Construction Update: The Exchange Safeway Building in Wheaton

The Exchange at Georgia Ave & Reedie Dr, with luxurious new sidewalks.

I am excited to share these pics taken last night. The sidewalk is finally open around the building!!  This is big news for those of us who walk or bike past there a lot and have been crossing Georgia Avenue twice each trip due to the complete closure of these sidewalks!

This is an update to my post from last winter, which included photos of the building under construction.

Another view facing Georgia Ave, with Safeway Now Hiring sign.

A friend of mine is looking for a new apartment so inquired about the rental options here (with my encouragement).  He learned that the first tenants will start moving in this
November Friday, before all floors are completed. [All are expected to be completed this December, according to the blog comment below.]

Nice new landscaping on Reedie Drive and Exchange Now Leasing sign.

He & his wife are in the market for a two-bedroom but probably won't be moving to the Exchange because they think the floorplan layouts are odd.  I think they designed them this way to be modern, but they think it results in some wasted space since a lot of the 2 bedrooms have wide hallways running down their middles.  They love the indoor pool located on a high floor, but think it was designed way too small since there will be so many people living in the building with access to the pool.  This couple is used to having a big outdoor pool at their DC apartment and it gets crowded in the summer, so they looked at the size of the Exchange's indoor pool and just imagine it overly packed.  They did really love the idea of a rooftop deck to lounge on with DC views, the views off in the distance from the apartments, and the big windows and decks in the units.

I hope other people appreciate the modern layouts and the building is filled soon -- if not, the unusual layouts are likely the reason.  If they have problems renting the space maybe they can redesign some of the units to have more conventional layouts that take full advantage of the space in each unit.  He loved the balcony and views and thought the materials used were solid and attractive.  The location across one small side street from the Metro entrance, and on the Red Line, is also a big draw.

Want to see the new units for yourself?  The Exchange is having a Grand Opening event Saturday, October 26, 1-4 pm.  This will include the drawing in a contest for free rent for a year!

No word yet about when the Safeway Grand Opening will be, but I'll certainly post an update when we know!  I'm looking forward to this new store.

Food Truck Festival (Curbside Cookoff) Coming to Wheaton Triangle this Saturday!

A deer in Wheaton Regional Park

This is becoming such a happening hood!  As reported by Good Eatin' in Wheaton, there will be a food truck extravaganza in downtown Wheaton this weekend!  It will have 19 or 20 of the regions food trucks (some gourmet) and a craft beer garden.

Of the trucks that will be there, the only one I've tried is Dangerously Delicious Pies, and it was good. They now have a cafe in Union Station and I'm happy to see they're sticking close to their roots with the truck.

It will be noon to 8pm Saturday 9/28.

A deer in a Wheaton front yard

In other news, there are a lot of hungry deer around Wheaton right now! Last week I saw several of them during my bike rides to and from the metro.  Here are two different deer from September 16...

In other other news, I did not make it to the community meeting last week (we can thankfully read about what happened in the WaPo) but I hope to make it to the Sligo Park community cleanup day this Sunday 9/29. Will I see anyone from the internet there?...

Sligo Creek Park Community Cleanup Next Weekend: Sweep the Creek Sat-Sun Sept. 28-29

Sweep the Creek fall 2013 meeting sites near Sligo Creek Park

Yesterday I saw signs up for this event along Sligo Parkway and it should be fun to help out and meet some neighbors.  It is called:

Sweep the Creek and Celebrate National Public Lands Day!

There is no need to sign up ahead of time and "all you need to bring is your community spirit."  The event will feature trash pick-up from inside the parkland (something that is fun and rewarding to do!) and invasive plant removal.  Instructions will be provided on-site.  Friends of Sligo Creek will provide "gloves, bags, water, and guidance on what help is most needed in each section."

The sites near Wheaton are labeled 8, 9, and 12 on the map and are happening both Saturday and Sunday (some each day).  Here are the details:

Saturday, September 28, 9-11amCreek Sections 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10 Middle, 10 Lower and 12 

Section 12: Wheaton - Glen Haven Park. Windham Lane dead-ends at the park coming from the east or west.  This small park features mature trees and is peaceful and pleasant. Can be accessed easily from Wheaton by walking or bicycling.

Section 8: Whitehall Pedestrian/Bicycle Bridge - on Sligo Creek Parkway in between University Blvd. W and Dennis Ave.  This will be at "Whitehall Bridge," a short distance north from the Sligo-Dennis Avenue Local Park and Activity Building. The path going over the bridge connects Gridley Lane/Sligo Middle School fields to the west, and Whitehall St./Tenbrook Dr. to the east. There's a small parking turnout here along the parkway that is readily visible and the site can be accessed easily from Wheaton or Forest Glen by walking or bicycling..

Sunday, September 29, 1-3pmCreek Sections 4 and 9

Section 9: Upstream from University Blvd W - Sligo Creek Park here is behind the Kemp Mill Shopping Center, which is at the intersection of Arcola Ave. and Lamberton Dr.  The cleanup group will meet between Shalom Kosher Mart (which will be open that day) and the walking/biking path in the park.  This is a perfect opportunity to use the path to get to the cleanup! 

The website has more details about exactly when and where the clean-ups will be taking place, including a link to a nice map of the meeting sites (a copy of their map is provided in this post).  Which ones will you join?

This Wednesday: Wheaton neighborhood meeting seeking our feedback about new development in the Triangle

Wheaton triangle from Grandview Avenue.

I hope to see you at the public meeting this Wednesday, September 18, at Wheaton High School.  According to the county website:

"The Montgomery County Government is inviting the community to a meeting with Stonebridge Carras/Bozzuto, the selected developer for the Wheaton Redevelopment Program. At the meeting, the proposed development plan will be shared along with details on the scope of their project and ideas for design. The County would like the community’s feedback as preparations begin for the development of a contract with the developer."

So come to the meeting and share your preferences for downtown Wheaton!  The triangle in question is in the middle of our community so should be of close interest to all of us.

"Wheaton Triangle" is shown here.

As background: our county is moving forward with plans to redevelop the Wheaton Triangle.  This is the area just northwest of the Wheaton Metro station that is currently a large parking lot with meters.  I think having new buildings here will be a good thing since they may bring more people to the area and they have promised a new "town center" as part of the deal.  There will be underground parking so there isn't a loss of the parking lot.

As I wrote last winter, the new development should be person-oriented with businesses on the ground floor, or at least displays that are nice to look at.

There is a contentious history of this redevelopment project, as JUTP reports in this blog post, since the county made a good plan in 2010 and then pulled out to the community's surprise and annoyance.  Specifically, "the county made a deal with developer BF Saul in 2010 to build several million square feet of apartments, shops, and offices in downtown Wheaton, along with a town square. BF Saul had a website and public outreach team to gather feedback, but the deal collapsed when the County Council balked at the $39.5 million price tag of building a platform over the Wheaton Metro station so BF Saul could build office towers on top." 

I hope they get it right this time and build things that will be a boon to the community. We need things that will be open and vibrant after work as well as during the workday, and we need open space with grass, trees, and benches.

Panoramic view of Wheaton triangle from outside Vietnamese restaurant on Grandview Avenue.

Another Pedestrian Fatality! More Stings Please.

Georgia Avenue in crosswalk at this crash site, 8/24/13.

Yet another person has been run over and killed in Wheaton.  Yesterday around 2pm a woman from DC was struck while crossing Georgia Avenue in a crosswalk just south of H Mart.  Today she died of her injuries in a hospital.

So sad and tragic.

As Patch reports, with a map of the accidents, "Twenty-two pedestrians and one bicyclist have been hit by cars in Montgomery County this year. See the map of incidents here." And here's some of my coverage from last winter.

Georgia Ave at the crash site, 8/24/13.

Perhaps this new tragic death means that the effect has warn off from the Pedestrian Traffic Stings I wrote about last April and May.  Last winter there was a series of accidents when car drivers ran over people walking.  As Patch reported, 12 collisions in the first 10 weeks of 2013.  As reported in the Examiner in June:

"Fatal pedestrian collisions in Montgomery County have almost doubled in the first six months of 2013 from all of 2012, despite the county spending millions of dollars to promote pedestrian safety.  County statistics show 11 pedestrians have died since the beginning of this year, a number officials say is concerning since pedestrian fatalities for 2012 totaled six."

I think a lot of the county money must have been spent on those pedestrian safety advertisements in bus shelters and on buses.  I think those ads are unpleasant to look at, scary, and may be discouraging people from getting outside of their cars.  Maybe the images of tire marks on peoples' faces who otherwise seem unharmed make drivers think that getting run over won't hurt.  These people don't appear hurt at all, just unhappy.

One of the ads on a Wheaton bus shelter.

MoCo should have more ticketing stings to calm
drivers and forget these ads -- the stings generated a lot of publicity so even those who weren't ticketed heard about them and learned lessons.  Drivers who just saw the stings covered on the news had to have thought twice the next day about blowing through a crosswalk when they were driving!

Vegetable Gardening in Wheaton

Wheaton is a perfect place for veggie gardening.  Many homes have big yards (unlike Washington and many neighborhoods closer in) and the treecover isn't complete so there is plenty of sunshine for the garden (unlike Takoma Park, for instance).

I think backyard gardens are common, although I'm not sure as I can't see into many people's backyards.  Myself and two neighbors whose yards I can see into from my own all have veggie gardens.

Fresh figs from the tree in our Wheaton yard, August 18, 2013.

Brookside Gardens has resources for gardeners -- in addition to a demonstration vegetable garden to view, they have "Master Gardeners" who hang out in the nature center library and answer questions about gardening.  The program is called Master Gardener Plant Clinics and these people are there year round on the weekend and two weekdays April through October.  Another great local resource is Rooting DC -- although it requires traveling into the District on a winter day, this annual free day of gardening talks and workshops is stellar.

Our Wheaton backyard has grown a prolific amount of yellow squash this year and last.  Around this time there are squash bugs and a sort of rot that happens, but we have still gotten tons of squash fruit from May through August.

In addition to yellow squash, zucchini, and tomatoes, we have a lot of great herbs this year!  Basil, oregano, mint, chives, sage, and cilantro that we're letting go to seed so it can be harvested as coriander.

An example of what can easily be cooked with veggies from the garden and some noodles from H Mart, July 19.

Basil, arugula, chard, green beans, tomato, squash on July 19, 2013 -- all from our Wheaton vegetable garden.

Fresh garden chives, basil, tomato, squash on July 21, just before being scrambled with eggs.

Summer Days in Wheaton

Here are some pictures of my bike ride to the metro station yesterday -- our first fall-like weather day of the year! It was 64 F degrees at 9:00am!

The hottest part of this summer was in July this year when it was in the 100s, then the last few weeks have been bearable in the 80s and 90s.  Yesterday and today and the next several days feel so much cooler in comparison.

August 14, 2013 in Wheaton, MD.

August 14, 2013 in Wheaton, MD.