Medical Center.  Currently the county refuses to move forward with construction until they hear the opinions of its residents.  As it currently stands, Isiah Leggett, Montgomery County’s Executive, has already arranged to hold this public hearing on February 16th, 2011.  So if you would like to voice your opinion about this project, show up to 101 Monroe Street in Rockville Maryland in the auditorium located in the lobby.
If everything goes as planned the addition of this sidewalk will be a part of a $3.4 million project that calls for a sidewalk on Greentree Road, starting at the intersection of Greentree Road and Old Georgetown road and ending at the intersection of Greentree and Fernwood Road.  This new sidewalk will aid in the access to the National Institute of Health, as well as Suburban Hospital and some schools such as Bradley Hills and Wyngate elementary, North Bethesda Middle School and The Woods Academy.  An interesting fact to note about this proposed plan is that one of the reasons they need to have a public hearing is due to the fact that the county requires right of way access in order to expand the storm drain system and because the construction may cause traffic congestion.  Since the addition is part of the Capital Improvement Program, the county has budgeted roughly $766,000 in 2011.  As it currently stands, this project has already received $290,000, which was designated for design plans.   If this sidewalk is approved by the county and its residents, construction is scheduled to begin this summer and should take around a year to fully complete.

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Open House on Pasadena Maryland Home
If you are looking for a single family home in the Chelsea Beach subdivision in Pasadena, then look no further!  The members of themarylandrealestateexpert.com team have just listed a beautiful move in ready 2 bedroom one bathroom home with rough-ins for a second bathroom.   Act fast and for $365,000 this quaint home which sits on 6 lots of land can be yours.  This gem of a home is being sold as part of an estate sale and it features new siding, windows and doors all with transferable warranties.    There is also a back entrance to this home which has a handicap accessible deck. This home also features a full basement that is unfinished and waiting for you to put your own personal touches on.

If you would like to see this property, one of the members of  themarylandrealestateexpert.com team at EcoFirst Realty will be holding it opened on Sunday, February 13,  2011.  The open house will be held from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm, so please come by or schedule an appointment to view your future home!!

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A New Year With New Opportunities, Please Don’t Miss This Seminar Presented By EcoFirst Realty In Conjunction With Equity United Mortgage Corporation, Aspen Title, and Polkes and Goldberg insurance group.  Are you considering purchasing a Washington DC Metro area home, then don’t miss the opportunity to sit down with professionals encompassing five segments of a real estate transaction?   At this FREE seminar a Lender, Mortgage professional, Realtor, Title Agent, as well as an insurance agent, will be on-hand to answer any and all real estate related questions.  If you are an investor who have bought and sold multiple properties, a first time home purchaser, a move up buyer, or someone looking to downsize, you will benefit from the information gained.   We will take you step by step through a real estate transaction as well as show you what opportunities are available for you.

Right now is a great opportunity to purchase.   Interest rates are at all time lows,  the market still favors the buyer, resulting in a winning scenario.  With the information gained at this seminar you will feel better informed making one of the most important financial commitments you have ever made.  Since space is limited, please RSVP to Jason.Rosenthal@yahoo.com with Seminar RSVP in the title.  This seminar will be held on Saturday February 19th at 4933 Auburn Ave # 1 Bethesda, MD 20814 (Aspen Title) at 11 AM.  Parking in the garage across the street is free on weekend.  We look forward to seeing you there!!

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Weather you live in a home in Washington DC or if you work in the District you have probably noticed an increasing number of shared bikes.  In September a newly launched but highly anticipated Bikeshare system known as Capital Bikeshare was started.  These bikes will serve those who are visiting, working, or living in homes in Washington DC.    As it currently stands there are more than 1,200 people who have signed up for Capital Bikeshare and the numbers are constantly increasing.   If you wanted to sign up on the Bikeshare website to use these bikes the cost would be $5.00 for a 24 hour pass, $25.00 for a 30 day pass, and $75.00 for an annual pass.  This bike program, which will be giving pedestrians a healthier way of travel, will be costing roughly  $ 6 million and is being funded by the District’s U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration under the Mitigation and Air Quality Fund, the local funding will be an 80- 20 split.  This public bike system will also be entering Arlington and will be funded through a grant from the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, Arlington County transportation funding and sponsorships by the Crystal City BID and Potomac Yard Transportation Management Association.

This project was started last month and it was greeted by hundreds of bike enthusiasts from the District, Maryland and Virginia at new stations that are located throughout Washington DC and Arlington.  As it currently stands there are roughly 100 stations in the district and 14 in Arlington, and all 1100 bikes and stations that are part of the first phase will be open for use by the end of October.   An interesting fact to note about these public bikes in DC is that they are part of the largest Bikesharing system in the United States.

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If you live in a home in Bethesda, Maryland you should be informed that the Suburban hospital in Bethesda will be constructing an expansion and at the current time it looks like some homes will have to be demolished in order for the $230 million project to be completed.   At a meeting between hospital representatives and residents of Huntington Terrace neighborhood the board approved unanimously the 300,000 square foot addition to the hospital along with a parking garage.  As it currently stands the approval of this project means that a portion of a residential street will be closed and there will be demolition of roughly 10 homes which are currently owned by the hospital.   This addition and new parking structure will help the hospital continue to give the highest level quality care to all its current and future patients.

Obviously when there is a plan that calls for the demolition of some homes there are going to be people who oppose the new development. Currently the Huntington Terrace Citizens Association has already voiced its opinion about how they oppose this project.  It has not been decided if this Citizens Association will file an appeal to the board’s decision yet, so what the future may hold is unknown.  As it currently stands, the Board for this project has currently approved the permanent closing of a portion of Lincoln Street as well as the demolishing of 8 or 9 homes.   The new addition for the hospital will house additional surgical suites as well as office space for roughly 40 physicians, but in order for this project to move forward the County has to approve the permanent road closure.  Please check back in the future for more details about what is going on with the Bethesda Suburban Hospital project.

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A new Washington DC real estate development broke ground this month on a 14 story Mariott Marquid, located across from the city’s Convention Center.    This new   Washington DC real estate development has been in the works for over two decades, it began when D.C. officials began to push for a hotel to be a companion for the new convention center which was on the drawing board at the time.    An interesting fact to note about this new Metro Washington DC real estate development is that D.C. officials approved a $206 million plan over the summer, and the developer of the project has already secured funding through private investors.

This boutique style hotel will be composed of glass and steel and it is predicted to be completed and open for public use in spring of 2014.  The hotel will be composed of 1,175 rooms, of which 46 will be suites, and over 100,000 square feet of meeting space.  The hotel will also feature retail outlets and restaurants on the ground level .  One of the reasons for the delayed opening of this hotel is due to the intricate excavation process that must occur in order to include below ground parking as well as a tunnel system to the convention center.  It is predicted that the construction on this new hotel alone should create 1,600 new construction jobs, and once the hotel is completed, roughly 1,000 long-term jobs will also be created.

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Those who live in homes in Montgomery County Maryland should be proud to know that the Montgomery County’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) was bestowed the prestigious Potomac Champion Award at the Fifth Annual Potomac Watershed Trash Summit.    This award is given to a department for its leadership in supporting the use of regulatory tools innovative outreach, and cooperative management in order to have a final result of reduced amount of trash and litter in the Potomac River.  An interesting fact for people who are currently thinking of moving to Montgomery county, or for those currently living or working in Montgomery county  is that the County was one of the original signers of the Potomac Watershed Trash Treaty.  The County currently spends over $3 million a year on picking up litter.
Currently Montgomery County is required to meet the numeric pollution limit for trash and litter in the Anacostia River, a tributary to the Potomac, as well as achieving the goals of the Potomac Watershed Trash Treaty.  Both of these requirements were put into effect under the Montgomery County’s State issued stormwater permit    The Department of Environmental Protection has also invested in public education campaigns and marketing efforts in order to prevent littering.

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If you live in a home in Montgomery County in the town of Wheaton you may be noticing some changes going on in the town’s real estate market.  Currently in downtown Wheaton a proposal for a 17 story Safeway plus apartment building has been approved.  An interesting fact to note about this new Montgomery County real estate that will be developed is that once it is completed, it will be roughly twice as tall as any other building in the area.  As it currently stands, this new development that was approved by the County’s Planning Board will be located at the corner of Georgia Avenue and Reedie Drive.

The plans for this new project are to build a new Safeway at the street level that has an underground parking garage for its shoppers to use.  There will also a 486 unit apartment complex as well as three levels of above grade parking for its residents to use.  If everything goes as planned the apartment complex will have community amenities such as a fifth floor courtyard, a terrace and pool, an outdoor lounge, as well as a fire pit and an open lawn for its residents to enjoy.  All of this real estate will be located on a 2 acre parcel of land where the old Safeway and Parking lot sat.  Another interesting fact regarding this development is that the developer will also be contributing $61,940 to a public amenities fund.

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If you are considering building your next Montgomery County Maryland Home in the town of Chevy Chase you should continue to read this article.  Currently there is a private developer in Chevy Chase Maryland attempting to build three new Maryland homes on a lot that is 1.33 acres large.  In an October meeting his plans were met with disapproval by the town council.  At the October 13th meeting the town council unanimously agreed to recommend on that the County’s Planning Board vote not to approve the proposal by Chevy Chase Green Vision company  to subdivide the plot of land in order to build these three new homes at Meadow Lane.

Now, in order for this developer to be able to build these three new homes, the project will need approval from the county’s planning board.  However, since the town is against the project, the plans will need a 4 to 1 approval from the county in order to continue to move forward.   An interesting fact to note about this 1.33 acre parcel of land that the developer has been trying to subdivide is that for years an uncompleted home has sat there.  The owners of this uncompleted home are George Collins and Ted Peterson of Meadow Lane Partners, LLC.  Mr. Peterson and Mr. Collins are hoping to sell this property to Chevy Chase Green Vision the developer who has been attempting to get his plans approved to add three more homes to the ever growing Chevy Chase real estate market.

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