 |
| M&T Bank in Downtown Silver Spring Image Courtesy of Adam Fagen |
Montgomery County, MD probably utilizes more new urbanist, smart growth principles in development planning than pretty much every other jurisdiction in the DC Metro region (outside of Washington D.C. itself), and more so than most suburban counties in the nation. However, while new walkable, transit-oriented urban centers in the county have been rapidly growing over the past decade or so with the construction of new high-density, mixed-use development built along these principles, it seems that one type of business has stubbornly resisted the urban transformation: bank branches.
The typical template for mixed-use development in Montgomery County's urban centers comprises either residential units or commercial office space (relatively rare in these days of high vacancy rates across the Metro area and limited government and business expansion) above ground-floor retail in mid- or high-rise buildings. When I use the term "retail" I'm encompassing a wide range of businesses such as: restaurants, nightclubs, barbers, supermarkets, pharmacies, bars, bank branches, etc. The combination of uses in these mixed-use developments is crucial to creating a true urban environment where residents can live, work, shop, and play, and the streets are active from dawn well into the night.
For some reason, banks (in Montgomery County's urban areas) have shied away from this type of development, while pretty much every other form of "retail" has embraced it. There are a number of new bank branches popping up in the county's urban areas, but many as traditional stand-alone single-story buildings with parking, rather than on the ground-floor of multi-story buildings. Some of these locations are pretty high-profile and on very valuable plots of land.
It's one thing for banks to use the traditional stand-alone/drive-through/parking model in more suburban areas of the county (and they definitely do), but in higher-density urban areas, it's an inefficient use of land, it's not conducive to the urban pedestrian-friendly layout, and it looks very out of place (see: Capital One branch below). Following are 4 examples of under-construction or soon-to-be constructed suburban-style bank branches in existing and emerging urban areas.
CASE #1: TD Bank Downtown Bethesda I
Situated at 8101 Wisconsin Ave, this lot will be the site of one of two (see Case #2) brand-new TD Bank branches in Bethesda. A BP gas station* (the so-called "Last Gas" before the Beltway) was demolished in February to make way for the new bank branch. The use of the lot for a low-rise bank isn't as ridiculous as in Case #2 since it's not exactly an "urban block." Single story retail border the site on the north and south, and there's a large county parking lot directly to the east. However, a 17-story Doubletree hotel is directly across the street to the west.
CASE #2: TD Bank Downtown Bethesda II
Located at 7628 Old Georgetown Road in the heart of downtown Bethesda, this is probably the biggest offender of all the examples listed here, and accordingly has sparked some community outrage. The developer plans to build a 2,800-sq.ft. bank with a remote drive-through ATM and about nine parking spots. Not only is the site about a two-minute walk from the Bethesda Metro station, but it's already nearly entirely surrounded by high-rises, albeit many aren't exactly "mixed-use" (which is more reason this site should be).
In addition, the lot's location at the intersection of two of the busiest arteries in downtown Bethesda (Old Georgetown Rd and Woodmont Ave) demands a use and visual appeal equal to site's incredible value. While the bank is a marginal upgrade from the Shell gas station currently existing on the site (an adjacent house-turned-office, ubiquitous in DT Bethesda, will also be demolished as part of the redevelopment), the bank+parking is a horrible use of the space. The developer claims that the site is too small for anything of higher density, and I would be inclined to agree, but just across the street Starr Capital is planning on building a 17-story condo building with an arts alley, on a similarly-sized lot.
CASE #3: Cardinal Bank Twinbrook (Rockville**)
This case involves an under-construction bank branch at yet another prominent intersection, this time Hungerford Drive and Twinbrook Parkway/Rollins Ave. Unlike in the other cases, this project will other retail in addition to the bank, making it slightly better in terms of land-use (it's a 1-story building with surface parking). However, this project also includes a surface parking lot exposed to and lining the main street (Rockville Pike) which automatically makes it significantly worse than either Bethesda case. Of course that means that the building also has a ridiculous setback from the street and is pretty much unfriendly to pedestrians. I will say that this isn't unique to this development since all of the properties along this section of the Pike have huge building setbacks for parking and service roads, something that will hopefully change when a new BRT line is built along the corridor.
The actual bank constructing the branch, Cardinal Bank, is local bank headquartered in Northern Virginia. This is only their second branch in Maryland, although there are over 20 in Virginia (and one in Washington D.C.) so they could be forgiven for building it in this manner, especially given how slow Virginia has been at embracing smart growth (outside of Arlington). Hopefully, any future branches in urban areas of MoCo won't follow this blatantly suburban style format.
 |
| Rendering of future Cardinal Bank Photo Credit: Cardinal Bank |
Although I specified the location (street address: 369 Hungerford Dr) of this branch as "downtown Rockville" it's actually across the street from downtown Rockville on a narrow strip of land between Hungerford Dr and the Metro/MARC/CSX railroad tracks. It pretty much follows the template set by the neighboring Capital One Bank branch: single-story branch+parking+drive-through. Honestly, this case isn't as bad primarily because it would be pretty difficult to construct a sizable high-density building on the small site (although it's zoned "mixed-use"), but also because the "urban" center of Rockville doesn't really extend to this side of the street and it doesn't really stick out.
While some of these cases are more egregious than others, all of them are examples of poor land-use decisions. I understand that banks like to have drive-throughs so lazy customers don't have to get out of their cars to utilize their services, but it's not worth wasting land to provide an unnecessary service in urban areas where a large portion of the population doesn't own cars. A number of banks, including some in Silver Spring and Bethesda have also managed to include drive-through services while still utilizing the more suitable ground-floor/urban layout.
It's Not Just About Density
While land-use/density is important in assessing how well these banks branches fit in in an urban setting, just as important is building architecture, layout, and how well it fits in aesthetically with (or stands out from) surrounding structures. One very good example of this is the dramatic difference between the two Capital One Branches on Georgia Ave in downtown Silver Spring:
Capital One 'South Branch' Downtown Silver Spring
View Larger Map
Capital One 'North Branch' Downtown Silver Spring
'View Larger Map
While both are very poor land-use choices (single-story, large amount of surface parking, drive-throughs), the branch closer to the DC line (which we'll call the 'south branch') has a far more appealing and suitable design. With a facade that wraps around the street corner, an entrance right on the corner, and complements the adjacent properties very well. In fact, if it wasn't for the parking lot and drive-through station in the rear, I would have no problem with the bank at all, since (taking into account the immediate area) the design is very much urban (despite the lack of additional uses and density). The 'north branch', on the other hand, has a very suburban design--the well-known Georgian-style building ubiquitous to Capital One (ex-Chevy Chase Bank) branches throughout the DC Metro Area.
Don't get me wrong I actually love the instantly recognizable architectural style, and how it gives the branches more visual cachet than the typically bland architecture of other area banks...but, it only fits in the suburbs, where branches are surrounded by stand-alone chain restaurants, big box stores, shopping centers, and other low-rise buildings. Here, it looks ridiculous.
The Ideal Urban Bank
Below are a couple examples of "ideal" urban bank branches in Montgomery County. The first branch is located on the ground floor of a residential high-rise, while the second example is located on the ground floor of an office building. Unfortunately, both of these branches were closed by Capital One in late 2012. The closures highlight one valid reason why some banks prefer to build their own stand-alone branches: leased ground-floor retail space in heavily-trafficked urban areas, especially those with the large square-footage required by banks, is expensive. Another drawback of banks in mixed-use buildings is that they're dead zones at night after they close and don't do much to promote the area's nightlife. Still, urban areas (like most other areas) need banking services and this configuration is the optimum choice.
Capital One Branch on Wisconsin Ave, Friendship Village
View Larger Map
Capital One Branch on Old Georgetown Road, Downtown Bethesda
View Larger Map
*It's worth noting that all 4 examples are being built on the sites of gas stations.It would seem that gas stations are disappearing in burgeoning urban areas and (unfortunately) stand-alone banks are taking their place.
No comments:
Post a Comment