New-construction condos for sale on MD 355 in Gaithersburg

Brand-new condominiums are now available for purchase at One Central, a new development at MD 355 and Central Avenue in Gaithersburg. Up until recently, this was a verdant green space you would see from 355 alongside a single-family home that fronted onto Central Avenue. Beazer Homes has begun converting the property into a development of two-over-two condos that are constructed to resemble townhomes from the exterior. The 3-bedroom units are priced from $574,990 and $664,990. 

Beazer is marketing the homes as low-maintenance. You would be joining an HOA that provides landscaping, mowing and mulching services for the homesite your unit is located on; open-space landscaping of common-area open space; snow removal; trash pickup; and "water usage." Units have private garages with EV charger-ready electrical outlets. The development features forested areas, sidewalks, a playground park, and a dog park named Barkwood Park. One Central is only one superblock north of the Walnut Hill Shopping Center, which is anchored by an Aldi grocery store, and will soon have a Sheetz convenience store and mega gas station.

Samsung chooses Texas over Maryland for new U.S. corporate headquarters

Maryland dropped the ball - and dropped the call - on one of the biggest corporate headquarters relocation sweepstakes of 2026. South Korean technology giant Samsung is fleeing New Jersey after locating its U.S. headquarters there nearly 40 years ago. Up for grabs were not only the prestige of having the HQ of a conglomerate with fifth-highest brand value of any company in the world, but also 1000 high-wage jobs. You would expect Maryland, which hasn't attracted a single new major corporate headquarters in over a quarter century, to pull out all the stops to lure Samsung to the state. But you would be wrong: Samsung is instead moving its HQ to Plano, Texas.

How hard did Montgomery County and Maryland try to win the game? We don't know, because neither discussed their desire or strategy to win over Samsung publicly. We know Maryland Governor Wes Moore was in touch with executives of a Samsung biotech division when he traveled to South Korea on a trade mission in 2025. Those conversations played a role in Samsung Biologics agreeing to take over a Montgomery County manufacturing facility that was likely to close otherwise. Was Moore able to tap into those contacts during this year's HQ competition? We don't know.

What we do know, is that Montgomery County and Maryland again reaped the whirlwind of failing to get themselves into fighting shape for economic development. While the Maryland tax burden is less than New Jersey's, it cannot remotely compete with Samsung's choice of Texas. The Lone Star State has no individual or corporate income tax. Maryland, whose leaders chose to close 8 power plants and implement "clean" power mandates and a Communist EmPOWER surcharge on electric bills, can no longer generate enough power and is forced to import electricity at higher "boardwalk prices." As a result, energy costs in Texas are literally half of those in Maryland. 

Those two factors alone were likely enough to convince any intelligent executive to choose Texas over Maryland. But wait - there's more.

Texas has superior highway and air travel infrastructure. Dallas Fort Worth International Airport is closer by car to Plano than Montgomery County is to Dulles International Airport, thanks to Montgomery County and Maryland officials actively blocking construction of a long-planned Potomac River crossing to the Dulles area. 

There's also no contest when it comes to private jet travel. Business executives can travel to international destinations like London and Mexico City from Addison Airport, located only 12-17 minutes from Plano. Such jaunts are not possible from the Montgomery County Airpark, which cannot accommodate larger business jets. Addison has customs facilities; Montgomery County Airpark does not. Addison boasts 3 Fixed-Base Operators providing fueling, minor maintenance, deicing, and baggage handling; flight crew resources and facilities such as flight plan and weather rooms and crew lounges; and luxury VIP passenger lounges, secure parking, and corporate sedan/limousine ground transportation coordination. MCA has one FBO, which is limited to fueling and hangar storage, and does not offer luxury facilities or amenities.

Finally, Texas is a Right to Work state and has a far-cheaper cost of living than Maryland. This means lower overall labor costs, and the lower cost of housing and everything else helps to attract the best and brightest to Texas.

Texas has a whopping 57 Fortune 500 corporate headquarters. Maryland has...3. Womp womp.

"Texas is the undisputed headquarters of headquarters," Texas Governor Greg Abbott said in a (under)statement earlier this week. 

Another corporate headquarters leaving Montgomery County for Virginia

Just weeks before the primary election, Montgomery County has lost yet another corporate headquarters to Northern Virginia. Spatial Front, a defense contracting firm, has announced it will be relocating from Bethesda to Crystal City. It will take 450 high-wage jobs with it. Spatial Front is a privately held firm founded in 2008 that specializes in artificial intelligence, machine learning, geospatial technologies, cloud services, and digital modernization for U.S. federal agencies.

Beyond the incredible tax advantages and superior infrastructure of Virginia, and the moribund economies of Montgomery County and Maryland, a person in the defense contracting field tells me that the new Maryland IT services tax may have been the last straw for Spatial Front. Beginning last July, Maryland’s Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act of 2025 instituted a 3% sales and use tax on data processing, computer systems design, and software publishing. As the Fort Meade Alliance warned Maryland elected officials, the IT tax could have the result of driving what's left of the defense contracting business out of the state to Northern Virginia. That's partly because the tax wallops companies operating under the NAICS 5415 code (Computer Systems Design), the industry group said, and could wipe out profit margins.

The Spatial Front departure again confirms all that I've been saying for years. Montgomery County and Maryland do not have competitive tax policies. In fact, Montgomery County has the largest total tax and fee burden in the Washington D.C. Metro area. All Northern Virginia counties enjoy direct access to Dulles International Airport, the only airport in the region that offers the frequency of flights to the largest variety of destinations that international businesspeople demand. Montgomery County, by contrast, has steadfastly refused to build the new Potomac River crossing that would extend I-370 to the Dulles area, an own-goal of increasingly-catastrophic proportions. And we also see the magnetism of winning these corporate headquarters. Crystal City has the Amazon HQ2, and companies want to be where the energy is.

To top off the irony of the loss, Spatial Front is moving into 2231 Crystal Drive, a building owned by Bethesda-based JBG Smith! "As Governor, I am proud that Spatial Front is moving its headquarters to Arlington," Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger said in a celebratory press release announcing the victory. "The decision to relocate and bring hundreds of high-quality jobs to the Commonwealth reaffirms Virginia’s status as the nation’s premier location for defense and technology innovation. I remain focused on working with state and local partners to bolster that reputation, strengthen our business climate, and cement Virginia as the top state for talent so we can continue to openly welcome growing and expanding companies in every industry."

While Spanberger was closing the deal with Spatial Front, the Montgomery County Council was raising multiple taxes on its residential and business constituents, attending conferences at Hawaiian resorts, advancing a moratorium on data centers and an unconstitutional gun control bill, and passing a bill on the use of masks by law enforcement that violates the U.S. Constitution's Supremacy Clause. Doh!

Remember when Tennessee was sealing the deal after wooing Discovery away from Silver Spring, and the Montgomery County Council was simultaneously debating a ban on circus animals? Wow. Heckuva job, Brownie!

Switchblade-wielding juvenile threatens cineplex employee in Gaithersburg

Movie theater workers have it hard enough, sweeping up spilled popcorn and mopping up sticky soda after every screening for modest pay. Monday night at Rio Lakefront in Gaithersburg, they also had to deal with a violent customer. According to Montgomery County police, a patron at the AMC DINE-IN Rio Cinemas 18 pulled out a switchblade at 9:37 PM Monday, and threatened a theater employee. The juvenile suspect apparently escaped arrest. 

Montgomery County Council raising taxes on the middle class, cutting taxes for cartel oligarchs

The Montgomery County Council is dropping the hammer on middle class residents in its massive $7.9 billion tax-and-fee-hike FY-2027 budget, which was approved in a 9-2 vote yesterday. Councilmembers Andrew Friedson and Dawn Luedtke were the only two opposed. Facing an ongoing structural budget deficit of its own design, the Council did what it always does - reward its cartel political patrons with taxpayer largesse, protect and preserve reckless spending, raise fees, and deliver a property tax hike. But they weren't done yet! The Council added a massive income tax increase for "rich" residents making...$1 million? $2 million? Billions? No! The new wealth tax will be paid by every County resident making (in Dr. Evil voice) $150,000 or more.

If you are making $150,000 and live in Montgomery County in the year 2026, you are squarely middle class. If you are making $75,000 (the Council's laughably-outdated measure of a Joe Six Pack), you're effectively poor, and maybe getting by paycheck-to-paycheck - if you're lucky. Interestingly, no one in the local press besides me is pointing this reality out. But that's par for the course for our media Fifth Column of fellow travelers.

Affordability? Hah! The Council, which draws itself a $168,000 salary at taxpayer expense each year for their part-time Council "jobs," is once again laughing at you. Yes, this is the same Council who insiders say refer to you, the taxpayers, behind closed doors as "losers" and "suckers." Well, you lost again yesterday, your bank account will lose even more, and you'll be a sucker for sure if you vote to re-elect these incompetent criminals this November.

You're paying double what you were for groceries just six years ago, gas prices are skyrocketing, cars are priced as luxury items now, utility bills are crushing you monthly, and insurance companies are price-gouging you with impunity. What does the Council do to address the affordability crisis? Raise your income tax, raise your property tax, raise the fees you pay, and - get this - eliminate the Income Tax Offset Credit that homeowners were eligible for. That makes two property tax hikes in one budget!

Now, the Council provided its farcical definition of "rich" as those of you making $150,000 and up. Do you know what they consider a lavish mansion? Homes worth $800,000 and up. It's not just their policies that are stuck in the Woodstock era, but their entire grasp on economics. Then again, nobody on the Council went to Yale or Harvard exactly. $800,000 and up? That's basically any home inside the Beltway that's not an as-is fixer-upper, and a huge percentage of homes outside the Beltway.

Think about the federal government workers the Council claimed they were so worried about. A large percentage of those workers are making $150,000 and up. Now they're getting slammed with a double property tax increase, and an income tax hike. You can see that the Council doesn't give a damn about you or your struggles, or about the rest of us private sector taxpayers.

Who does the Council give a damn about?

The Montgomery County cartel that gets them elected, and from whom they take their marching orders. That's the real estate developer oligarchs, the Council-connected "non-profits" who funnel taxpayer funding they receive back to the campaign accounts of councilmembers, and certain labor unions. All got fully funded in this budget. Montgomery County Public Schools got a massive increase in funding, while their enrollment of actual students is dwindling by the year. Make it make sense.

When you think of these synthetic-left councilmembers raising taxes on hardworking middle class residents at a time of financial struggle, think of the oligarchy. Think of the 20-year property tax exemption that the Council provided for their millionaire and billionaire oligarch developer sugar daddies just months ago. It applies to nearly every apartment development, and therefore is robbing the County coffers of billions in revenue. That fiscal impact was already felt this year. Billions going into the pockets of billionaires, instead of schools, police officer hiring, infrastructure, libraries and parks, for at least the next twenty years.

Who will make up for all that lost revenue, and the structural budget deficit the Council itself created earlier this century? Once again, the Council made clear: You, the taxpayer. You, the homeowner. You, the small business owner. You are the loser they mock. And the cartel oligarchs are once again the winners they reward - with your hard-earned income, and your equity and security in the home that was the biggest investment of your life. It turns out the government owned it all along!

Taxes going up, government and elected official salaries going up, traffic camera ticketing going up, and friends of the Council getting rich at the expense of taxpayers - all this happened in Bell, California, and elected officials there went to prison. All this is happening in Montgomery County right now. The County where oligarchs get richer, and their puppets on the Council drop an anvil on the middle class to make sure the numbers work out.

Carnival returns to Montgomery Mall in Bethesda through May 10

A carnival with an anti-drug message for children has returned to the parking lot at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. L.E.A.D Fest, an initiative produced by the organization Law Enforcement Against Drugs, will be at the mall tonight through Sunday May 10, 2026. A parent or guardian must accompany children under 18, some rides require a parent to also ride along, only clear bags will be allowed into the carnival area, and no face coverings are allowed, unless required for a medical reason. 

Tickets can be purchased online. It's intriguing to have an anti-drug event in a county and state whose leadership are strongly pro-drug. Worth contemplating, is why your elected officials want you to be zonked out on mind-altering drugs. Just say no!

Strong-arm robbery outside Montgomery County courthouse in Rockville

How strong and confident are Montgomery County criminals feeling these days, amidst their six-year crime wave? Confident enough to assault and rob someone in broad daylight outside of the Montgomery County Circuit Courthouse in Rockville. That's what Montgomery County police say happened yesterday afternoon at 3:21 PM. A suspect assaulted a victim, grabbed unspecified "personal property," and fled on foot. Police have not released a description of the suspect, and did not indicate how the suspect avoided appearing on the many surveillance cameras in the government center area.

Montgomery County police interview alleged WHCA dinner shooter's family in Rockville

Montgomery County police and the U.S. Secret Service have interviewed the sister of alleged White House Correspondents Dinner shooter Cole Allen at the family's residence in Rockville, Fox News White House correspondent Jacqui Heinrich reports. Heinrich's sources told her that Cole Allen sent members of his family an alleged manifesto prior to last night's shooting at the Washington Hilton hotel. Avriana Allen reportedly told police that her brother had made radical statements in the past, and that he had stowed away firearms at the family home without her parents' knowledge.

Allen's sister also confirmed that Cole Allen had attended No Kings rallies in the past, and is allegedly a member of an obscure group called "The Wide Awakes." It was not confirmed if the shotgun Allen allegedly fired at a Secret Service officer in the lobby of the hotel was one of the firearms stored at the Maryland home. Montgomery County police have not yet publicly confirmed their involvement in the investigation. One Secret Service agent was injured in the shooting, and the suspect was apprehended before he could reach the ballroom where President Donald Trump, Vice-President J.D. Vance, and other Trump administration officials were participating in the event.

Mavi opens at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Mavi has opened at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The Turkish denim boutique missed its fall 2025 opening date by several months, but the chain has been engaged in a major expansion of bricks-and-mortar locations across America over the last year, including Jacksonville, Minneapolis, and Long Island. That has included establishing a U.S.-specific subsidiary. Mavi's arrival in American malls comes as Gen Z has shown a preference for in-person shopping over online ordering, particularly in the fashion sector.

If a denim brand can't have Sydney Sweeney and her good genes, it helps to have something unique in the actual denim material to set the brand apart from the other department store jeans that abound in the mall. In Mavi's case, they have Turkish denim fabric in several styles. SuperSoft is a midweight denim that employs Tencel and Lyocell fibers for softness and stretchiness. Feather Denim is even softer and lighter. And Organic Move is the softest with maximum stretch.

What's new for the season at Mavi just as they welcome their first customers in Bethesda? Most obviously, they are promoting their "L-OW RISE" jeans. For summer, they have a line of white denim. Look for Mavi on Level 1 of the mall, in the Nordstrom wing, across from Lily Pulitzer. Operating hours are 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM, seven days a week, according to the mall website.

L'Occitane en Provence reopens at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

L'Occitane en Provence has reopened at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The skincare and beauty boutique has undergone a major renovation. L'Occitane is transforming its stores nationwide to celebrate its 50th anniversary this month. This includes a switch from a trad-retro aesthetic to a more contemporary design. They call this the Soleil, or "sunshine," store model. It features a bright yellow and white color scheme. 

Much like the chain's products and business practices, the construction materials emphasize sustainability. Changes at this location aren't limited to the boutique design. I notice the shop has also posted a job listing seeking a new store manager. Look for the revamped L'Occitane on Level 1 of the mall, next to Arc'teryx and across from Sunglass Hut.

Prime commercial properties for sale in Damascus for only $800,000(!!)

Two adjacent commercial properties in a high-visibility location are now available for sale in Damascus. 26323 and 26315-26317 Ridge Road (MD 27) are located near the intersection with Main Street in the downtown business district. There is a high volume of traffic passing daily from Montgomery County through Damascus, Mount Airy and Westminster, and even a fairly high number of semi-trucks from Pennsylvania. A drive-thru fast food restaurant could do quite well here. The asking price is only $800,000 for the whole thing, and we can say "only" because of the obscene price of real estate in Montgomery County these days. Land in a high-traffic spot in MoCo for just $800,000? A steal!

Montgomery County vineyard hit hard by late frost

The late frost earlier this week that impacted agricultural businesses across several states on the eastern seaboard did not spare Windridge Vineyards in Montgomery County. Windridge announced today that it "suffered one of the most devastating frost events that we have experienced in our history." Temperatures at the Darnestown vineyard dropped to 26 degrees at one point, and were below freezing for over four hours. Despite taking several high-tech measures to reduce the impact on vines, the crop sustained significant frost damage. 

Windridge prepared for such an event in advance. Not only in measures to combat the cold, but also for the worst case scenario. To the latter end, the vineyard will fall back on its inventory of library wines to continue to serve customers during the affected period. It does remind one just how precarious life was when our ancestors' food supply could be reduced by the whims of weather and nature. There were no grocery stores or food stamps; your crop was it for the season.

Sheetz construction advancing at Walnut Hill Shopping Center (Photos)

The convenience store building at the future Sheetz at 733 S. Frederick Avenue at the Walnut Hill Shopping Center in Gaithersburg is looking a lot closer to a finished product since my last update - at least on the outside. Brick and stone facade treatments are in place where Tyvek was previously. Gaping squares and rectangles are now filled with window glass and doors, the latter already sporting Sheetz logos. And construction is now underway on the canopy that will protect the gas pumps and those pumping them from the elements.

Gaithersburg's newest 7-Eleven to hold grand opening April 17

You're invited to celebrate the opening of the newest 7-Eleven in Gaithersburg this Friday, April 17, 2026 from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The new store is located at 10003 Fields Road, near Sam Eig Highway and Rio Lakefront. Guests will enjoy exclusive deals, giveaways, and more. Celebrate finishing your taxes with a Big Gulp and a Big Bite Hot Dog with everything on it...if you have any money left after Wednesday.

Lakeforest Mall redevelopment breaks ground in Gaithersburg

Demolition of Lakeforest Mall is well underway in Gaithersburg, but an official groundbreaking ceremony was held today at the property for what is to replace it. Developer WRS, Inc. was joined by Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich, former Gaithersburg mayor and current County Council member Sid Katz, and current Gaithersburg Mayor Jud Ashman to officially fire the starting gun on construction of what WRS describes as a "mini-city." The $1.2 billion project will deliver 1600 residential units by three homebuilders, an upgraded Lakeforest Transit Center, and over 470,000-square-feet of retail and restaurant space. Initial tenants will include Sprouts Farmers Market, Home Depot, and a Landmark Theatres cineplex. 

It's shameful what Montgomery County officials and later owners of the property allowed to happen to Lakeforest Mall this century. It was an upscale mall when it opened, and - much like White Flint Mall - to see it being demolished even before the older and less-fancy malls in Bethesda and Wheaton is a sheer travesty. You have to be truly bad at governing to be this good at destroying communities and their crown jewels like this. 

Pour out an Orange Julius for Lakeforest Mall. It was too good for us. We didn't deserve it, after repeatedly electing people who allowed the mall and surrounding area to become overridden by crime. And in terms of what mall owners could control, it was clear that the most recent set of landlords were determined to tear down the mall to reap maximum real estate transaction profit, the community be damned.

Today begins a new chapter for the property. The developer has many challenges ahead, including the aforementioned neighborhood crime, and to deliver a water feature that is as well-integrated and successful as the one at well-ensconced competitor Rio Lakefront. "This is more than just a construction project; it is the rebirth of a community anchor," WRS Inc. Principal Kevin Rogers said in a statement this afternoon. "We aren't just building buildings; we are creating a destination where people can live, work, and thrive without being dependent on their cars. We are proud to deliver a project that honors the legacy of Lakeforest while looking firmly toward the future of Gaithersburg."

Photo courtesy WRS Inc.

Matan Cos. breaks ground on new strip mall in Gaithersburg

Matan Companies broke ground on the latest addition to its commercial development on the former Leidos site at the corner of MD 355 and Montgomery Village Avenue in Gaithersburg today. Construction will now commence on a 10175-square-foot strip mall at 715 Progress Way. It will join two fully-leased 198,000-square-foot Class A buildings, also developed by Matan Companies, whose tenants include AstraZeneca, Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), and Daikin Comfort Technologies Distribution, Inc., and two pad sites occupied by Chick-fil-A and Sheetz. The latter two have drawn tremendous traffic to the property, and corporate officials at Sheetz have publicly expressed their satisfaction with the success of their first Montgomery County location here.

Three pad sites remain available, along with the inline spaces available in the future strip mall. "We’re excited to continue expanding this dynamic destination in Gaithersburg," said James Matan, Director of Leasing for the Matan Companies, said in a statement this morning. "With strong existing traffic generated by Chick-fil-A and Sheetz, along with excellent accessibility, this site offers an ideal opportunity for retailers."

Update on Sheetz construction at Walnut Hill Shopping Center (Photos)

Construction on the second Sheetz convenience store and mega gas station in the MD 355 corridor is advancing quickly at the Walnut Hill Shopping Center at 733 S. Frederick Avenue. The familiar building design and roofline are now visible. There's an interesting Sheetz Site Safety sign I have included a picture of below. It looks like the store could be open by summer at this point.

J. Crew Factory to open at Rio Lakefront in Gaithersburg

J. Crew Factory is coming soon to Rio Lakefront in Gaithersburg. The outlet arm of the preppy apparel brand has posted signage in the storefront windows at 20-A Grand Corner Avenue. J. Crew Factory will open in "Winter 2026," according to the signage. Very similar to Gap Factory, J. Crew Factory is not a liquidation outlet of past-prime J. Crew clothing, instead carrying a line of clothing designed specifically for Factory stores. 

What's the difference? Mostly in the materials used. They're going to be lower-quality but also much lower priced. The genuine wool sweater or scarf you might buy at J. Crew, for example, could be made of synthetic fabrics at Factory stores. So it's a way to get J. Crew styling for less, but the pieces might not last you as long as The Real Thing. How can you immediately recognize a Factory item on the resale market? J. Crew Factory items will have two tiny diamonds or dots on the brand label.

How tough does Montgomery County make it to open a car wash business? Soviet tough!

Sam's Car Wash could be coming soon to Damascus, if the local chain receives permission from the Montgomery County Planning Board. Yes, in anti-business Montgomery County, businesspeople apparently can't just open a car wash without jumping through Marxist government hoops. These hoops include a list of demands from government that sound like a cross between Soviet central planning and a mafia shakedown.

The car wash is proposed for 26203 Ridge Road (MD 27), currently the site of a bank building. Sam's would demolish most of the bank, but retain part of it for office space. Existing driveways would be consolidated into one two-way curb cut for ingress and egress. 

The proposed facility is a fully-automated express car wash with automatic gates and license plate readers. "A loader will guide the customer onto the conveyor" to enter the wash tunnel, the planning staff report says. Operating hours would be 7:30 AM to 7:30 PM Monday through Saturday, and 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Sundays. 

Planning commissioners will review the conditional use request at their Thursday, March 26, 2026 meeting. Staff are recommending approval of the car wash with a massive list of conditions, including the County restricting the hours of operation to the aforementioned schedule, a stipulation that no more than 4 employees may be on-site at any time, forcing the company to enter a "surety and maintenance agreement" with the Planning Board in order to receive a building permit, and forcing the company to pay the County for the full cost of constructing an 8' bike lane, a 6' street buffer, and a 2' widening of the existing sidewalk. 

And we wonder why the Montgomery County economy is moribund!