A 270-unit apartment tower is one step closer to construction on Old Georgetown Road after a demolition permit was filed for the former Jewelry Exchange building.
The permit application targets the single-story building at 7747 Old Georgetown Road, according to a Saturday post by local development blogger Robert Dyer. The building is one of the remaining low-rise structures along this stretch of Old Georgetown Road. Montgomery County planning records list the development parcel as 7749 Old Georgetown Road; both addresses appear to reference the same site at the northwest corner of Old Georgetown Road and St. Elmo Avenue.
Because the building is more than 25 years old, Montgomery County requires a 30-day public notification period before a demolition permit can be issued, according to the Department of Permitting Services. If the notification sign is approved and all conditions are met, the county issues the permit within 37 days.
Developer Stonebridge Associates, represented by David Cerniglia, purchased the 0.44-acre parcel in late 2022 for $3.6 million, according to UrbanTurf. The Jewelry Exchange, part of Goldenwest Diamond Corporation's national chain, had operated at the site. The business was founded in 1977 by President Bill Doddridge.
Stonebridge's approved plan calls for a 17-story residential building with 270 apartments, 6,000 square feet of ground-floor retail and up to 150 structured parking spaces. Bethesda-based SK&I Architecture, with architect Chris Huffer on the project, designed the building.
The Montgomery County Planning Board approved the preliminary plan with conditions on Thursday, January 16, 2025, and adopted its resolution in February of last year, according to M-NCPPC records. That approval increased the unit count from the 240 apartments Stonebridge originally proposed to 270.
Stonebridge had projected a groundbreaking in early 2026.
