Friday, October 5, 2018

Rockville mayor schedules public meeting on future of Rockville Town Square

Rockville City Hall is in crisis mode after the announcement that Rockville Town Square retail anchor Dawson's Market will close at the end of this month. The bad news followed the exit of another major restaurant tenant, Mellow Mushroom, the previous week. Dawson's failure has given at least the public perception that the property is taking on water in a big way at this point - fair or not. Mayor Bridget Donnell Newton has now scheduled a public meeting on the future of the Federal Realty development, which was the keystone of the city's revitalized town center when it opened a decade ago.

In her announcement of the meeting, Newton said Dawson's Market was "an incredible community partner, and I am very sad to see them close. It came as a shock to me as well.” The meeting will be held next Tuesday, October 9, 2018 at 7:00 PM in the Buchanan Room at VisArts at Rockville Town Square.

The city has had many discussions over the years about the high turnover of tenants at the property, and a parking system that has infuriated patrons and tenants alike. With many high profile closures, including original tenant Toy Kingdom last year, action may finally have to be taken to stop the bleeding.

22 comments:

  1. Odd that the words "Federal Realty" appear nowhere in your article.

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  2. Hmm, interesting comment as I see the words Federal Realty in the article.

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  3. Hard to read with this sucky silver font on black background. Sooo 1997.

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    1. �� That comment made my morning!

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  4. There are nice restaurants there, but can't park w/o being extorted of more cash. There are nice restaurants elsewhere in Rockville, where we can park at no charge. If I'm paying to park, we're going to Bethesda. As I was pumping gas at the Shell on Washington St. , I was approached by a MS13 pan handler.. yep I'll stick to Bethesda.

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    1. "but can't park w/o being extorted of more cash."

      Clearly you've never actually been to Rockville w/your fake MS13 idiocy and not knowing you get two hours free w/validation.

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  5. The solution is to attract better store/restaurants offers. All the business that are closing were very bad. They would have closed at any location in the world. I really tried a couple of times to buy something in Dawson's Market, but the prices, quality, etc. were not good, and I decided to go to other supermarkets like MOM's Organic Market, or Whole Foods. For the regular groceries I have Giant very close with great prices, so it was really not an option to buy anything there. My experience with Mellow Mushroom was also bad, the pizza was very average and the service was bad. We have great restaurants in Rockville, and they are not closing or looking for excuses like the parking (when a place is good you just go there and you pay whatever you have to pay). I'm sure that the next one could be Pandora Seafood House & Bar, very bad experience also. Rockville has a lot of potential but the selection of tenants sucks! Why not to invite Trader's Joe to the new vacant spot, I'm sure they will not close.

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    1. Trader Joe's already has two locations in Rockville. The one on the Pike is in another FRIT owned shopping center. So your comment is redundant...

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  6. I don't think is a matter of "selecting" bad tenants as a matter of taking any tenant willing to rent there. Whole Foods type of stores are not willing to come to the Square, they have to take whoever is willing to come.

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  7. The grocery space was a black hole for years when the original grocer pulled out.

    Dawson's failure apparently shows the interest in fresh organic food was being fulfilled elsewhere that had easier parking.

    I feel bad for RTC residents who will never get the grocery store they expected.

    What is working at RTC? Seems like the bars are doing ok.

    We're in a different world compared to when RTC opened. Back then, Crown Farm was a field and Pike & Rose was the Toys R Us strip center.

    I still believe in Rockville Town Square.

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  8. How is parking so bad? There are 2 well-lit, clean garages, and both are free for 2 hours with validation.

    As for the "MS13 panhandler", I'm doubtful. Surely gangs pay well enough that panhandling is unnecessary.

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    1. I ain't got time to putz around with validations and parking gates. Prefer open parking lots to garages. The panhandler was not a joke, late 20's with gang tats up to neck and some on forehead.

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    2. Lol @ "open parking lots." Downtown Rockville ain't a Walmart, bro.

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  9. Square has to offer something distinguishing. Why would someone go there to deal with street congestion, parking ticket/validation when they could go elsewhere with free garage space or open parking lots. Aside from festivals, the square doesn't offer a lot at an everyday level that's unique. Being at a distance from 270 doesn't help draw in external customers and there's not a lot in the area immediately around the Square for internal customers.

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  10. Let’s be real, the rent is outrageous. Considered opening a location in the town center but Federal Reality is too greedy. As for the condos turned apartments, they too cost too much for residents to be able to afford anything else at the town center.

    I look forward to the Mayor’s public meeting - Federal Reality needs to be fined and punished for forcing good clients away.

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  11. If the square is so great why is this happening Rockville deserves bad things because of how they operate. A nice area does not consists of 73 % of its residence on section 8. So glad I moved away from that area and I lived 3 blocks away for 53 years and didn't ho to RTC for the last 7 nightmare

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    1. Drunk idiot says "what."

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    2. The poverty rate in Rockville is 7.34% and median income is 101k.

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