Restaurant out of business at Cathedral Commons
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Anonymous
This is hilarious...and somewhat pathetic. |
Anonymous
| Never really noticed or took this seriously but that looks like it is anchored by a massive CVS and a Suntrust and some closed stores. Pretty funny |
Anonymous
Nothing quite says vibrant streetscape like a Suntrust and a half block-long CVS that doesn’t even have real windows. |
Anonymous
Yes nothing has changed over there. Should have kept the closed GC Murphy and free parking in the back. |
Anonymous
When the anchor developers are Giant and Bozzzuto, no one should expect much in the way of great design, streetscape or landscaping. It’s basicially just about trying to squeeze a bit of Rockville into Cathedral Heights. |
Anonymous
Yes, Giant is and always will be disgusting. |
Anonymous
| Don't you all know that this design is a giant FU to all the neighbors who fought the development for almost a decade? |
Anonymous
| ^^Speaking of the decade(s) long fight against CC, how is the Fannie Mae development going up so quickly? Was the zoning different? Did the neighborhood give up the fight? When I drive by both I'm confused as to why there was so much protest about CC and I heard/saw nothing about redeveloping Fannie Mae. |
Anonymous
Well if that’s the case, it’s kind of stupid. I know many people who live within walking distance of Giant who don’t shop there. When Wegman’s opens nearby - with quality and selection that vastly surpasses Giant and comparable if not better pricing - fewer people still will patronize it. That means fewer customers for the adjacent businesses. The “Cathedral Commons” developers missed the opportunity to build a first class project, and its hard to see how they could retrofit it to compete with City Ridge once that area opens. |
Anonymous
The reasons were: 1. Developer agreed up front to preserve the original Fannie building and most of the lawns/green space, and did good community outeach. 2. Most of the new development is taking place in the rear of the property and will replace parking decks, etc. 3. The developer is doing the project as a matter of right, meaning that it conforms to existing zoning. Cathedral Commons did a PUD because they wanted to bust through zoning by building taller and denser than what zoning permitted. 4. The developer is investing in good architecture, design and finishes. Cathedral Commons did not. 5. Wegmans is popular, certainly more than a big box Giant and another CVS. 7. That said, there are potential unresolved traffic problems with Fannie, including the addition of a truck access opposite Sidwell and possible resulting gridlock on Wisconsin. The developer also wants to re-open a back access through residential McLean Garden which was basically closed when Fannie operated there. |
Anonymous
There was no “decades-long” fight against Cathedral Commons. Giant proposed a store in 1999 with a block-long blank wall along Wisconsin Ave but withdrew its plans after facing opposition to the deadened streetscape Giant subsequently entered into an agreement with the Williams admin and with community groups in 2002 to build a new store (with entrances and shops on Wisconsin) to have opened in 2003. The new store would have been on the one block where Giant presently is. Then Ahold, a Dutch conglomerate, bought Giant and basically breached the signed agreement and did not build a new store. Five years later, Ahold came back with Cathedral Commons, as a two block development. Had Ahold not breached the 2002 agreement, there would have been a new store at least 5 years earlier. |
Anonymous
This is the only reason that matters. The project is by right. No zoning exception = nothing for residents to protest against. |
Anonymous
Projects that respect zoning go smoother, no question. The Comprehensive Plan and zoning are designed to regulate uses, height, density, etc. and create settled expectations for property owners. When a developer seeks to bypass zoning and build much more than what zoning allows is when controversy usually ensues. |
Anonymous
Giant was not always disgusting. For years, they were a solid, if not flashy, local grocery chain. Under the longtime leadership and ownership of the Cohen family, Giant was engaged in the community and had a reputation for taking care of its employees, many of whom worked at Giant for years. All of that changed when Giant got bought by the same company that runs Stop and Shop. Quality slipped a lot and workers were no longer treated as well. |
Anonymous
Giant workers are unionized, so if they are not being treated well, where is the union to defend them? |