Rockville Taco Bell construction update

Work is progressing relatively quickly on the extensive remodel of the Taco Bell at 1100 Rockville Pike at the Edmonston Crossing shopping center in Rockville. The existing restaurant building has now been completely gutted, and the roof demolished. Workers now appear to be shifting to the construction phase. A crane was on-site to assist yesterday. From the vertical wood planks installed, it appears the roofline of the new restaurant will be significantly higher. I don't yet see evidence of a dual-lane drive-thru, however, which would have required shifting the building's footprint on the left and rear sides to accommodate. The following photos document several recent days of work up through yesterday, in chronological order:

Lilly Pulitzer "temporarily closed" at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Lilly Pulitzer is closed today at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The apparel boutique's sales floor has largely been cleared out, and packing boxes are stacked inside the space. There is no message to customers on the storefront explaining why it is closed, or what the purpose is. The corporate website notes only that the mall location is "temporarily closed." Lilly Pulitzer opened at the mall in 2014.

Montgomery County Councilmember Will Jawando discharged from hospital

Montgomery County Councilmember Will Jawando (D - At-Large) has been discharged from the hospital after a successful surgical procedure following a heart attack last weekend. He is continuing his recovery at home, from where he filmed and uploaded a video message to his constituents. Jawando thanked his doctors at George Washington University Hospital, and the community for the outpouring of support and well-wishes. The video was likely reassuring to constituents, as you would not know he had suffered a medical emergency just days ago if you were not already aware. His appearance and speech showed no sign of illness or impairment.

Jawando advised viewers to "take care of yourself," and not ignore warning signs of cardiovascular health issues. He noted that even exercising regularly and being in good overall health did not prevent last Saturday's heart attack. "I'm in shape, I work out a lot, but things can happen." In short, this could happen to any of us at any time. 

"Most importantly, I want to thank God for getting me through this, and allowing me to still be here and to serve, and to be with you and to be with my family," Jawando said. Doctors expect Jawando, who is the Democratic nominee for Montgomery County Executive, to make a full recovery. "I'll be back on track before you know it," Jawando concluded. Jawando's office announced in a press release that it is fully open even while the Councilmember is recuperating, and that his staff is "available, and ready to serve constituents throughout his recovery."

MangoLina opening September 14 in Rockville

MangoLina has set an opening date for its new Rockville location. The dessert truck will begin serving customers this coming Monday, September 14, 2026. It is located at the Shell gas station at 2240 Veirs Mill Road. Opening time Monday will be 1:00 PM.

Montgomery County Councilmember suffers heart attack

Montgomery County Councilmember Will Jawando (D - At-Large) suffered a heart attack during a pickup basketball game this past Saturday, September 5, his office announced on Monday. He was transported to George Washington University hospital, where doctors inserted a stent, although the statement released did not indicate where the stent was placed. The statement did say that Jawando is "resting comfortably." His doctors expect him to make a full recovery, and anticipate he will be discharged from the hospital later this week. He will then work back up to his normal Council schedule under their guidance.

Jawando's medical emergency gained increased notice because he is also the Democratic nominee for Montgomery County Executive, and because he is relatively young and in apparent good health. The latter two factors will be advantageous in his expected full recovery. Much older elected officials like Bernie Sanders and Chris Van Hollen have suffered cardiovascular episodes, and have returned to not only full schedules, but to vigorous travel and public speaking engagements. In that context, there's every reason to believe his ability to campaign - and serve, if elected in November - will be unaffected in the long term.

However, the incident did draw renewed attention to the fact that Jawando had not yet agreed to participate in one or more public debates with his Republican opponent, Esther Wells. Debates are a critical part of this "democracy" thing we keep hearing strident lectures about. The voting public has a right to hear the candidates for each office expound on the issues, and defend those positions and ideas. If a candidate cannot do this, they are utterly incapable of assuming the responsibilities of public office - much less the highest office in the County. 

Yet Jawando and his colleagues never participated in a general election Council At-Large debate in 2018 or 2022(!!). It seems inconceivable that the forces of "democracy" in Montgomery County would allow this definitively-autocratic trend to continue this fall. Voters should not only express their interest in debates to the Democratic candidates directly, but should also apply pressure to the local media and their civic associations to host these debates prior to the start of early voting. You can either be complicit in an election process that Vladimir Putin and Fidel Castro would be proud of, or you can claim you are a champion of democracy. You cannot do both.

Always Ice Cream "coming soon" to Rockville

Always Ice Cream is coming soon to Rockville Pike, according to signage posted in its future storefront. It will be located at 11802 Rockville Pike at Pike & Rose. The Maryland-based chain manufactures over 250 handcrafted flavors in the state, but has attracted the attention of national media. Always Ice Cream is expected to open this fall. Most of its scoop shops are located in the Annapolis area, but the brand is now expanding into Montgomery and Charles counties.

Derwood luxury estate hits the market for sale

A unique 3.04-acre estate in Derwood has just gone on the market for sale. 17801-17805 October Court features a main estate home, an accessory building, and an eight-car garage. The secluded estate backs up to Rock Creek Park. Built in 1981, the home includes a dance studio that has hosted classes of 25+ students daily for thirty years. The online brochure targets wealthy buyers, alotting a significant amount of space to highlight the estate's proximity to the Montgomery County Airpark to prospective buyers who own private jets.

Just Salad opening in Rockville

Just Salad is "coming soon" to Rockville, according to signage posted in the windows of its future storefront. It will be located at 12242 Rockville Pike, right next to the recently-opened Wonder food hall. The fast-casual salad restaurant is the latest dining addition at the revitalized Towne Plaza development. Reusable bowls and a large number of plant-based alternatives to meat (the real thing is also still available at Just Salad, though) are part of what the chain calls "Earth-friendly" dining. Another location is "just down the Pike" in the Residences at Mazza in Friendship Heights NW.

Rockville Pike/MD 355 bus lanes to be removed next week

Temporary bus-only lanes along Wisconsin Avenue in Bethesda and Chevy Chase, and along Rockville Pike in North Bethesda and White Flint, will be removed next week, the Maryland State Highway Administration announced yesterday. Starting Monday, September 7, all vehicles will again be able to use the lanes. MDSHA crews will work overnight between September 7 and September 11 to remove the bus lane markings, and restore painted lines destroyed by the project.

Montgomery County elected officials were applying heavy pressure to MDSHA behind the scenes to make the temporary bus lanes permanent as late as this week. When ABC 7 News reporter Tom Roussey asked MDSHA on Tuesday if the lanes would be left in place after the Metro station shutdown ended next week, the MDSHA spokesperson was unable to answer his question. This shows just how intense the pressure from County politicians was, as MDSHA had sworn up and down that these lanes were temporary, and would not typically be waiting until the last minute to schedule overnight road work.

By Thursday, MDSHA - in a rare return to professionalism in an agency that has become increasingly politicized over the last decade - declared that it would indeed be removing the lanes, as promised. MDSHA further told Roussey in a follow-up interview Thursday that the data the agency collected during the lane closures this summer "showed the best decision was to remove all bus-only lanes along Route 355." In other words, giving buses their own lanes does not generate more commuter throughput than automobiles can, no matter how many explainer graphics anti-highway radicals post on X. Of course, residents of Staten Island could have told them that ten years ago.

One of many Metro shuttles seen
traveling in the center or left lanes of MD 355,
despite having been given its own exclusive bus lane

Montgomery County's War-on-cars elected officials - all of whom hypocritically drive to "work" at their very-part-time Council "jobs" - must be furious with MDSHA at this hour. The agency not only vetoed their wishes, and foiled their Trojan horse scheme to achieve a permanent 33% in reduction of vehicular capacity on a major commuter route for two counties, but also made public that the data shows County officials are dead wrong in their claims regarding bus lanes and BRT. Again, this is how MDSHA and the Montgomery County Department of Transportation used to function up until the last decade. They would regularly veto and reject the wishes and whims of rabid, radical politicians when they conflicted with traffic engineering best practices. I would strongly encourage MDSHA to use Thursday's decision as a turning point to restore the agency's previously sterling reputation for professionalism and independence.

We've also got to credit the public for being more engaged this time, compared to when the County successfully cajoled MDSHA into making similar "temporary" lanes - in similar "Metro stations are closed!" Trojan horse fashion - permanent in Silver Spring a few years ago. MDSHA and WMATA heard loud and clear the outrage from drivers on the already-congested MD 355, on which MCDOT still does not synchronize the traffic signals during rush hour to not turn red at every block. Stay engaged, and make your displeasure effective by voting these bums out in November.

Pollo Campero closes at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Pollo Campero has permanently closed at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda, according to a sign posted at their stall in the Dining Terrace food court. The Guatemalan chicken chain opened this location in July 2024. From what I can tell, this is one of the rare closures we can't necessarily blame the Montgomery County Council for. I see that quite a few Pollo Campero restaurants have closed elsewhere across the country this year.

I recall that the chain went through a major expansion push in 2024, after celebrating record sales growth the previous year. Several of the planned 45 new locations were here in Montgomery County. I notice that a recurring theme in news articles about the other closures is that they all opened during that heady expansion year of 2024. 

Kareem's Lebanese Kitchen opens in Gaithersburg

Kareem's Lebanese Kitchen opened with a ribbon-cutting yesterday at 212 Boardwalk Place at Rio Lakefront in Gaithersburg. The dining room was packed this evening. Specialties include fresh breads, handmade mezze, Lamb Mouzat, Farrouj, and Kareem's signature hummus, which is prepared from scratch in a three-day process. 

"I'm proud to bring Kareem's to Maryland and share the food, traditions and hospitality that have been part of my family for generations," Chef Rachid Eido said in a statement. "Lebanese hospitality is about more than serving a meal. It is about opening your table, sharing generously and making people feel like they belong. That is what we want every guest to experience when they come to Kareem's."

Hong Kong Tea House opening in Rockville

Hong Kong Tea House is coming soon to Rockville. It will be located at 605 Hungerford Drive (MD 355). At Hong Kong Tea House, patrons will "indulge in Hong Kong's sweetest secrets," the local chain promises. Specialties include handcrafted milk teas, fruit teas, Vietnamese coffees, smoothies, desserts, and a wide selection of authentic Chinese street foods from a variety of regions. Hong Kong Tea House is currently hiring cooks, baristas, and assistant managers. 

Arby's construction begins in Derwood

Construction has begun on the future Arby's restaurant at 7200 Muncaster Mill Road at the Red Mill Shops shopping center. So far, they are demolishing the interior of the former McDonald's. They haven't added Arby's to the tenants on the shopping center's monument sign yet, but you can see the blank space where it will go. Here's a look inside: