Maryland taxpayers to pick up tab for Baltimore developer giveaway

Developers are about to score a mother lode of a real estate portfolio in Baltimore, realizing billions in massive profits, and Maryland taxpayers will pick up the tab for the next twenty years. The property giveaway is being characterized by Maryland elected officials who have tanked the state's finances as "taxpayer savings," counting on a compliant press not to run the numbers, and a complacent electorate not to care. Governor Wes Moore announced the plan in a press release four days ago, in which he promised $326 million in savings over the next two decades, savings he claimed would be realized by moving state government workers into leased space in privately-owned buildings. In turn, the nine state-owned buildings will be sold to developers.

This means a double payday for developers. The state - a.k.a. you, the taxpayer - will have to pay rent to house thousands of government employees in privately-owned office buildings around Charm City. And, developers will acquire valuable downtown property at - based on what we've seen in previous government dispositions of real estate in Montgomery County and Maryland - discount rates, compared to the value they will realize with redevelopment as luxury apartment buildings.

Some have theorized that there are an infinite number of realities. In none of those realities is leasing market-rate office space, over 20 years, cheaper than renovating and continuing to operate buildings you own. But it is a good program for elected officials to help fill the vacant office space owned by developers who have contributed fat checks to their campaigns. It's good to have friends in high places.

The payout bonanza won't end with Maryland handing your money over to developer sugar daddies for market-rate office leases all over Baltimore. That's because a valuable cache of state-owned buildings and prime downtown land is about to be added to their portfolios at value prices.

State Center Complex:  (201 W. Preston St., 300 W. Preston St., 301 W. Preston St., 100 N. Eutaw St.)​

State Center has been one of the biggest ongoing development scams in Baltimore for a couple of decades. What started as one developer giveaway turned into developer lawsuits against the state when they couldn't have things their way. Then, last November, the developers got $58.5 million from you - the taxpayer - for...nothing. The Moore administration paid off the developers with nearly $60 million just to end the legal battle - a battle the state would likely have won if the case had gone to trial.

So, as a taxpayer, you're already out $58.5 million for nothing at State Center. That was just the appetizer. Here comes the main course, courtesy of Gov. Moore: the complex will still be sold off to developers, who will redevelop the site with thousands of luxury apartments.

2100 Guilford Avenue

A solid low-rise government building with parking lot. Sure to be a teardown and redevelopment for luxury apartments.

​William Donald Schaefer Tower (6 St. Paul Street)

One of the tallest buildings in Baltimore, 6 St. Paul Street was only built in 1986. I was inside this building about twenty years ago, and it looked very modern and new even at that point. Now the state is claiming the building is facing "catastrophic failure?" This is a potential Trump Tower-style conversion to luxury condos, that will pay off handsomely for the developer fortunate to acquire it under a political fake "fire sale." The Maryland cartel again disrespects former Gov. Schaefer, who was treated very badly in his final years by the political machine.

310-311 W. Saratoga Street

Another prime property, right on top of the Lexington Market subway station. This guarantees maximum density will be allowed to the prospective developer, which means maximum profit.

200 W. Baltimore Street

They don't build 'em like this anymore. A prime conversion candidate for apartments, or a wasteful teardown - the option will be up to the buyer. Located right across from CFG Bank Arena (a.k.a. the Baltimore Arena). Unlike Camden Yards, you can still see the Bromo Seltzer Tower from inside 200 W. Baltimore Street. Maximum profits await!

201 St. Paul St.

Another "they don't make 'em like they used to" architectural gem. 

The worst part of this latest corruption scheme isn't the fake, inflated claims of savings. It's that the $326 million is over twenty years, while the state is facing a potential $6 billion shortfall in 2030. Aging buildings, even assuming the state has criminally failed to properly maintain them, aren't the source of Maryland's budget woes. It is astronomical overspending that has brought us here, and the Maryland legislature made clear this spring it has no intention of stopping that anytime soon.

Our local media appears too starstruck and weak-in-the-knees around Gov. Moore to challenge him on this real estate portfolio giveaway, and massive new expenditures in leases at empty office buildings owned by developer sugar daddies. They have simply accepted the poorly-documented claims of "savings" at face value, and have chosen to parrot the governor's message of "nearly four-hundred million in savings!!!!"

Unlike the local media, let's follow the money in the coming months and years. What will the sale prices of the government buildings be, compared to their true market value? Who will acquire them, and how much have they donated to Gov. Moore, Comptroller Brooke Lierman, and members of the legislature? 

Montgomery County elected officials have been giving away County-owned properties at discount rates - and sometimes even for free (!!) - for many years this century. Conversely, they are glad to overpay for rents in private office space owned by their developer sugar daddies (witness the Board of Education's move from a building owned by Montgomery County Public Schools into a glossy new office building, despite MCPS owning numerous vacant school buildings and other properties across the county. And just this week, the County government revealed it purchased a bank property in Olney that mysteriously gained over $1 million in value just since 2021, an additional cost the County was delighted to pay with taxpayer funds. 

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton pilgrimage to make several stops in Montgomery County

This year marks a half-century since Elizabeth Ann Seton was canonized by the Catholic Church. A two-week walking pilgrimage will travel from Point Lookout in Southern Maryland all the way to The National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Emmitsburg, starting this Monday, June 9, 2025. Along the way, pilgrims will stop at several waypoints in Montgomery County, overnight in some cases. These include Our Lady, Queen of Poland Church at 9700 Rosensteel Avenue in Silver Spring; The Avalon School at St. Catherine Laboure Church at 11801 Claridge Road in Wheaton; the Shrine of St. Jude at 12701 Veirs Mill Road and St. Mary's Catholic Church at 520 Veirs Mill Road in Rockville; St. Martin of Tours Church at 201 S. Frederick Avenue and St. Rose of Lima Church at 11701 Clopper Road in Gaithersburg; and St. Mary’s Catholic Church and Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima at 18230 Barnesville Road in Barnesville.

For options on how you can participate by walking, or virtually from home, or to register, visit the website of The Camino of Maryland.

Image via The Camino of Maryland

New 6th District Montgomery County police station officially opens in Gaithersburg

Montgomery County officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to formally open the new 6th District County police station in Gaithersburg this week. County Executive Marc Elrich and County Council President Kate Stewart were among the dignitaries to christen the new station, which is located at 222 Paramount Park Drive in the Watkins Mill Town Center area. 

Developers never delivered the promised movie theater, upscale restaurant, or even the actual "town center" of Watkins Mill Town Center, but did rake in all the profits from the residential housing portion of the development. Heckuva job, Brownie! New residents did get a Royal Farms gas station, a Starbucks, and now the police station, however. They'll likely welcome the latter, given the ongoing crime wave that has bedeviled the county since the summer of 2020.

“The new 6th District Police Station is an important project for the County that will strengthen critical emergency services to our residents in an area that has seen tremendous growth,” Elrich said in a statement this morning. “The Gaithersburg area has seen a great deal of development over the years, and as the community changes, the demand changes. We recognized the importance of adapting to the needs of a growing community, and this station is a testament to our ability to meet those needs. The new station will help to improve the safety and security of residents and businesses and address our current and future needs for the decades to come.” 

Almost 200 department staff and volunteers may be on-site at any given time. The station will serve as the base for investigative units, as well as the Central Traffic Unit, which was established in July 2021. It also features a public space "designed to foster engagement, collaboration and dialogue within the community." 

Will Jawando running for Montgomery County Executive

The 2026 Montgomery County Executive race is starting to heat up. County Councilmember Will Jawando (D - At-Large) officially entered the contest with a launch event last night in Silver Spring. Right off the bat, he has picked up the endorsement of the most-popular politician in Montgomery County, current County Executive Marc Elrich (D). Jawando joins existing Democratic candidates Evan Glass, his At-Large colleague on the Council, and medical assistant Celeste Iroha. Iroha is the only candidate who has actually filed with the Board of Elections to run.

Jawando has been a member of the Council for two terms, beginning in 2018. He is eligible to run for a third Council term, but the open executive seat is encouraging several Councilmembers to cut short their legislative careers to aim for the highest County office now. The executive position is becoming open because Elrich's opponents were successful in convincing a majority of voters to reduce the term limit for that office to two. They haven't been able to get rid of Elrich, as he plans to run for his old At-Large County Council seat next year, and he is almost certain to reclaim it.

If the Elrich endorsement wasn't clear enough, Jawando is seeking to put an early claim on the progressive lane in the executive race. Glass has slightly moved a notch towards the center in recent months. He is clearly seeking the Washington Post editorial board endorsement, which goes to the candidate who is most supportive of real estate developers, and puts on the best "pragmatic centrist" cosplay performance. Alas for Glass, that endorsement is more likely to go to his District 1 colleague on the Council, Andrew Friedson (D). Friedson is not even an official candidate yet, and he already has a million dollars in his campaign account, thanks to developers who not only write him big checks, but who even host entire fundraisers for him.

Jawando, in contrast, has accepted some money from developers in his past campaigns, but has largely been a nemesis for them on the Council. His leading role in getting a limited rent control measure passed has made him a punching bag for developers and their friends in the local press. Blogger and former Council staffer Adam Pagnucco has even blamed Jawando and his rent control-supporting colleagues for national and international residential development interests now "redlining" Montgomery County, as a result of that legislation.

Elrich's endorsement of Jawando is therefore not too surprising. But Jawando has also nabbed the backing of Prince George's County Executive candidate Aisha Braveboy, who is now the most-prominent Democrat in gorgeous Prince George's with the acension of former exec Angela Alsobrooks to the U.S. Senate. That is a solid one-two punch for Jawando in the endorsements race. Unions offer the biggest endorsement prizes, as they often come with mobilization of their members to put boots on the ground, and that is where the rubber usually meets the road in County elections. One union sure to be thrilled with Jawando's entry is the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 35, which went out of its way to endorse Jawando in 2018 and virtually no other candidate that year, an endorsement that majorly helped Jawando clinch the Democratic nomination and go on to victory.

Jawando's support of higher taxes in the FY-2026 budget will certainly be viewed favorable by union officials. Glass and Friedson have come out against Elrich's proposed property and income tax hikes this budget season, despite voting for budgets that contain tax increases in the past. Elrich's consistent support for higher taxes has never hurt him at the ballot box; will it damage Jawando in this race?

He certainly has the best claim to the Elrich lane in the race at this moment. But can he pull off an Elrich-style victory on June 23, 2026? 

That remains to be seen. Elrich was a major political figure, activist, and local elected official in Takoma Park long before he was elected to the Council in 2006. Decades of grassroots activism on hyperlocal issues allowed him to build up a huge base of support and goodwill across the county. Democrats, independents, and Republicans alike who were facing battles against development in their neighborhoods became Elrich fans, at least on growth and zoning issues. Whatever criticism there was of Elrich's views, he has been one of the few to win elected office this century in Montgomery County who was not corrupt or out to amass money and power for personal and political gain.

Jawando's activism and profile have been more national than hyperlocal. As an author, activist, alumnus of the Barack Obama White House, and even as a Councilmember, he has made infinitely more cable TV news appearances than Elrich. Even with two terms on the Council, he does not have the level of neighborhood-centric experience Elrich has parlayed into countywide success. As just one example, Jawando - like Elrich - were among the handful of elected officials who were initially willing to speak out regarding the ongoing desecration of the Moses African Cemetery in Bethesda during campaign season in 2017 and 2018. But once in office, Jawando did not spearhead any major push to investigate or stop it.

On the other hand, he is adopting the progressive label in the race. Montgomery County and Maryland Democratic voters have shown themselves to be extremely progressive in recent elections. Billionaire David Blair went down to defeat against Elrich twice, despite spending a literal fortune on both contests. Maryland Democrats gave the (relatively) moderate and presumed favorite Peter Franchot the boot in favor of progressive Wes Moore in the 2022 gubernatorial primary. And Moore was a newcomer who hadn't even lived in Maryland that many years in total over his lifetime, most recently as resident of New York.

Jawando may be hoping for that kind of vanguard faction to put him narrowly over the top next June, drawing in the younger Bernie/AOC/DSA crowd. He won't get the Post endorsement or the responsible-growth (YIMBYs would say NIMBY) GOP votes that helped Elrich slip past Blair twice. But unlike Glass and Friedson, he has a lane all to himself, barring the entry of an even younger and even more progressive candidate. All three are spending much of their time talking about Donald Trump - not surprising given their own legislative records of failing to attract a major corporate headquarters to the County or solve its highway gridlock or persistent crime wave, while focusing on banning gas powered leaf blowers, plastic bags, and gas stoves. To be successful next June, at some point "Hey, look over there!" will have to give way to proposals to solve actual local issues impacting County residents on a daily basis.

Photo courtesy Will Jawando for Montgomery County

ICE MS-13 arrest exposes Montgomery County's soft-on-crime leadership

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 26-year-old Salvadoran national Nelson Vladimir Amaya-Benitez in Gaithersburg on May 12, 2025, the agency announced yesterday. ICE described Amaya-Benitez as "a validated MS-13 gang member." ICE Baltimore acting Field Officer Director Nikita Baker blasted Montgomery County officials for not honoring four detainers it placed on Amaya-Benitez at times he was in custody since 2017. But what's equally-astonishing, is the list of crimes he committed in Montgomery County between 2017 and 2024, and the favorable treatment he received from Montgomery County judges and elected officials, who allowed him to continue preying on the community until his arrest by ICE on Monday.

Amaya-Benitez already had a criminal record in Texas, before he even arrived in Montgomery County in 2017. Yet, knowing this, and that Amaya-Benitez was in the country illegally, MoCo judges gave him incredibly light sentences. In 2017, he was convicted of armed robbery in Montgomery County, but received a sentence of only 18 months. In 2023, he was convicted of theft in Montgomery County. Despite his criminal record now including the previous armed robbery, a Montgomery County judge suspended his entire sentence(!!). Less than a month later, Amaya-Benitez was convicted of motor vehicle theft, and rogue and vagabond (the act of breaking into - or testing door handles of - cars with the intent to steal items inside). He then received a jail sentence of only 18 months.

Three days later, Amaya-Benitez was convicted of 2nd-degree malicious burning in Montgomery County. The judge in that case also sentenced him to 18 months. ICE lodged a detainer on him with the Montgomery County Detention Center on October 11, 2023, which was not honored by Montgomery County. The agency reported yesterday that Montgomery County not only prevented ICE from deporting Amaya-Benitez, but released him as a free man "on an unknown date."

With Montgomery County sending a clear message of minimal consequences for criminal activity, and protection from deportation, Amaya-Benitez was arrested and charged with attempted motor vehicle theft in Montgomery County on September 29, 2024. He was convicted of that crime on April 4 of this year. What was his sentence from the Montgomery County judge, with the above rap sheet in front of the court? Hold on to your seat, folks: 7 months and 19 days.

If your mind isn't blown yet, Amaya-Benitez never even served that light sentence. According to ICE, Montgomery County released him into the community again on April 18, 2025, only 14 days after his conviction. 

Montgomery County officials were clearly delighted to host Amaya-Benitez, and to allow him to prey on the residents who pay their salaries. His case underscores yet again their soft-on-crime, anti-police, pro-criminal policies, which have helped sustain a violent crime wave since 2020. On this matter alone, no Montgomery County elected official should be returned to office in 2026. 

After eight years of committing crimes against Montgomery County residents with the help of Montgomery County officials, Amaya-Benitez is now in ICE custody. Perhaps this "Maryland Man" will receive a last-minute assist to remain in the country from Senator Chris Van Hollen or a federal judge, to ensure he can once again return to Montgomery County and continue his good work.

While ICE official Baker did not comment on the ridiculously-light sentences Amaya-Benitez received from Montgomery County judges, Baker did slam County officials for repeatedly refusing to honor the agency's detainers on him. "ICE lodged five detainers — four of which were not honored — allowing him to return to the streets and reoffend time and time again," Baker said in a statement Thursday. "This pattern is unacceptable. We strongly encourage our local law enforcement partners to honor our detainers to ensure that dangerous individuals like this are held accountable and removed from our communities to protect the law-abiding residents we serve."

Photo courtesy ICE

Virginia added more than twice as many jobs as Maryland in March

The economic development broken record played the same tune yet again in the Washington, D.C. region last month. Virginia destroyed Maryland in job creation once again, adding more than twice as many jobs in March 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Maryland added 2,300 jobs, while Virginia added 5,900 jobs. 

March's job creation numbers show Virginia's economy remained far stronger than moribund Maryland's in a month where both states were impacted by federal job cuts. The total number of actual federal positions lost remains murky, as legal injunctions or orders to rehire workers have followed many of the "DOGE" layoffs.

"This job growth reflects businesses hiring as Virginians continue to find opportunities," Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin said in a statement. "Virginia has jobs, and we’re committed to strengthening the business environment so that everyone can find a path to success right here in the Commonwealth."

Rockville environmental cleanup is no laughing matter

Threats to the local ecosystem aren't exactly comedy material. But when Montgomery County satirical publication Montgonion branched out into civic activism recently, it found some readers were having a hard time taking it seriously. After tackling a litter problem in Glenmont, the Montgonion staff turned its attention to the 15100 block of Southlawn Lane in Rockville. Their efforts resulted in several departments of Montgomery County government taking action to remove illegally-parked or abandoned vehicles, and trash. The street is adjacent to parkland and a tributary of Rock Creek.

Montgomery County has also asked a cement company located there to have its trucks line up within its property, rather than idling on the public road. The County will also be assessing environmental impacts on the nearby stream. 

After posting about their success, the Montgonion staff was alarmed that many readers thought the story was yet another satirical yarn. They want you to know the story is true, and that they are ready to investigate any other problem areas you know about in Rockville and Montgomery County. Now about that WSSC free automobile undercarriage wash in Aspen Hill...ok, that one might not be true. Or is it? We are talking about the WSSC here, after all.

Photo courtesy Montgonion

Auto Spa Express car wash proposed for Gaithersburg

Car washes have been a tough sell for approval in Gaithersburg in recent years. Auto Spa will be the latest chain to make the case for one before the Gaithersburg Planning Commission tomorrow night, April 16, 2025. The property in question is 10009 Fields Road, which is bounded by Sam Eig Highway and Fields Road, right smack between Downtown Crown and Rio Lakefront. As such, the traffic expected for the car wash is controversial, but Gaithersburg planning staff are now supportive of a car wash use. 

The property owner has tried and failed over the last five years to attract a retail or restaurant tenant to the site. Three letters of intent were signed: one by a bank, one by a casual restaurant, and one by a drive-thru fast food restaurant. However, none of those proposals were "economically feasible or sustainable," the owner concluded.

Montgomery County planning sneaky speed limit cut on Josiah Henson Parkway

The Montgomery County Planning Board is on the verge of approving a War on Cars draft of the Master Plan of Highways and Transitways at its meeting this Thursday, April 10, 2025. Removal of the M-83 Highway (Midcounty Highway Extended) is the centerpiece of the document. Opponents of the highway have successfully blocked its construction for decades, but anti-highway officials on the Planning Board and County Council are seeking to take matters a deranged step further by removing any possibility of its construction, despite it being the most-essential piece of infrastructure to support the growth upcounty that has already been approved and realized over the last twenty years. Also buried within the document are thousands of speed limit reductions to 20 or 25 MPH, even on major state highways.

Just one of many egregious speed limit cuts proposed is on Josiah Henson Parkway, between the "Western edge of downtown White Flint" and E. Jefferson Street, and from E. Jefferson Street to Towne Road. The change would lower the speed limit from 40 MPH to 25 MPH. In addition, the street classification of Josiah Henson Parkway (a.k.a. Montrose Parkway) would be changed from "parkway" to "Downtown Boulevard."

If this sounds familiar, it's because it has already happened elsewhere in the County. Developers seeking to demolish homes, churches, and country clubs along major state highways, and replace them with urban apartment towers, were successful in politicizing the Maryland State Highway Administration during the Larry Hogan administration. Formerly staunch advocates of sound traffic engineering best practices, MDSHA became a political playtoy amenable to any request from local officials beholden to development interests. This led to major speed limit cuts on highways like Georgia Avenue and River Road.

Josiah Henson Parkway is a County road, and the Montgomery County Department of Transportation was politicized even earlier this century than MDSHA was. The speed limit drop and street reclassification request for the parkway is being made (surprise!) on behalf of developers who are seeking to redevelop the land around it. This is yet another abuse of the system in Montgomery County. Not only was our master plan highway system never completed, but we have a continual effort to further cripple the congested roadways that somehow got built. Taxpayers were charged a fortune to build Josiah Henson Parkway, a mere shadow of the Rockville Freeway that was originally intended to use this right-of-way between Falls Road in Potomac and the InterCounty Connector in Silver Spring. Further impeding the (already-compromised) vehicle throughput function of the road we paid for, to facilitate private developer profits, is an abuse, theft, and misuse of public property.

The revision of the master plan of highways is a massive compendium of many such abuses. Most of the public will be unaware of the changes proposed until the new speed limit signs are installed. The document is fully "woke," to be sure. And while planners are smugly proud of their newfound power to ram things through over any public objection - a.k.a. dictatorship - they are most proud of the document's "Racial Equity and Social Justice Statement," which pretty much tells you how insane and out-of-touch-with-reality planning and governing in Montgomery County have become.

Montgomery County protesters head to Hands Off! demonstration in D.C.

Protesters wrapped in Canadian and Ukrainian flags filed into Montgomery County Metro stations this morning. They were heading to the Hands Off! demonstration in Washington, D.C., where supporters are expecting 20,000 attendees. The protests are criticizing President Donald Trump, and the DOGE government waste initiative spearheaded by Elon Musk. Montgomery County Congressman Jamie Raskin and Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar are on the speaking list. 

The event is sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign, the American Civil Liberties Union, the American Federation of Government Employees, Planned Parenthood, and the George Soros-funded Indivisible. A livestream of the event will be available on YouTube beginning at 12:00 PM today, April 5, 2025.

True Spec Golf opens first D.C. location in Clarksburg

True Spec Golf has opened its first Washington, D.C. area location in Clarksburg. The club-fitting studio is located at Little Bennett Golf Course at 25900 Prescott Road, a public course with a view of Sugarloaf Mountain. True Spec's one-bay mobile fitting unit utilizes the industry’s first quadroscopic launch monitor, Foresight GCQuad. True Spec DC Metro also features a "brand-agnostic" fitting matrix of over 70,000 clubhead and shaft combinations. Operating hours are 9:00 AM-6:00 PM on Tuesdays, 8:00 AM-4:00 PM on Wednesdays, 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM on Thursdays, and 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Fridays and Saturdays.

Grocery stores take aim at antiquated Maryland liquor laws again

Several grocery chains in Montgomery County are once again enlisting customers in the struggle to overturn the antiquated liquor laws that prevent them from selling beer and wine in Maryland. Signage paid for by the Consumer Freedom Coalition prompts customers to contact their legislators in Annapolis to support bills that would allow grocery stores to sell beer and wine, but not liquor. However, once again, the machine is prevailing in the state capital, and those bills appear unlikely to pass during this session.

The effort had the support of Maryland Governor Wes Moore, who was eager to back a popular cause to distract from the new taxes and fees in the FY-2026 state budget, but was opposed by powerful Democrats on committees that first had to approve the bills to move them to the floor for a wider vote. Harris Teeter was the loudest advocate for the change during the administration of previous Governor Larry Hogan, but the campaign stalled when the pandemic hit, and liquor law changes became focused on assisting bars and restaurants by allowing take-out cocktails, for example. Safeway has joined Harris Teeter in the 2025 push for the bills. Yet neither major corporation has been able to influence enough Maryland Democrats to sign on to supermarket sales, and those same Democrats have yet to pay a price at the ballot box for their continued defiance of the popular will on the matter.

Watkins Cabinet Co. closes after 73 years in Montgomery County, property for sale

Watkins Cabinet Company has closed at 18001 Sellman Road in Dickerson, after 73 years in business. Its 14,884-square-foot factory and warehouse facility has been put on the market for sale. This is a prime 1.43-acre property for an industrial/manufacturing use, as it is right on the CSX Metropolitan Subdivision tracks, part of a major freight and Amtrak route between Washington, D.C. and Chicago. That creates the opportunity for direct freight rail shipping across the nation, or to ports in Baltimore and Norfolk. 

I have suggested for many years that Montgomery County sit down with CSX and try to create attractive industrial sites alongside the railroad. This could be for the manufacture of anything from furniture to pharmaceuticals to drones. In exchange for the new freight business, CSX might then cooperate for the additional track that has been sought for use by MARC commuter rail on this line. According to the online sale listing, the asking price for the Watkins Cabinet property is $2,000,000. If Montgomery County is serious about getting the third track, these are the types of opportunities they should be investigating in partnership with CSX. Even without a third track, moribund Montgomery County needs the business and high-wage job growth.

Wilbur Watkins founded Watkins Cabinet Company in 1952. It remained family-owned for all 73 years. You might have a Watkins cabinet, vanity, bar, or bookcase in your home right now, if you live in the Washington, D.C. region.

Photos courtesy Brian Jamison Real Estate

MCPS teacher removed from classroom over mistreatment of hijab-wearing student

Montgomery County Public Schools has removed a teacher from a classroom at Cabin Branch Elementary School at 14129 Dunlin Street in Clarksburg, and ordered that he have no further contact with a student he is alleged to have mistreated. The 8-year-old American Muslim student reported that she was harassed, humiliated, threatened, and intimidated by the teacher, primarily over her hijab. She was allegedly given harsher penalties than her classmates, was denied drinking water and bathroom access, and was told to remove her hijab. 

Her father, who is a U.S. military veteran, told the Maryland office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) that her alleged mistreatment - which led to anxiety and panic attacks at school - was "profoundly disheartening." He welcomed today's actions by MCPS toward resolving the issue.

“It means everything to my family that my daughter can now feel safe in class," the student's father said in a statement. "This situation caused us a lot of stress and worry as parents, my daughter was afraid to go to school before. She’s young, she was struggling with what the teacher did. No one’s kid should have to deal with this kind of situation from their teachers, no matter their religion. Our family knows we can count on CAIR for support through these situations. CAIR has had our back, their help has given my family peace of mind.” 

“We applaud this family’s courage in coming forward for their daughter’s sake and we acknowledge Montgomery County Public Schools for taking swift action to address this complaint,” CAIR’s Maryland Director Zainab Chaudry said in a statement this afternoon. “CAIR encourages all school districts to routinely provide comprehensive cultural competency and anti-discrimination trainings for all of their educators. It’s essential that they’re accountable to fostering an inclusive and respectful learning environment for all students, regardless of their background.” 

You could be 7-Eleven's landlord in Germantown

If you have $4 million burning a hole in your pocket, you could take a Big Bite out of Germantown real estate. The land underneath the 7-Eleven convenience store and gas station at 12861 Clopper Road has hit the market for sale. You would become the landlord for 7-Eleven under this triple net lease (NNN) arrangement. The online sale listing offers some interesting facts about this 7-Eleven, such as its status in the 91st-percentile of customer traffic for the brand among all 7-Eleven stores in the United States, that 321,000 customers have patronized this 7-Eleven in the last 12 months, and that the store has about 5.5 years left on its current lease.

Someone save this movie theater in Montgomery County!

You could own your very own cineplex in Montgomery County. CBRE is now marketing the vacant Regal Cinemas at 20000 Century Boulevard in Germantown for sale. While the signage posted on the theater building is pushing a retail use, the online sale listing notes that the 14-screen cineplex inside remains intact. That means this could be essentially a turnkey operation to reopen the theater for a smart cineplex chain, or a wealthy movie buff. Financing is being offered on the listing page, but the asking price for the property - which includes a large surface parking lot - is not provided. Good luck, and until next time, the balcony is closed!

Argan moves corporate HQ from Rockville to Arlington, Virginia

Montgomery County has lost yet another corporate headquarters to Northern Virginia. Argan, Inc., announced yesterday that it has relocated its HQ from 1 Church Street in Rockville to Two Liberty Center in Arlington. The telecommunications and power industry service provider was founded in Rockville over two decades ago. Argan cited the new location's direct access to Dulles International Airport as one of the primary reasons for the move. The firm's stock price doubled, and surged 33% in two days at one point in 2024, and is up about $10 since then, to $104.05 as of this morning.

It's no surprise that Argan, like so many companies, is heading for greener pastures across the Potomac. Montgomery County and Maryland leaders have defiantly refused to construct the long-planned bridge across the river that would provide our own direct connection between the I-270 corridor and the Dulles area. Dulles is the only airport in the region that provides the frequency and variety of direct flights to global destinations demanded by international businesspeople. And let's fact it: Virginia's lower taxes, fewer regulations, and status as CNBC's "Top State for Business in America" certainly didn't hurt. 

Northern Virginia has other advantages for a firm that primarily deals with power plants and telecommunications infrastructure. Maryland leaders have forced the closure of 8 power plants since 2012 alone, and the state is now forced to import 40% of its electricity from out-of-state at higher prices to avoid rolling blackouts. 70% of internet traffic around the globe flows through data centers in Northern Virginia. And the Old Dominion has invested far more in highway, air transport, railroads, and ports than Maryland. It's no wonder Montgomery County has failed to attract a single new major corporate HQ in over 25 years.

"We are thrilled with the move to our new headquarters location in Arlington, Virginia," Argan CEO David Watson said in a statement. "We believe the location and layout will accommodate the Company’s continued growth, improve recruitment and retention of employees, and facilitate greater collaboration and a more productive overall work environment. The Washington metro area has a dynamic and robust economy with a quality workforce, and we look forward to leveraging our new location to enhance the experience of Argan’s current and future employees, partners and customers. The Company’s more than 22 years in Rockville, Maryland where Argan was founded, have been both meaningful and productive, and we look forward to continuing our success in our new home in Arlington."

Montgomery County goes green...with envy of Loudoun County

The Montgomery County Council is all-but-certain to hike property taxes on residents again in the fiscal year starting this July. They've done it every year in recent times, except for a paltry average $12 "tax cut" in the election year of 2014. By contrast, Loudoun County, Virginia across the river will be delivering a property tax cut to residents there this year. The difference? Not only more business growth and jobs created than Montgomery County over the last decade, but its new position as "data center capital of the world," The Washington Post reported earlier this week.

A shocking new statistic emerged in the Post report on the budget situations in the five biggest counties in Northern Virginia. Loudoun County's data centers generate a full 38% of that county's total revenue. Data centers are often criticized for representing very few jobs, as staffing is minimal at each. But they clearly generate bigtime revenue.

Of course, these data centers require massive amounts of electricity, something Montgomery County and Maryland lack because our elected officials ordered the closure of 8 coal-fired power plants across the state since 2012. High-wage jobs are something else MoCo lacks, as it has failed to attract any new major corporate headquarters in over 25 years. Heckuva job, Brownie! 

While I would rather see an aerospace research facility, or a major defense firm headquarters fill our underutilized and vacant office parks, imagine if there was a data center on each of the office properties among those that have been converted to luxury townhomes in recent years. Residential housing is a revenue loser for the County, as our structural budget deficit proves. Data centers are a revenue winner, as homeowners in Loudoun County will be delighted to tell you, when they receive their FY-2026 property tax cut.

BigBear.ai moves HQ from Maryland to Virginia

Oh, no, not again! Moribund Maryland has just lost yet another corporate headquarters to Virginia. BigBear.ai has moved its HQ from Columbia, Maryland to a Class A trophy office building in Tysons, Virginia, The Business Journals reports. Its new address is the Valo Park building at 7950 Jones Branch Drive. The move caps off a month of great news for the company and its investors. It not only picked up coveted new contracts from the Army and Navy, but hired a new CEO who was a high-level adviser to President Donald Trump, giving it an edge in any DOGE-sizing at the Pentagon.

Valo Park not only enjoys easy access to I-495, but its website notes it is only a 15-minute drive from Dulles International Airport. No Montgomery County or Maryland business can make that claim, as leaders of both jurisdictions for decades have blocked construction of the long-planned I-370 Potomac River crossing to the Dulles area. Montgomery County hasn't attracted a single major corporate headquarters in over 25 years, and Maryland's record is about the same. Both have lost many HQs to Virginia, among other states, and now the trend continues to play out. Tysons is the happening place to be; you can feel the energy just driving through on the Beltway, among all of the neon corporate logos that light up the night. Montgomery County is Sleepy Town, a bedroom community for the booming job centers elsewhere in the region - such as Tysons!

The loss of BigBear.ai is particularly humiliating for Maryland, as Governor Wes Moore has stated that artificial intelligence is one of the key economic sectors he wants to grow. Alas, Maryland not only has much higher taxes, but much less electricity generation capacity, after the Democrat-controlled Maryland legislature forced the closure of 8 coal-fired power plants. They apparently were unaware that artificial intelligence requires massive amounts of energy. Virginia has that capacity, while Maryland has to import expensive electricity from out-of-state at boardwalk prices just to keep the lights on. We're being governed by very stupid people, folks. Heckuva job, Brownie!

Montgomery County to lose more jobs to housing in Rockville

Another valuable Montgomery County office park property could be lost to residential housing, if the City of Rockville approves a proposal to convert it into condos and townhomes. 1455 Research Boulevard, one of many office sites located in the I-270 corridor of the County, would become 106 townhomes, 30 stacked condo townhomes, and 72 multifamily condo units, under the plan envisioned by developer Pulte. The company is building several similar developments in the City, including within the new Farmstead community, as well as in the King Farm, and Tower Oaks areas. Pulte's site plan is likely to be reviewed at a public hearing by the Rockville Planning Commission in summer or fall of 2025.

The existing office building, which was only constructed
about 30 years ago

The existing office building contains 17 office suites, 10 of which are currently leased, according to the property website. So the building is 59% leased. The property is 10.6 acres in size, meaning that it would still be ideal for a corporate headquarters, or a research, lab, and/or manufacturing facility, if the existing building were torn down for that purpose. It is directly adjacent to I-270. To state the obvious, all of the jobs currently provided by the current tenants of the building will likely be lost to the City and County in a conversion to housing. And the many more potential, high-wage jobs that could fill this office park site - and the resulting revenue - will never be realized.

Pulte's proposed redevelopment plan
for residential housing

From a County revenue standpoint, filling the current building, or replacing it with a major corporate headquarters or facility, would be more ideal than filling the site with residential housing. That's because residential housing, as we have seen this century, generates more costs in County services and infrastructure demands than it does in tax revenue. Hence the County's structural budget deficit, which extends as far into the future as the forecasts go. And do you remember "smart growth," which included placing jobs near housing, to reduce congestion and auto emissions in the I-270 corridor? Neither do the County Council and Planning Board, which don't even talk about "smart growth" anymore, having abandoned its fictional, expedient construct for the equally-fictional canards of "affordable," "attainable," "equity," "inclusionary," and "missing middle" - all code words bandied about in a nationwide campaign to allow upzoning for higher-density luxury housing in existing suburban neighborhoods.

Office, research, manufacturing and commercial uses, in contrast, generate less traffic and require no additional school capacity, for example. The problem is that the Council has driven the County's economy into the ditch over the last 23 years, through radical anti-business policies, and a failure to provide the necessary infrastructure to compete with Northern Virginia, such as direct highway access to Dulles International Airport via a new Potomac River crossing. Montgomery County has not only lost every competition for major corporate headquarters to Virginia during this time, but is most often not even in the hunt for these opportunities.

As a result, Montgomery County has failed to attract a single major corporate headquarters in over 25 years. While MoCo leaders slumbered this century, Virginia added the HQs of Northrop Grumman, Intelsat, Hilton Hotels, Nestle, Lidl, Gerber, Volkswagen, Corporate Executive Board, Amazon HQ2, CoStar, Lego, and more. And those are just ones we lost to Virginia! 

Montgomery County has been left to spend large sums just to retain some of the HQs it had, like Marriott International, Choice Hotels, and GEICO, all of which have downsized when making their moves. In addition to such rearrangements of the deck chairs aboard the Titanic, Montgomery County has lost still other HQs that it had altogether. While the Council argued about the legality of circus animals one week last decade, representatives of New York City and Knoxville were completing final, secret negotiations that sealed their victory in snatching away the Discovery Communications HQ from downtown Silver Spring.

Obviously, property owners such as those at 1455 Research Boulevard can't be blamed for all this. They, understandably, are not going to simply wait for a future ousting of the Montgomery County cartel from power to maximize their investment. So we are likely to end up with more residential housing at this site. The Council is not sad about that, as their developer sugar daddies want them to keep Montgomery County bad-for-business, so that prime office park sites can become residential housing sites instead. Virginia prepares and markets such office/industrial properties extensively to international businesses, and reaps the spectacular results; Montgomery County just waits for someone to build housing on them. Too bad that Montgomery County residents will continue to shoulder the increasing tax burden to make up for all of this lost business and commercial revenue. Heckuva job, Brownie!