最新蜜桃影像

最新蜜桃影像
Home Construction
New home under construction in Bethesda, Md. (Grace Apostol / 最新蜜桃影像)

Bethesda new home construction, upset residents and the county鈥檚 response

Montgomery County hired a new building inspector to oversee housing construction standards. The move is in response to a growing concern from citizens worried about hastily, poorly built homes.

Adorned with sprawling and towering tree-lined homes, Bethesda, Md. neighborhoods are dotted with modern and historic housing. To drive down one of Bethesda鈥檚 residential areas, like Glenbrook Village, means to take in custom homes, either in the early stages of construction or freshly built, decorated with signs detailing the companies that made them.听

In the wake of this influx of construction, the Montgomery County government took action to bridge concerns from Bethesda residents. It has hired a home inspection specialist charged with overseeing construction standards.听

The announcing Matthew Kauffman joined the team of home inspectors with his 27 years of experience.听

鈥淗is extensive experience will be crucial in thoroughly examining new homes and addressing concerns raised by consumers regarding home builders’ work,鈥 the press release said. 鈥淲ith the increasing number of new home construction projects in Montgomery County, the role of the new home inspector is essential in upholding high standards resolving disputes.鈥

In an interview with 最新蜜桃影像, Kauffman said he is determined to help residents who have complaints about their newly built homes in the area, as well as juggling the different types of new-home construction corporations.听

鈥淚’m dealing with not just new home builds, but also contractors of all types dealing with home improvements and home repairs,鈥 Kauffman said. However, he did not comment on the influx of complaints of the new home construction in residential areas and stuck to discussing the needs of new consumers.听

鈥淲e still want to hear what people have to say. We talk to them and try, and bring people together, because our primary goal is to see the consumer made whole,鈥 Kauffman said.

Custom home
A custom home, built on a small plot in a Bethesda residential area. (Grace Apostol / 最新蜜桃影像)

Despite seemingly numerous pushbacks on new homes from longtime residents of the D.C. suburb,听 Montgomery County鈥檚 Office of Consumer Protection hired Kauffman only to investigate consumer complaints of new home construction companies in the Montgomery County area.

Companies also have built larger homes on smaller plots. The construction companies call them 鈥減remium homes.鈥 Long-time residents of the region took to calling them 鈥淢cMansions,鈥 something they are not keen on having.

Debbie Holder, a 鈥渓ocal home-grown鈥 of the Potomac-Bethesda area for 54 years, was once in the real estate business. She is still not in favor of the large houses being put up.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e ripping up all of these homes and putting up all these 鈥楳cMansions鈥,鈥 said Holder. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e building these huge houses on these little lots.鈥

Younger and current residents of the area feel the same about newer, more expensive homes, with cheaper construction. Mimi Roa, twenty-eight, works in Bethesda and lives in nearby Rockville, Md., and knows of the concerns of long-time residents as construction increases.听

鈥淚 would not want to buy a new house,鈥 Roa said. Holder, backing this claim, commented on how these new homes are built.听

鈥淚f you watch the construction being built, they鈥檙e not made well at all,鈥 Holder observed. 鈥淭hey are built so quick.鈥

鈥淲e still want to hear what people have to say. We talk to them and try, and bring people together, because our primary goal is to see the consumer made whole,鈥 Kauffman said.

From 2020 to 2024, Bethesda鈥檚 population increased by, resulting in a rough total of 67,000 residents in the census-designated area of Montgomery County.听

According to the, Bethesda is home to some of the top public schools in Maryland, including Walt Whitman High School, making the area a destination for young families seeking high quality education.

With such a population increase for an already densely populated area of 13.2 square miles, there comes a need to build more housing. Many construction companies in the area, like Paramount Construction Incorporated, have begun to tear down older homes, building modern homes in their place to create more housing.听

鈥淭here is more demand than supply,鈥 Paramount鈥檚 says. 鈥淪ince there are very few large parcels of land remaining in Bethesda, builders and developers are buying old homes and tearing down the house to get to the land. Yes, in many cases, the land that old functionally obsolete house sits on is more valuable than the house.鈥澨

Bethesda, being only 20 minutes from D.C., is a perfect place for new residents to migrate to, allowing for the phenomenon of what Holder calls the 鈥渕owing down the old and putting up the new.鈥澨

These newer, more expensive houses cause an uptick in real estate cost. If residents of Bethesda were curious to know the cost-of-living compared to a national level, they could be surprised by the results.听

According to data from The Council for Community and Economic Research, nationally, the average sale price for housing is around $500,000. For Bethesda, it is $1.32 million, which is 203.9% of the U.S. average.听

But these so-called luxury homes or 鈥淢cMansions鈥 are nothing new to the Bethesda residential areas. In an online anonymous forum called for parents of D.C., the discussion of these larger and newer homes has been a topic since 2018.听

鈥淚 drive through Bethesda a lot and any smaller cute original home that gives neighborhood charm is being torn down,鈥 said one user. 鈥淭he traffic gets worse and worse with each new McMansion and the construction is a nightmare for neighbors.鈥

Custom home 2
Another home under construction in the area. (Grace Apostol / 最新蜜桃影像)

The consumer complaints come from new residents moving to and building homes in the area, including these 鈥淢cMansions鈥. Despite the county鈥檚 mission, Bethesda residents believe that home inspectors within the county are there for profit and will not stop the building of cheaply made homes.

鈥淭hey don鈥檛 care,鈥 Holder said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 money in their pocket.鈥澨

Other long-time residents of the area, like Roa, are hopeful that hiring Kauffman 鈥渃ould help them solve issues,鈥 regarding how construction of new homes brings about complaints from Bethesda citizens. Roa also acknowledges that new residents building luxury homes in the area that go to inspectors may differ in opinions of older residents.

鈥淚 feel like the new homeowners are not as concerned with the problems in the area as older homeowners,鈥 she said. 鈥淪o, I feel like it is hard to say if they will care about the same issues.鈥

How new home building will be affected by Kauffman鈥檚 hiring is still yet to be seen. 最新蜜桃影像 will be watching closely as new homes continue to go up and citizens make their concerns known.

Grace Apostol

1 comment

  • There is no logical planning going into building and building of all these new homes.
    The lots are undersized and the impact on infrastructure is not even being considered. More students for schools to educate. More cars on the roads and more riders on public transport.

    The County Council has to wake up and engage in system wide planning.

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