Post article about fading and emptying suburban office parks in Montgomery County (Silver Spring: apartment, to rent)

[bufflove]

Originally Posted by LynchburgLover

Why do you suppose WaPost wrote the article about Montgomery County if it is also true of other counties in the area? Why wouldn't they just write about office parks in the Metro area?

Because MoCo just had a consultant's report released on the topic; hence WaPo reporting on that, specifically.

[phoenixmike11]

Big Outdoor Parking Lots Look Like Something Else To Montgomery County | WAMU 88.5 - American University Radio

just as suburban office parks are not as popular in Montgomery County-big suburban parking lots seem to be not as popular as well-

[adelphi_sky]

Originally Posted by phoenixmike11

Big Outdoor Parking Lots Look Like Something Else To Montgomery County | WAMU 88.5 - American University Radio

just as suburban office parks are not as popular in Montgomery County-big suburban parking lots seem to be not as popular as well-

Parking lots are a waste of space. Dig an underground parking garage and build something on top. Even if it's a park. Parking lots also create runoff.

[DistrictSonic]

Surface parking lots were a terrible development practice, and the move away from them is welcome. The county is moving more towards best practices.

[phoenixmike11]

Why do companies want to be downtown so badly? (Boston Globe)

Why do companies want to be downtown so badly? - Jobs news - Boston.com

This article highlights why companies are shifting away from office parks in places like the outer suburbs of montgomery county

[kcmo]

Originally Posted by DistrictSonic

This is happening throughout the suburbs nationally. It is not unique to Maryland, it is not unique to the DC area, and it is not unique to the US. Northern Virginia has the exact same issue. The office park vacancy is over 50% in many of the non-metro accessible areas of Northern Virginia, so the problem is even worse there. This article said nothing about the lack of interesting suburbs in Montgomery County, it should be noted Downtown Bethesda and Silver Spring are doing fine. The office vacancy in Silver Spring is below 1%. Downtown Bethesda has similarly low vacancy. The problem is poorly designed office parks which require a car to get there. It also should be noted Silver Spring is far more popular with millennials than Alexandria. It should be noted the vacancy in Virginia is 20% in the metro accessible areas, and 40%+ in the areas which are not, Montgomery County has a vacancy of 14.9%. But the areas which are in TOD places are below 10%. Point being is good design saved Montgomery County from being much worse off.

The suburban office park is dying in the DC area in general. It was a poor design that deserves to die. No reason to keep it alive, let the market do it's work, and shift towards communities with better design, that are less car dependent and more walkable. Thankfully, Montgomery County is already moving towards that direction with places like the White Flint redevelopment, and has been a general leader in moving towards TOD. But these suburban office parks are on the way out.
Hopefully it is the death of poor single use suburban planning.

Trust me, it's not happening everywhere. In Kansas City, they rarely build office space in urban areas, even today, most is built in very far flung suburban areas with surface parking lots the size of Delaware.

[bufflove]

Originally Posted by kcmo

Trust me, it's not happening everywhere. In Kansas City, they rarely build office space in urban areas, even today, most is built in very far flung suburban areas with surface parking lots the size of Delaware.

He's not saying it's happening literally everywhere, he's saying it's the general trend and happening across the U.S. It's not just a DC-area shift.

[kcmo]

Originally Posted by bufflove

He's not saying it's happening literally everywhere, he's saying it's the general trend and happening across the U.S. It's not just a DC-area shift.

Yea, I agree with that. It is a national trend. That was more of a slam on my hometown, which is not part of this national trend yet.

[Iggier]

The quicky disappearing parking options in MoCo, whether surface lot, multi-level garage, or street/curb make it virtually impossible for those of us in more traditional traditional townhome or single-family neighborhoods to take advantage of some of the county's offerings, such as shopping, dining, entertainment.

Some of us prefer to live with space between ourselves and our neighbors instead of crammed into densely packed cracker-box apartments and mixed use communities. I'll take my privacy, thank you very much, for which I should not have to sacrifice easy access to and availability of grocery stores, a restaurant or a local live-music venue where I can park my vehicle. Walking, riding a bicycle, carpooling, or taking public transit just does not work for some of us. Ever tried carrying large items or several bags of groceries while on foot, bicycle, bus, or rail?

For many reasons, the development landscape in MoCo is quite troubling.

[phoenixmike11]

What happens when the public can

Downtown Bethesda looks to improve its public spaces and art