Watkins Cabinet Co. closes after 73 years in Montgomery County, property for sale

Watkins Cabinet Company has closed at 18001 Sellman Road in Dickerson, after 73 years in business. Its 14,884-square-foot factory and warehouse facility has been put on the market for sale. This is a prime 1.43-acre property for an industrial/manufacturing use, as it is right on the CSX Metropolitan Subdivision tracks, part of a major freight and Amtrak route between Washington, D.C. and Chicago. That creates the opportunity for direct freight rail shipping across the nation, or to ports in Baltimore and Norfolk. 

I have suggested for many years that Montgomery County sit down with CSX and try to create attractive industrial sites alongside the railroad. This could be for the manufacture of anything from furniture to pharmaceuticals to drones. In exchange for the new freight business, CSX might then cooperate for the additional track that has been sought for use by MARC commuter rail on this line. According to the online sale listing, the asking price for the Watkins Cabinet property is $2,000,000. If Montgomery County is serious about getting the third track, these are the types of opportunities they should be investigating in partnership with CSX. Even without a third track, moribund Montgomery County needs the business and high-wage job growth.

Wilbur Watkins founded Watkins Cabinet Company in 1952. It remained family-owned for all 73 years. You might have a Watkins cabinet, vanity, bar, or bookcase in your home right now, if you live in the Washington, D.C. region.

Photos courtesy Brian Jamison Real Estate

Rockville construction update: 1900 Chapman Avenue (Photos)

Mystery project name. Mystery developer. Despite still being publicly known by an address and an LLC, construction is underway at the future 1900 Chapman Avenue development in Rockville. The project includes 319 apartments, 61 townhomes, office space, and 3 to 4 retail spaces.

Right now, concrete and asphalt have been demolished and cleared, and some grading work appears to be underway. You can see how close the townhomes will be to passing CSX, Amtrak, MARC and Metro trains in some of these photos, an issue raised by some planning commissioners during the approval process.

The site is bordered by the railroad and Twinbrook Parkway. It was previously home to Syms. From some angles, the current state of the site creates a surreal atmosphere. In the photo below of a Metro train passing the site, I can almost convince myself I'm standing near a CSX main line in Boyds or Adamstown. Almost.

HIDDEN CLAUSE IN ROCKVILLE PIKE PLAN COULD ALLOW PIKE DEVELOPMENT TO EXPAND INTO TWINBROOK

A clause buried in the latest draft of the Rockville Pike plan could one day threaten homes on Lewis Avenue in Twinbrook, if not removed before the plan is voted on.

On Page 4-6 of the plan document, under the heading, "Incentives to Build Crossing over CSX," the following sentence appears:

While the current residential development along Lewis Avenue makes this difficult, future opportunities may allow such a...crossing.

If I am a homeowner on Lewis Avenue, I'd be wondering just what those "future opportunities" might be.

The language is clear that the points of crossing would be where current homes stand today. "Future opportunities," then, suggests a time will come when those homes will no longer block the way. A.k.a. demolition.

Some may dismiss the notion, but the facts suggest otherwise.

First of all, language like this - as I know from personal experience in the planning process at the county level - can be seized upon at a future date by a developer, and can be used to justify expansion across the CSX and Metro tracks into Twinbrook. If residents protest, they'll be overruled, as officials will find such expansion "consistent with the Master Plan."

Second, there's no such thing as a footbridge anymore. The law now requires even pedestrian bridges to be wide and strong enough to carry emergency vehicles.

Third, the process of decking over railroads and highways is standard practice. A seamless expansion of Pike properties across into Twinbrook would be easily achieved by that method. And, via this clause, such decking would ironically allow those developments to be even taller and denser.

Finally, to those who say it can't happen, I would refer you to the attempted purchase of the Sacks neighborhood adjacent to Bethesda Row. A developer offered single-family homeowners in that suburban-style subdivision millions apiece. The purchase ultimately failed when homeowners demanded even more, and then the real estate market crashed.

It could have happened in Bethesda, and, with this clause left in the Pike Plan, it could happen in Rockville.