Bethesda developer buys Old Bowie's Railroad Inn site By ANNETTE ESTERHELD Staff Writer
A longtime business area in Old Bowie has been sold to a Bethesda-based development company.
The Kenwood Group Development Corp. purchased the property that includes the old Railroad Inn restaurant nestled alongside the railroad tracks and four buildings along 9th Street - one house and three commercial structures, including two that housed the Old Bowie Dog Groomer and Al's Auto.
Last year, Railroad Inn's then owner Brother Conway closed the restaurant after 56 years of providing what a lot of area residents considered the best pizza and the best bleu cheese dip in town. Conway, who is 80, ran his restaurant all those years and never once advertised. He didn't need to. Everyone knew where the Railroad Inn was located.
It's still there, complete with all the tables and chairs and looking like it's ready for customers to come in and order their favorite pizza. Maybe it will be a restaurant, the president of the company, who declined to have his name printed, told the Blade-News.
He said last December his company decided to buy the property and lease it to a friend who at the time owned a restaurant in the Riverdale area.
"He was 53 years old and he died in his sleep. It was such a shame," the Kenwood spokesman said. He said his company already had a contract with the Conways and had to "shift gears."
"We have to find a way to make the numbers work," he said. The Kenwood Group buys commercial and residential properties and either turns them around themselves or resells, which he said is an option here.
He said several restaurants and churches have approached him about buying the restaurant, but he learned from the city of Bowie that under the new Master Plan zoning, a church would not be allowed at the almost 4,000-square-foot restaurant site. The commercial area that's impacted by the new mixed use infield (M-U-I) includes properties along that stretch of 9th Street and Chestnut Avenue, among others.
"Maybe a restaurant will come in, but if it doesn't work out, we'll be shifting gears again," said the Kenwood spokesman. He also said his company is looking for suggestions, and anyone interested can call the Kenwood Group at 301-277-1902. He said Kenwood would consider selling the property to a developer for townhouses.
"We did a fairly exhaustive feasibility study," he said. "We explored constructing two-story townhouses over ground level store fronts, but we decided to leave the current storefronts along 9th Street intact."
Recently, Dave and Jesse Bartee, owners of Al's Auto, closed their shop, which had operated at its location along 9th Street for over 21 years. The Bartees had operated their business with no lease, only a handshake, and they told the Blade-News in April that they decided to move because the new landlord indicated if he purchased the property he would increase their rent.
"Ken Conway asked if it was OK for him to give my number to Jesse Bartee because he had concerns about new ownership," he said. "I said, 'of course,' out of my respect for the Conways. Jesse Bartee called me and asked me to come by. The rate increase was not triple and the Bartees were upset because they didn't get a first right to purchase."
"It's not our company's style to visit until the contract is signed and the purchase is complete," he said. "We went as a courtesy to Kenny Conway. It's poor policy to contact people until you know you're the owner."
He also said rumors that he had visited the dog groomer were not true and that no one from the Kenwood Group has met with or spoken to the owner of that business. He also said he has "no intention of interrupting the plumbing business" in the other commercial property he now owns on 9th Street.
He said his company also looked at building two-over-two townhouses with garages or three-story traditional townhouses with a garage in the rear of the property, but they decided "at this time, we're not inclined to go forward with that, but rather, we're inclined to ferret out suggestions from potential developers."
"It's been great to work with the Conway brothers and I want them to know they're always welcome back at the Railroad Inn," he said. "Their lawyer, former state Sen. Leo Green, was great to do business with as was the city of Bowie and John Henry King, the city's economic development director. My one wish would be that the city would offer tax incentives for the redevelopment of the property."
"To my knowledge, the city has not considered tax credits in any part of the city," King told the Blade-News.
King also said he welcomes the new owner of the property. "The city is delighted to learn of this new investment in the commercial property in Old Bowie and looks forward to working with the new owner as he develops his plans."
