Maryland developer receives permit for overnight demolition

Montgomery County officials have assured surrounding locals the noise will not become an issue.

Montgomery County, Maryland, officials have granted a permit for overnight demolition in October to a Bethesda developer, a report by Bethesda Magazine says. The overnight work is scheduled to begin Oct. 9.

The 30-day waiver does not include regulations on noise levels, but Stan Edwards, Montgomery County chief of environmental policy and compliance, says the county will be monitoring the project.

Carr Properties is tearing down the 150,000-square-foot Apex building and plans to replace it will a 1-million-square-foot mixed-use project, the report says. The project includes a 300-foot high rise with office and residential towers and an underground shell for the upcoming Purple Line station.

The Residence Inn Bethesda Downtown 200 feet away from the project and considered the closest “noise-sensitive property,” the report says. Shelly Saunders, the hotel’s manager, was told that the county will be checking sound levels at the hotel and other locations on-site.

Despite not including a noise cap, the permit has 21 other conditions Carr must meet to comply. The developer must set up noise-blocking barriers around loud equipment, surround the entire site with fencing to muffle activity. Crews can only use jackhammers during the day when possible and complete the loudest work earlier in the evening. Nighttime work is permitted when using hydraulic shears, the report says.

The permit also states that the overnight demolition noise should stay below 85 decibels at a 50-foot-distance, the report says.

The demolition is scheduled for mid-October and will take around three months, the report says. A statement from Carr assures locals that the developer will keep surrounding business and residents updated on new information when it becomes available.

The permit will last from Oct. 9 to Nov. 8. According to the report, Carr can apply for two 30-day extensions and must submit a new permit application to continue working for 24 hours beyond the November deadline.

Carr says in the report that the reason it applied for this permit is to expedite demolition and therefore, shortening the amount of disruption it will cause.