Apex Building Owners Consider Selling Building for Purple Line Development

The owners of Bethesda's Apex Building (7272 Wisconsin Ave.) are discussing the possibility of selling the building—which houses a Regal Cinema—so that the building can be demolished to make way for a designed-from-scratch Purple Line station, according to a news release from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, which has owned the building for more than 20 years.

"While we were only recently approached by the county with the proposed plan to demolish the Apex Building to accommodate a revised plan for the future Purple Line station, we took immediate steps to assess the situation and begin the process of evaluating options," American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer David R. Witmer said in the news release.

Bethesda's Purple Line station could be built under the Apex Building as it currently stands, but the station would be cramped, due to the existing column layout of the building, Patch reported. The old CSX train track bed on which the Purple Line is proposed to be constructed runs right through the Apex Building (below street level), as does the Capital Crescent Trail.

The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists has been meeting with representatives of the Montgomery County planning and economic development departments. "This is obviously a big decision that requires a thorough and detailed analysis to determine if selling the building and moving to a new location is in the best interest of our members," Witmer said.

"We care a great deal about Bethesda and the county, and are willing to entertain an agreement provided that it benefits all parties." he added. The society employs about 200 staff and hosts several events each year that bring thousands of members and guests to Bethesda, the news release added.

The decision to sell the building is not one to be made quickly, though. 

"We have a legal duty to our members and Board of Directors to conduct a thorough analysis of how the sale of the building and relocation of our operations would impact this organization," Witmer said. "This is a complex and dynamic situation involving many players and it takes a certain amount of time, even at an expedited schedule, to research, review and assess."

The county's planning department’s "outside economic analysis says $5 million to $10 million of public money could be required to entice the group to sell or redevelop the building," Bethesda Now reported last week.

>>>Read more about the issue on Bethesda Now.