Assault in Rockville parking lot

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a 2nd-degree assault in a parking lot in Rockville Tuesday night, April 23, 2024. The assault was reported in a commercial parking lot in the 12000 block of Rockville Pike at 8:14 PM Tuesday. 

Ssong's Hotdog closes at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Ssong's Hotdog has permanently closed in the Dining Terrace food court in Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The Korean hot dog vendor was closed last evening, and the menu screens had been removed. A calendar behind the counter is still set on March. A Ssong's Hotdog spokesperson confirmed this afternoon that the Bethesda location has closed. Their other Maryland locations remain open, he said, including Columbia, The Hub Asian Food Hall in Catonsville, and Towson. Disappointing news, as these were great hot dogs, and the design of the branded packaging was well done.

Contents of Rockville restaurant to be auctioned off

The contents of Super Bowl Noodle House at 785-G Rockville Pike at the Ritchie Center in Rockville will be auctioned off starting tomorrow, April 26, 2024. Super Bowl Noodle House has permanently closed, and all equipment, furniture and fixtures are being liquidated. Among the items up for bid are a rice cooker, flat screen television, neon "OPEN" sign, various sinks, and multiple refrigerators. Equipment will have to be removed from the premises on Monday, April 29, between 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM, according to the auction listing.

Brio's Chicken now open at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Brio's Chicken has opened at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The Peruvian charcoal chicken restaurant is located in the former Tara Thai space, on the upper level of the parking deck outside the Nordstrom wing. Tara Thai closed there just over a year ago. 

It seemed like an ideal spot for a new chain restaurant like Olive Garden or Texas Roadhouse, or any of the other brands ubiquitous nationwide, but bizarrely missing from Montgomery County. Much like Walmart (with the exception of the Germantown store that was built before the chain was banned by the County Council) and Cracker Barrel, you can drive in any direction out of Montgomery County and find these chains in the surrounding counties, and every few miles as far as you keep driving across the nation - - but not here. Truly nutty, and utterly embarrassing for our elected officials, even if the local press won't call them on the carpet for it. Surely there's a Maura Judkis article to be written, albeit filled with snarky, elitist swipes at those who derive enjoyment from unlimited bread sticks.

Westfield has chosen to go local again in this space with Brio's, an admirable trend we've seen at the mall in recent years, although many of those tenants have been short-lived. In contrast, The Cheesecake Factory has been a huge success. A pretty solid market for Latin American chicken has been established in Montgomery County, however, with the growth of chains like Don Pollo and Pollo Campero, so there is promise here as Brio's opens.

There's no functioning website for Brio's as of this writing, and their Facebook page is spartan in information. Their Google listing states, "At Brio's Chicken, we pride ourselves on being an authentic Peruvian eatery, renowned for our specialty: succulent charcoal-grilled chicken. [C]ulinary passion brings the vibrant flavors of Peru to your plate, inviting you on a tantalizing journey through traditional Peruvian cuisine." Initial operating hours for Brio's at the mall are 7:30 AM to 10:30 PM Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 11:00 PM on Saturdays, and 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM on Sundays, according to the schedule on the door.

Police respond to assault at Rockville grocery store

Rockville City police responded to a report of a 2nd-degree assault at a grocery store Monday afternoon, April 22, 2024. The assault was reported at a store in the 200 block of N. Washington Street at 2:09 PM Monday. Dawson's Market is located on that block, at 225 N. Washington Street, at Rockville Town Square.

Woman breaks into self-storage facility in Rockville

Montgomery County police are searching for an adult female suspect they say broke into a self-storage facility in Rockville. Detectives say the woman forced her way into Castle Mini Storage at 12040 Parklawn Drive sometime between 3:00 AM on April 12, 2024 and 9:30 AM on April 13. However, there is so far no indication that the woman stole anything. Police have not released a physical description of the suspect at this time. If you have any information about this suspect or incident, you are asked to call police at (301) 279-8000. Give Castle credit for having probably the best building aesthetics among a world of cookie-cutter storage chains!

Rockville couple victimized in Facebook property scam

A Rockville couple fell victim to a Facebook scammer who targeted those seeking rental housing in the area, Rockville City police say. The couple, who live in King Farm, responded to a recent Facebook Marketplace ad offering a property for rent. They were told to electronically send cash deposits prior to viewing the property, police allege.

The couple then scheduled a property tour. When they arrived at the property at the appointed time, they found it was not actually available for rent, and the Facebook scammer was nowhere to be found. Residents should be on guard for such scams on Facebook and other websites with anonymous property listings. Do not pay any money upfront before you can confirm the legitimacy of a transaction or offer.

Chocolate Moonshine relocating at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

There have been rumors among employees in the Dining Terrace food court at Westfield Montgomery Mall recently that a chocolate shop would be filling the vacant 7-Eleven space. But signage just installed over the storefront indicates it's existing tenant Chocolate Moonshine that will be replacing the short-lived convenience store. Chocolate Moonshine abruptly closed in its current spot earlier this month, but now it turns out it won't be leaving the mall after all. 

Chocolate Moonshine's existing location, as
seen closed during business hours on April 7

This isn't the first time Chocolate Moonshine has closed for a spell at the mall without explanation. But it's managed to survive longer than many other tenants; in fact, it is nearing a decade in business here, a major accomplishment in business-hostile Montgomery County. The gluten-free, organic chocolatier first opened at Montgomery Mall in October 2016.

Tattooed man steals women's apparel in Rockville

A tattooed man stole a "large quantity" of women's apparel from a store in Rockville, Rockville City police say. Around 6:17 PM on April 9, 2024, the adult male suspect allegedly fled a store in the 1600 block of Rockville Pike with a valuable haul of women's athletic apparel. Police describe the suspect as a White male with a thin build, 20 to 29 years of age, with a mustache and tattoos on his arms. If you have any information about this incident or the suspect, contact Rockville City police at 240-314-8900.

Mango opens at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Mango has opened at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The Barcelona-based fashion brand launched this latest Mediterranean-inspired store concept in 2021. But the company, which manufacturers apparel for men and women, was founded in 1984 by brothers Isak Andic and Nahman Andic. Look for Mango's 11th American store on Level 1 of the mall, across from Shoe Charms.

"Go, go Gadget coat!"

Teso Life Japanese Super Store "coming soon" to Rockville

Teso Life, the "Japanese Super Store," is "coming soon" to Rockville, according to signage posted at its future storefront at 1701 Rockville Pike. The chain features a variety of imported Japanese goods, including groceries, toys and collectibles, housewares, beauty and health products, and kitchenware. If this sounds familiar, it's likely because Teso Life's similarly-named competitor, Ebisu Life, already opened a store on Rockville Pike two years ago. 

The addition of Teso Life bolsters a new era for the Shops at Congressional Village, which is shifting to align itself with the booming Asian business sector in Rockville. As Rockville finds itself vying to be the ultimate destination for Asian cuisine in the Washington, D.C. area, the retail property has leased several spaces to new Asian restaurants. When it opens, look for Teso Life next to 7-Eleven.

Talbots closing at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Talbots is closing at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. Large signs announcing the pending closure were posted in the now-empty display windows of the store Thursday evening. Talbots opened here in June 2014, a refugee from White Flint Mall. The women's apparel chain's Village of Cross Keys location near Baltimore closed January 6, 2024. That store was much older than the Bethesda Talbots, opening there in 1996, and had existed even before then at a previous location.

Police respond to assault at Rockville office building

Rockville City police responded to a report of a 2nd-degree assault at an office building Wednesday afternoon, April 17, 2024. The assault was reported at an office in the 800 block of Rockville Pike at 3:24 PM Wednesday. 

Windows smashed on 21 vehicles on one Rockville street

Two thieves smashed the windows of 21 vehicles parked on one Rockville street on the morning of April 13, 2024, Rockville City police say. The two unidentified suspects were carrying flashlights along the 200 block of Congressional Lane at 4:20 AM Saturday. They proceeded to smash the windows on three dozen cars, and rummage through the interiors, police allege. 

Among items reported stolen from the vehicles were cash, ID cards, credit cards, and a small travel purse. No physical description of the suspects has been released. If you have any information about this incident or the two suspects, contact Rockville City police at 240-314-8900.

McDonald's Bacon Cajun Ranch McCrispy chicken sandwich arrives in Montgomery County

It's not the legendary Cajun McChicken, but a Louisiana-inspired chicken sandwich is once again on the McDonald's menu for a limited time. The Bacon Cajun Ranch McCrispy has a Southern-style fried chicken "fillet" topped with applewood smoked bacon strips, crinkle-cut pickle slices, and a Cajun ranch sauce, on a toasted potato roll. A deluxe version adds lettuce and tomato. According to the official McDonald's nutrition facts, the Bacon Cajun Ranch McCrispy has 630 calories, 33 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 85 milligrams of cholesterol, 11 grams of sugar, and 1650 milligrams of sodium. 

Car stripped of all wheels in Rockville parking garage

A car was stripped of its wheels in a Rockville parking garage on April 5, 2024, Rockville City police say. At 3:05 AM that morning, two unknown suspects drove a silver hatchback into a garage in the 100 block of King Farm Boulevard. While the getaway driver waited, the second suspect emerged from the vehicle wearing a mask and gloves. The masked suspect smashed the window of a car, and retrieved a wheel lock key from inside. They then proceeded to steal all four wheels from the car.

Marc Elrich is right again on COG's developer-funded housing targets flimflam

Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich has weighed in again on the latest revival of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Government's zombie housing targets plan, and once again, he is correct in seeing through COG's developer-funded flimflam job. Elrich told The Washington Post that COG's math is "faulty," and that's probably being generous. He criticized COG for trying to gin up "a sense of panic" about housing.

COG's housing targets plan is a bald-faced attempt to juice developer profits by using that false "panic" to loosen zoning restrictions, severely reduce public input on zoning and development proposals, override responsible growth policies, and generate more taxpayer subsidies for development companies that are already profitable private concerns. The people behind the COG curtain count on two things to achieve success with their housing targets scheme: the local media functioning in their role as stenographers more than journalists, in repeating COG's message verbatim with no scrutiny or criticism, and readers and viewers accepting these parroted talking points at face value.

Alas, when one studies the details, the COG scheme immediately falls apart. In a highly-educated area like this, it's not surprising that COG's plan still hasn't caught on, despite five years of relentless propaganda about it.

First of all, COG's math is wildly off-target. In order to meet the COG targets, "87 units per day" would have to be constructed in the region. To put that in real terms, that would mean a garden apartment complex being delivered each day in the DC Metro area. That doesn't even happen in a city like New York. China at the height of its real estate boom might be the only place on earth to approach such construction numbers, and it wound up demolishing many of those buildings, which ultimately stood vacant. In short, the target is not even achievable without overriding most regulations, approval processes and public engagement at a level that would severely compromise local budgets and quality of life, and by ignoring the fact that there is little demand for overpriced luxury apartments. Many of the new apartments in Bethesda, for example, are vacant and are being operated as illegal Airbnb hotel rooms. Whoops!

Second, COG describes "affordable" housing as costing the renter or homeowner $2300 a month. That is preposterous, and not affordable by any real-world measure. The $2300-$5000 apartment rents in the area are the problem, not the solution. And despite building thousands of new housing units every year, rents in Montgomery County only continue to skyrocket, proving that the real estate sector is no longer governed by market forces of supply and demand.

Third, COG itself, and the other entities trying to force its plan onto local jurisdictions, are funded by developers and developer lobbying organizations. Among those funding COG are entities connected to the Cafritz Interest real estate development firm, and Connected DMV, a development lobbying and advocacy firm. The Urban Institute is funded by development interests, big banks who profit from mortgage loans on real estate, and even BlackRock(!!), the massive international investment firm that has actually made housing more costly by snapping up homes. 

Nothing makes Wall Street-lapdog fact-checkers' heads explode faster than pointing out the BlackRock connection to inflated home prices. Those "reporters" will claim that it's Blackstone, Inc. that is buying up homes, while trying to downplay the fact that BlackRock is a part owner of Blackstone, holding an astronomical 45.99 million shares in the firm as of December 31, 2023. Blackstone snapped up 38,000 homes across America in one January 2024 transaction alone.

I've monitored home prices in the D.C. region, and across the country, for many years. Home prices have not only surged in our expensive area in recent times, but also in some of the most undesirable Podunk Junction towns in the middle of nowhere. Being funded by BlackRock, and then trying to be a credible voice on affordable housing, is quite an acrobatic feat to say the least.

Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University? Its advisory board is stacked with leaders from the real estate development industry. Housing Association of Nonprofit Developers (HAND)? As a very smart person once said, "They call it a non-profit, but somebody profits." Not only do non-profit or public housing entities often partner with private developers on projects that generate windfall profits for the latter, but - as we've seen in Montgomery County - non-profit leaders often draw and increase large salaries from taxpayer funds, and then write political campaign checks to the same elected officials who voted for those grants of taxpayer funds.

And let's not be surprised that the Post gives favorable coverage to COG's plan and all other pro-development and upzoning initiatives. The paper not only derives significant revenue from real estate advertising, but has been a major real estate player in the region itself, selling its former D.C. headquarters for $159 million and its Alexandria warehouses to developers for an estimated $30 million. The latter became the kind of dense development being advocated for by the COG housing targets.

The Post story on COG's housing targets also aligned with many of the attempts to leverage the race card into developer private profits we've seen in recent years. It's a shameful tactic by the development industry, which has historically leveraged race in this way from blockbusting, to the reversal of blockbusting by driving people of color out of those same neighborhoods decades later via gentrification. "Equity" is not a $2300-a-month rent.

This latest effort by COG and the Post to revive the zombie housing target scheme makes clear they intend to let no obstacle stand in the way of developer profits at taxpayer expense. The article explicitly calls for removing public input from zoning and development decisions, resident stakeholder communications the article complains "account for 40% of a housing development's budget." We're familiar with this effort in Montgomery County, whether hearing developer lobbyists urge the County Council to ignore public input because it is coming from "old people who have nothing better to do than testify at public hearings," or the Council's full-court press to continue to block restoration of the Office of the People's Counsel, an attorney who can provide free advice to residents and represent their interests in administrative hearings."

Elrich supports restoring the Office of the People's Counsel. He should continue to correctly oppose COG's housing target scheme.

Yet another assault reported at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

The hits just keep on coming at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. Another assault was reported at the mall property on Sunday night, April 14, 2024 at 8:14 PM. This is the second assault reported at the retail center this month, and the sixth of 2024. There were only five assaults reported at the mall in all of 2023.

Assault at Rockville condo complex

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a 2nd-degree assault at a condominium complex in Rockville Saturday night, April 13, 2024. The assault was reported at a condo property in the 12300 block of Braxfield Court at 9:50 PM Saturday. It allegedly occurred in a parking lot at the complex.

Suspect arrested in Rockville Pike apartment tower burglary

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a burglary at the North Bethesda Market apartment tower at 11418 Rockville Pike, in the early morning hours of March 28, 2024. The responding officer found no evidence of forced entry, but property was allegedly stolen from the building. Malik Gillispie, 28, of no fixed address, was observed and arrested at the scene. He has been charged with 2nd-degree burglary, failure to identify himself, and using a false identity to avoid prosecution.

Music-blasting mohawk man nets Walgreens shoplifting haul in Rockville

A mohawk-sporting man stole "a large quantity of merchandise" from a Walgreens drugstore "while playing loud music," Rockville City police say. The man allegedly filled two reusable shopping bags and a shopping cart at the Walgreens store at 430 Hungerford Drive before fleeing the business at 10:40 AM on April 5, 2024.

Police describe the suspect as a Black male of thin-to-medium build, approximately 25 to 35 years old, with a light complexion, a mohawk and a full beard. If you have any information about this incident or the suspect, contact Rockville City police at 240-314-8900.

Larry Hogan sets fundraising record for a Maryland U.S. Senate candidate

The unexpected chance to flip a U.S. Senate seat was expected to boost the inflow of campaign cash into the Maryland this year, but former Gov. Larry Hogan (R) has exceeded expectations, by setting a fundraising record for a U.S. Senate race in the heavily-Democratic state. Hogan has raised more than $3.1 million since his surprise last-minute entry into the contest on February 9, his campaign announced yesterday. That total marks the most raised by a Senate candidate in any quarter in state history, and outpaced the campaign of Democrat Angela Alsobrooks by $1 million in half the time. Alsobrooks is locked in a contentious Democratic primary race with billionaire David Trone, who is self-funding his campaign, and spending big on advertising.

Hogan greets a voter in
Leonardtown, Maryland yesterday

“Our team is incredibly humbled and grateful for the overwhelming amount of support and positive reception we have received across the state since announcing mid-February, and we are just getting started,” Hogan said in a statement Thursday. “In a race where we are likely to face either the billionaire trying to buy the election or the candidate of the Democratic machine, there is no doubt we are the financial underdog too. Every day, our focus is on getting our message out to Marylanders who are fed up and frustrated with politics as usual. It’s time to get back to work, fix the broken politics, and send a message to Washington!”

Hogan delivers fresh Dunkin' Donuts
to volunteer firefighters in
Prince Frederick, Maryland yesterday

Hogan is in the middle of a ten-day bus tour of the state. The tour coincides with the start of mail-in balloting in Maryland, as voters begin to receive their primary ballots in the mail this week.

Photos courtesy Hogan for Maryland, Inc.

Montgomery Mall 2024 assault numbers have already equaled total for all of 2023

The latest assault reported at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda brings the total number of assaults this year to five. That's the same number of assaults that were reported over the entire year of 2023 at the busy retail center. Montgomery County police responded to the latest incident at 3:10 PM on April 6, 2024, when an individual was allegedly the victim of a 2nd-degree assault. Should assaults continue to be reported at this pace, the 2024 number could be at least 15 assaults, which would exceed the record of 12 assaults set by the mall in 2022.

Woman attacked with hammer in Rockville Town Center

A woman was assaulted by a hammer-wielding man in the Rockville Town Center area early in the morning on April 7, 2024. The victim told Rockville City police that she was visiting the 200 block of N. Washington Street, and was approached by an unknown male subject at 3:25 AM. He suddenly produced a hammer, and struck her "on the face" with it, she said. 

The suspect then fled in a black SUV. No tag number for the getaway vehicle has been released, nor has a physical description of the alleged attacker. If you have any information about this incident or the suspect, contact Rockville City police at 240-314-8900.

Thief racks up $10,000 in tolls after stealing EZ-Pass from Rockville business

A thief has taken an expensive joyride after stealing an EZ-Pass toll transponder from a business in Rockville. The business has now received a bill for about $10,000 in toll charges from highways and bridges, according to Rockville City police. They say the EZ-Pass was stolen from a business in the 200 block of N. Stonestreet Avenue way back in December 2021. The charges apparently only came to the attention of the business recently, and they reported the theft to police on April 2, 2024.

Peter Chang opens in Gaithersburg

One of the D.C. area's top chefs chose an auspicious day to open the latest addition to his growing restaurant empire. Peter Chang's new Gaithersburg location at 637 N. Frederick Avenue celebrated its grand opening last night, following a rare solar eclipse. This is Chang's first tapas-style small plates concept. The restaurant also offers a Dim Sum menu. 

During the final countdown to Monday's opening, an artist worked to complete a colorful mural on the exterior of the building. The Gaithersburg venture joins Chang's other successful Montgomery County restaurants in downtown Bethesda, and at Rockville Town Square.

Poll finds Maryland voters nostalgic for the Larry Hogan era

A new poll conducted by the University of Maryland and The Washington Post had good news for U.S. Senate candidate Larry Hogan (R). The results indicated that registered Maryland voters were much more pleased with the direction of the state under former Gov. Hogan than they are during the current term of his successor, Gov. Wes Moore (D). At the end of Hogan's first four-year term in 2018, 63% of Maryland voters thought the state was moving in the right direction. Only 46% believe Maryland is moving in the right direction as of March 2024. 

In 2018 under Hogan, 29% of voters said Maryland was "on the wrong track." In 2024, 44% now believe the state is moving in the wrong direction. The poll was conducted between March 5 and 12, 2024, and surveyed 1004 registered Maryland voters. Legislators returning to their pre-Hogan ways of raising taxes, along with ongoing inflation pressures and suddenly-shaky state finances, may explain some of the nostalgia for the former Republican governor's era. A FY-2025 budget proposal from the Maryland General Assembly has proposed $350-$450 million in new taxes and fees, which Hogan contrasted on Twitter with his record of cutting taxes in each of his eight years in office, totaling $4.7 billion in tax relief.

The poll results shed more light on why Hogan is currently leading Democratic frontrunners David Trone and Angela Alsobrooks in polling for the U.S. Senate race. Hogan's late entry into the contest, and his lead in the polls, have moved Maryland from the irrelevant column nationally into one of the most-watched states as the November election approaches. Maryland could well determine whether Democrats or the GOP control the U.S. Senate in 2025. 

Montgomery County's moribund economy just needs...more cowbell, Planning Dept. says

Montgomery County's moribund economy isn't a new problem. I've been writing about it for over a decade. In more recent years, The Washington Post editorial board has finally acknowledged that MoCo, once the economic engine of the Washington, D.C. region, has become stagnant - - though only in the service of their Ahab-like crusade against their chief nemesis, Marc Elrich. Even a handful of politicians have begun admitting it, from Elrich himself, to his twice-vanquished opponent David Blair, and even Maryland Gov. Wes Moore. But despite the arrival of more-powerful voices at the table, Montgomery County and Maryland's policies have yet to change. In fact, the Montgomery County Planning Department is now arguing that the solution is to double down on the failed path we've been on: "More cowbell!"

In a recent series on the department's relentlessly pro-developer blog, The Third Place, we find the latest example of the Montgomery County cartel phenomenon we might call, "Now more than ever..." Whatever the latest crisis to befall a sector, demographic or geographic area of the County, their solution is always the same: Build more luxury housing. Whether it's the moribund economy, failing schools, increasing poverty, or the decline of an area like Friendship Heights, our elected officials tell us the answer - "now more than ever" - is to build more luxury apartments.

The Third Place series is just the latest example of this "More cowbell!" argument. 

It is ostensibly a deep dive into the stagnation of the Montgomery County economy. But as the series advances beyond a deceptive twisting of statistics that aren't actually the root cause of the stagnation, it eventually arrives at a familiar conclusion - we need to build more luxury housing.

More cowbell!

Most residents will never read this blog series, but you the taxpayer are not the target audience, anyway. Like most reports generated by the Planning Department, the purpose is to provide Astroturf data and analysis our developer-funded elected officials can point to as justification for upzoning greater and greater areas of the County. But if a resident of one of the most highly-educated jurisdictions in America were to read this blog series, they would quickly sense that something is amiss.

For example, Part I classifies Montgomery County residents who make $138,750 and above as "high-income" residents. In the real world, that's called "barely-keeping-your-head-above-water" in Montgomery County. Many County residents skating by on maxed-out credit, the bank-of-Mom-and-Dad, and assorted other survival tactics would be shocked to learn that they are "rich." 

The reason for this low wealth bar becomes clear as you continue reading. It is a way to make it seem that the "rich" portion of the population has merely remained constant. In reality, the flight of the rich from Montgomery County has been well-documented, down to the amount of tax revenue in millions that those wealthy expats have taken with them to lower-tax jurisdictions in the area. 

Were we to classify "high-income" more accurately, we would see that those numbers have declined significantly. The exodus has been most clearly seen in Montgomery County plummeting entirely off of the Forbes Top Ten Richest Counties list last decade, and in the collapse of "Montgomery County's Rodeo Drive" in Friendship Heights, which in recent years has become a stretch of aging apartment buildings and vacant storefronts.

As the rich have fled, they have been replaced - and then some - by low-income residents. The Third Place acknowledges this. "Specifically, our analysis shows that between 2005 and 2022, Montgomery County’s low-income population grew faster than the other groups. Montgomery County’s middle-income population shrank." Charles, Frederick, Howard, Loudoun, and Prince William counties can surely attest to the latter, as they've welcomed those cash-strapped, taxed-to-death MoCo refugees, along with the Virginia exurbs.

While that tax revenue has flowed outward, our business growth has dropped to the lowest in the region. Our job creation numbers have collapsed, and even fallen behind Prince George's County in recent years. And Montgomery County hasn't attracted a single major corporate headquarters in over a quarter century, a time frame that neatly dovetails with the MoCo cartel's seizure of the County Council in 2002 with the "End Gridlock" slate. As does the shift of population growth to the bottom of the income scale.

What urgent strategic and policy changes does The Third Place recommend to turn the tide, and attract the business and commercial revenue we need?

"The main, actionable takeaway from this research is to encourage the production of market-rate infill housing."

We know, of course, that "market-rate" housing in Montgomery County is expensive. There's no shortage of expensive housing in the County. We also know, from hard experience since 2002, that massive construction of new luxury housing does not reduce rents or home prices. Period. And because new residential housing generates more costs in County services than it does in tax revenue, building more won't solve our structural budget deficit. Much less restore our moribund economy.

Did the rich flee Montgomery County because home prices were too cheap? Not quite. Would middle class residents return en masse from the exurbs if we produced more $1 million townhomes and $2 million duplexes? Nope.

What would actually make Montgomery County a booming jurisdiction, make it possible for more residents to afford living here, and fill the County's revenue coffers? High-wage jobs from major corporate employers. 

The Third Place worries that currently, "there will be nowhere for affordable-housing residents to go once they are ready to upgrade." But it doesn't explain how janitors, cooks and grocery store bakers will suddenly be flush with the cash needed to buy that luxury housing that The Third Place wants to overdevelop even more than today. 

Here's a hint: Jobs. Good jobs. The kind we haven't been attracting to Montgomery County for a couple of decades now.

Gov. Wes Moore seems to understand this, noting that Maryland's economy today simply can't provide the revenue to fund his ambitious agenda. This year's legislative session in Annapolis seems to indicate that his message fell on deaf ears among his General Assembly colleagues. Likewise, Elrich has come around to the idea that the County should be attracting high-wage jobs. But his legislative colleagues on the County Council haven't joined him yet. 

The cumulative impact of elected officials who write the laws remaining stubborn in their ways - and loyal to the real estate developers who elected them - will only hasten the exit of wealth and revenue from Montgomery County. In addition to the massive property and recordation tax hikes passed last year, low and middle-income workers will soon be paying several hundred dollars to register their work trucks and soccer mom minivans. A 75-cent tax on every Uber ride. Even a $1.25 more on each pack of smokes. All of these are extremely regressive taxes.

A quick look at the press release pages of Gov. Moore and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin gives just a small sense of the problem. Both men have Rolodexes stuffed with Wall Street and corporate connections. Surprisingly, Moore has so far failed to convince any of his friends in the Hamptons or Martha's Vineyard to relocate their Fortune 500 companies to Maryland. And that's even amid a downward trend for Virginia under Youngkin. The GOP 2028 aspirant's announcements of new, major corporate headquarters relocating to the Old Dominion have come at a much more sporadic pace than under his two Democratic predecessors.

But even as Virginia begins to flounder a bit, and budget woes creep up on legislators in Arlington and Fairfax counties who have begun to follow the big-spending ways of MoCo, we have not been able to seize any momentary advantage.

Not only has Youngkin failed to tee up many big wins, but when he does, he now has a legislature that is more like the one in Annapolis to block him. That's partly his own fault, for bizarrely making the last state election about abortion, a sure losing crusade even in red states - much less a blue one like Virginia. And he even turned away a Ford electric vehicle battery plant. Tired of winning, perhaps?

Yet, even as Virginia slips into a lower economic gear, 2024 has brought another major corporate HQ to Virginia. CoStar - which once was headquartered in Bethesda(!!), before fleeing to the District in 2010 - purchased the 1201 Wilson Boulevard office tower in Rosslyn for its new global HQ. It will bring its existing 500 jobs, and add 150 additional jobs in its new Virginia home. 

CoStar joins Northrup Grumman, Capital One, Hilton Hotels, Volkswagen, Lidl, Intelsat, Gannett, General Dynamics, Blackboard, Corporate Executive Board, Nestle, Gerber, Lego, and the rest of a truly-headspinning list of household-name companies to select Northern Virginia over Montgomery County in recent times.

During the same Q1 period in Maryland, Gov. Moore was only able to announce the relocation of Blink Charging Co. from Florida to Bowie. That's certainly a positive and welcome development, but it's not a major or Fortune 500 company. The number of existing corporate expansions in Maryland so far this year has also been dwarfed by the number in Virginia. 

Over the first three months of 2024, Gov. Youngkin issued press releases announcing 9 other new or expanding businesses adding jobs to the state. During the same period, Maryland only had 2, another resounding defeat in regional competition.

It was encouraging news that when Moore received the phone call about the Key Bridge collapse, he was on an unannounced business trip to Boston. This at least shows he may currently be working on something big behind the scenes.

Montgomery County was once the place where such big economic development news was made in the DC region. What I've argued for over a decade has been further vindicated by the collapse of the office market after the pandemic rise of working-from-home. 

We need to be attracting major corporate headquarters, and research and manufacturing facilities, from the aerospace, defense and tech sectors. These are the sectors that need large, secure campuses in suburban office parks, the kind we - thankfully, for now - still have plenty of. And room to build plenty more. The anonymous apologists for the County Council said I was a fool, and that companies wanted to be in traditional office buildings by Metro stations in urban areas. 

It turns out I was right. "Now more than ever," you might say.

Currently, the ever-increasing and regressive tax burden caused by our elected officials' profligate spending is falling almost entirely on residents. We are leaving all of the commercial, business tax revenue - and income revenue from high-wage jobs, on the table for our rivals in Virginia, for whom we've become a bedroom community. 

By adopting more-competitive business policies, adding missing infrastructure like a new Potomac River crossing to provide direct access to Dulles International Airport, and being aggressive in attracting the evergreen industries that provide high-income employment in good times and bad, we can ease the tax and fee burden on residents. 

Thief ransacks unlocked vehicles in Rockville neighborhood

A thief "ransacked" several unlocked vehicles parked in the King Farm neighborhood, Rockville City police say. The cars were parked in the 1100 block of Pleasant Drive, and were not damaged. Police say the unknown suspect managed to find a vehicle key, loose change, a sun shade, and a flashlight.

The thefts occurred on March 28 or 29, 2024. Remember to lock your vehicle, remove all valuables visible through windows, and never leave your keys in the ignition or glove compartment. 

WSSC seeks public comment on proposed new Damascus Town Center Wastewater Pumping Station

The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission is moving forward with a plan to replace the Damascus Town Center Wastewater Pumping Station, and is receiving public comment on the proposal between now and May 4, 2024. As planned, the existing pumping station would be demolished, and a new one would be constructed about 1500 linear feet north of that location at 26701 Woodfield Road. The existing pumping station is now outmoded, the utility said.

The replacement facility would be a wet well and valve vault-style pumping station. It would include an electrical and control building, paving and fencing with an access gate, landscaping, a gravity sewer, a low-pressure sewer force main, a water main, and associated infrastructure to "pump sewage out of the proposed pump station and into the collection system.

Alas, the project plans are not provided online for the public. Instead, they are available for public review in-person at the WSSC at 14501 Sweitzer Lane, Laurel, Maryland 20707 from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM, Monday through Friday. Public comment is only accepted in written form, and can be mailed to Tanweer Baig, 14501 Sweitzer Lane, Laurel, Maryland 20707, or emailed to Tanweer.Baig@wsscwater.com.

Dunkin' Donuts temporarily closed at Wintergreen Plaza in Rockville (Photos)

The Dunkin' Donuts store at 865 Rockville Pike at Wintergreen Plaza is temporarily closed. An extensive renovation project is now underway inside the space. A reopening date has not been announced yet. Customers are being directed to the Dunkin' Donuts locations nearby at 11530 Rockville Pike, and 2006 Veirs Mill Road. However, I'm going to add the store at 15180 Frederick Road at College Plaza to that list, which seems like it might be closer to Wintergreen Plaza than White Flint.