A 17-story residential building project on Wisconsin Avenue in Bethesda has been put on hold, according to its developer.
Matthew Blocher, a spokesman for The JBG Cos., said the developer is putting the project on a “temporary hold,” but that it will be moving forward in the future. Blocher did not say when the firm plans to begin construction or why it’s putting the project on hold.
The Montgomery County Planning Board gave the project preliminary approval in February 2013. Plans call for 475 apartments, 21,600 square feet of ground-floor retail space and a park that would extend underneath the building from Woodmont Avenue to Wisconsin Avenue.
The building site is home to businesses including Parvizian Rugs and Fitness First that face Wisconsin Avenue and a two-level parking structure along Woodmont Avenue. For at least the past six months, Parvizian has notified its customers it’s planning to leave the location with large signs outside advertising a moving sale. Parvizian’s website indicates the business is moving to 7000 Wisconsin Avenue in Chevy Chase.
Bethesda blogger Robert Dyer reported last week the developer informed the nearby Fairmont Plaza condo owners that it’s putting the project on hold while it seeks a joint partner.
Blocher previously told the real estate blog D.C. Urban Turf that JBG is looking for a grocery store tenant for the building’s first floor and have been pursuing Trader Joe’s as well as Dean and Deluca, Balducci’s and Mom’s Organic Market.
Photos and diagrams via the developer’s application to the Montgomery County Planning Department.