Allium Place apartments burglarized in Silver Spring, vehicles stolen from complex

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a burglary at the Allium Place apartments at 4024 Gannon Road in Silver Spring on April 13, 2026. The burglary was reported at 12:55 PM. Officers responding to the scene found evidence of forced entry. They also discovered that a set of keys were stolen from an office area, which were used to steal a vehicle belonging to the complex. Police describe the suspect only as a Hispanic male of unknown age.

Three days later, another vehicle was reported stolen from the parking lot on April 16. Police believe that vehicle was taken sometime between 5:00 and 7:00 AM that morning. They have no suspect description in that case. If you have any information about either of these incidents that could assist detectives in closing these cases, call police at (301) 279-8000.

Silver Spring luxury apartment tower converting to affordable housing

If you needed any further evidence that there is little demand for new luxury apartments at the absurdly-inflated market rate rents of Montgomery County today, look no further than The Premier at 8711 Georgia Avenue in downtown Silver Spring. The building, newly constructed a little over a decade ago, has been sold to BrookWynn Capital and Affordable Homes & Communities for $42 million. This partnership plans to convert more than half of the units to affordable housing. Such new buildings across the county - the same buildings our elected officials and the Abundance Bros. tell us all zoning rules must be tossed to make way for over every square inch of MoCo - are riddled with vacant units, which must be filled by other means ranging from college dorms to illegal Airbnb rentals. That an affordable housing partnership would be the winning bidder for a new, luxury apartment tower tells you all you need to know about the lack of demand for 1-bedroom apartments at artificially-inflated rates.

Silver Spring construction update: The Guardian apartments (Photos)

"Immediate move-in [is] available" at The Guardian apartments at 8605 Cameron Street in downtown Silver Spring, according to the property website. Work appears to be complete, from the exterior, at least. There is a retail space still to be fit-out by a tenant on the ground level. 

Here's a look at the lobby, which captures the art deco theme of the building to a greater extent than the facade. If you've been following the Guardian story, the building has been converted from an office property to residential, with the addition of several floors on top. This is one of the first successful conversions in Montgomery County in the new trend of repurposing vacant office buildings, although it has been done in downtown Silver Spring before.

Ground floor retail space

Silver Spring construction update: The Guardian apartments (Photos)

Let's take another look at the construction progress at The Guardian apartments at 8605 Cameron Street in downtown Silver Spring. The project is getting a lot of attention, but not just from apartment shoppers in the D.C. area. Real estate experts and developers in the region will also be closely following the office-building-to-apartments conversion process, and its succes after completion. That's because Avenue5 residential has been on the cutting edge of this new trend. The conversion of this 1950s office building into apartments was in the works, and then in-progress, as regional leaders were just beginning to seriously discuss the idea as a solution for vacant office space.

Future lobby entrance

Balcony view

Residences at Forest Glen apartments now accepting applications

The Residences at Forest Glen, a new rental apartment development at 2106 Belvedere Boulevard at Georgia Avenue in Forest Glen, is now accepting applications. Developed by Montgomery Housing Partnership, the building contains 189 affordable units. This means there are income restrictions, so you might make too much, or too little, to live here. The architect was Grimm+Parker. It's a standard stack-and-pack affair. 

Transportation access is excellent: There is a bus stop right out front, it is very close to the Forest Glen Metro station, and it is seconds away from a Capital Beltway interchange on Georgia Avenue by car. However, there isn't much else within a comfortable walking distance of the building in terms of restaurants, shopping, or entertainment. Montgomery Hills is the closest commercial area, and it's quite a stroll to get there on foot. Forest Glen is a great suburban area to live in, but you'll definitely want to have a car for practical purposes, as the urbanization dream - rabid multifamily housing and bus lane push notwithstanding - hasn't quite been realized here yet.

Guardian apartments pre-leasing in Silver Spring as construction winds down (Photos)

The conversion of vacant office buildings into apartments is a trend that is likely to grow, thanks to Montgomery County's moribund economy and inability to attract major corporations to fill them. Downtown Silver Spring has been where the action is on this front in the county. We're talking about the conversion of an office building, not the demolition of one to be replaced by a new development. The conversion of the Guardian Building at 8605 Cameron Street is the most ambitious project yet, and almost two years after work began, it looks like an entirely-new building.

It doesn't hurt that about six floors have been constructed atop the existing four stories of the original Guardian Building. There's a nice tribute to the original office building's design on the Cameron Street side of the property, where the window placement echoes the OG Guardian. On the Georgia Avenue side, the facade is much different from the original, which was all-glass. An art deco-inspired lobby, a rooftop lounge and dog park with city views, a conference room, a fitness center with yoga studio, and a pet spa are among the other additions to the building.

Now rechristened The Guardian, pre-leasing of the new apartments has begun. Initial move-ins of the first residents are expected before spring is over. Studios, and 1/2/3 and 4-bedroom apartments are available. Tours can be scheduled via the Guardian website.