Sheetz construction begins at Walnut Hill Shopping Center in Gaithersburg

 

Construction of the second Sheetz location in Gaithersburg is getting underway at the Walnut Hill Shopping Center at 733 S. Frederick Avenue. The area of the parking lot where the convenience store and mega gas station will be built has been fenced off. Heavy equipment is beginning to tear up the asphalt. Sheetz previously announced that its first Gaithersburg store at 751 Progress Way was doing excellent business, so it's not surprising that the company is moving expeditiously to get a second store up and running.

Kareem's Lebanese Kitchen opening in Gaithersburg

Here's a positive "Florida Man" news report: Chef Rachid Eido is expanding his Kareem's Lebanese Kitchen franchise to Maryland. It will be at the Rio Lakefront development in Gaithersburg, at 212 Boardwalk Place. That's next to IT'SUGAR. Eido is actually a native of Beirut, where he learned the art of authentic Lebanese cooking, with the flavors, aromatic spices, and warm hospitality it is known for.

Italian aerospace firm chooses Virginia for rocket motor manufacturing facility

Were Maryland and Montgomery County even courting global aerospace firm Avio S.p.A in its search for a site to build a $500 million solid rocket motor manufacturing facility? We may never know. But we do know that the Italian firm has selected Virginia as the winner for the high-tech factory. The 860,000-square-foot advanced manufacturing facility will produce solid rocket motors for defense tactical and strategic propulsion, as well as commercial space propulsion sectors. 

“I want to thank Avio USA for choosing Virginia,” Governor Glenn Youngkin said in a statement. “Today’s announcement marks another exciting milestone for our aerospace and defense industry. Avio USA’s decision to build a new rocket motor manufacturing facility here is both an important investment in America’s national security infrastructure and underscores Avio USA’s confidence in Virginia.”

“Avio looks forward to establishing on U.S. soil a solid rocket motor production facility to contribute in strengthening the U.S. industrial base by providing decades of experience in engineering and manufacturing,” Avio S.p.A. CEO Giulio Ranzo said. “In particular, we are thankful for the Commonwealth and local governments’ warm welcome for our project and count on their future support for effective execution.” 

Does Maryland and its counties extend a warm welcome to aerospace firms? Not in this century. The County Council tried to run the last remaining big aerospace firm - Lockheed Martin - out of the county not once, but twice, with radical legislation that made us look like idiots after the bills received national news coverage. "We don't need the Lockheed headquarters," former Councilmember Nancy Floreen declared in the summer of 2010. 

It's no surprise that the County has failed to attract a single major new corporate headquarters in over 25 years. Or that, thanks to the highest personal and corporate tax and fee burden in the Mid-Atlantic region, Montgomery County and Maryland have effectively been in a recession for much of this century. MoCo's crime rate has risen faster and higher than its business and job growth rates as a result. Once the economic engine of the region, Montgomery County is now at or near the bottom across every major economic benchmark tracked by the federal government. Heckuva job, Brownie!

January 1 plastic bag ban looms over Montgomery County

 

The Montgomery County Council is known for doing little beyond raising taxes and the cost of doing business, and banning stuff. Councilmembers were able to do all three in their highest-profile ban of the 2025 legislative session, that of plastic bags. The ban takes effect on January 1, 2026, and impacted businesses across the county are now trying to prepare their customers to buy paper bags (remember how paper bags were causing deforestation, so we were told to use plastic?!) or reusable bags, or - ew! - reuse dirty reusable bags teeming with e coli, salmonella, and God knows what else. Ironically, Safeway, whose customer alert signage is pictured here, got its start as the Sanitary Grocery Company.

MCPS leases final space at former Leidos site in Gaithersburg

 

Matan Companies has announced that its 44-acre life science and industrial campus fronting I-270 in Gaithersburg, which consists of two 198,000-square-foot Class A buildings at 700 and 750 Progress Way, is now 100% leased. The final piece was the recent execution of a 161,500 SF lease with Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), which has leased 161,500 square feet at 700 Progress Way. MCPS joins existing tenants AstraZeneca (198,000 SF full-building lease at 700 Progress Way, signed December 2023) and Daikin Comfort Technologies Distribution, Inc. (36,145 SF at 750 Progress Way, signed May 2024). Matan's announcement did not specify what MCPS plans to use the space for, or the annual cost of the lease to Montgomery County taxpayers.

“We are extremely proud to have delivered and fully leased this state-of-the-art campus,” Matan Companies Director of Leasing James Matan said in a statement. “The diversity of best-in-class occupants—AstraZeneca in life sciences, Daikin in advanced HVAC distribution, and now Montgomery County Public Schools—demonstrates the incredible flexibility and strategic location of these assets along the I-270 corridor.”

Two Story Chimney Ciderworks to close in Gaithersburg

Two Story Chimney Ciderworks at 7115 Damascus Road in Gaithersburg will permanently close before Christmas, the distillery announced on social media. "We have been so blessed to be a part of this community and so many people’s lives," the post said. "The friendships and bonds will always be cherished. It is time we trade the early morning markets and late night tasting rooms in for time with our family. Our last day will be December 21. Stop in before the end of the year and share some stories and memories."

Sixty Vines seeks permission to add retractable screens to pergola at Downtown Crown

 

Sixty Vines, the new restaurant at 212 Ellington Boulevard at Downtown Crown in Gaithersburg, is seeking permission from the City of Gaithersburg to add retractable screens to its outdoor dining pergola structure. The retractable vinyl curtains will utilize the MagnaTrack Vinyl Screen System. Those screens will be black in color, and will not count as increasing the building footprint under City regulations. Sixty Vines' application will be reviewed by the Gaithersburg Planning Commission at its meeting tonight, December 3, 2025 at 7:30 PM. City planning staff are recommending approval of the application.

Lakeforest Transit Center to be relocated and redeveloped at former Gaithersburg mall property

 

There's a new development in the redevelopment of the Lakeforest Mall site in Gaithersburg. A ceremony was held yesterday to kick off the first phase of a newly-announced partnership to relocate and redevelop the Lakeforest Transit Center. Transit is key to transforming the former community hub into a vibrant, mixed-use development, especially with no new highways or rail service planned for the massive housing and commercial growth that will occur.

Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich, Maryland State Delegate Julie Palakovich Carr, and County Councilmembers, including Marilyn Balcombe, Sidney Katz, Dawn Luedtke, and Laurie-Anne Sayles, joined Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) Director Chris Conklin, WRS Inc. Real Estate Investments Principal Kevin Rogers, and other community leaders to celebrate the milestone.

The redevelopment is a joint effort between Montgomery County and WRS Inc. Real Estate Investments. WRS is set to redevelop the nearly 100-acre site into a dynamic mixed-use community featuring residential housing, entertainment, shopping, and public gathering spaces.

“Lakeforest Mall was a place where people came together for decades, and this redevelopment gives us a chance to reimagine this site,” Elrich said Monday. “Transportation, housing, and economic development are connected, and this project reflects that.”

The now-closed Lakeforest Mall holds a special place in the community, having served as the County's largest mall for a time and a well-known gathering spot for 45 years since its opening in 1978. Greed on the part of the mall's final owner, and chronic failure by County leaders to address violent crime and gang activity at the mall resulted in the disgraceful demolition of the once-luxurious shopping mecca now underway at the site.

The first phase of the agreement focuses on site preparation for the new transit center. WRS will prepare nearly two acres of land, which includes filling in a drainage pond and grading the site to make it build-ready. This initial phase is expected to take about one year.

Following the completion of site preparation, MCDOT will purchase the land from WRS and commence construction on the new transit center itself.

The new transit center will continue to serve the eight existing Ride On bus routes currently using the Lakeforest Transit Center. Crucially, it is also being designed with scalability to accommodate the future MD 355 Flash Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor. "The new transit center will support the nearly 2,000 riders per day who rely on the current Lakeforest Transit Center, as well as create capacity to accommodate the planned Flash Bus Rapid Transit corridor along MD 355 and any future developments," Conklin said.

Walnut Hill Shopping Center to add drive-thru Chipotle

Next year, you could be picking up a Chipotle burrito without even getting out of your car in Gaithersburg. The Walnut Hill Shopping Center at 16529 S. Frederick Avenue will be adding a Chipotle restaurant on the North Westland Drive side of the property. A bank building will be demolished to clear the way for the restaurant, which will have a drive-thru. The drive-thru will be only for online pickup orders, and is called a Chipotlane. There is at least one other Chipotlane in Montgomery County, at the Briggs Chaney Chipotle at 13801 Outlet Drive.

Andy's Pizza opens in Gaithersburg

Andy's Pizza has opened at 145 Commerce Square Place at Kentlands Market Square in Gaithersburg. Andy's serves New York-style pizza in whole pies, or by the slice, and is quite an upgrade from previous tenant MOD Pizza. It is a double win to be able to order by the slice, with such high-quality pizzas. Next up for Andy's: a Montgomery Mall location in Bethesda.

Damascus bank branch to be auctioned off

A former Truist bank branch in the center of Damascus is about to be auctioned off. The building and associated structures are located at 9916 Main Street. This is a prime location for business, or for potential redevelopment as residential or mixed-use, with such redevelopment eagerly sought by the Montgomery County cartel, who have been working overtime to urbanize rural Damascus. They also want to jam as many Democrats as possible into the Republican town, before the U.S. Supreme Court declares their gerrymandered legislative and council district maps illegal. The opening bid is a ridiculously low $175,000, according to the online listing.

ICE arrests 2 on its "Worst of the Worst" list in Rockville

Nilo Herrera-Sanchez

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has located and arrested two men it says are on its "Worst of the Worst" list in Rockville. Agents from the ICE Baltimore, Maryland office arrested Nilo Herrera-Sanchez on November 7, 2025. ICE states that he is a Peruvian in the country illegally, and has been convicted of 2nd-degree rape and another 2nd-degree sex offense in Rockville. He is currently in custody at the Jena/La Salle ICE detention facility in Louisiana.

Jose Rivera-Medrano

Agents with the Baltimore office also arrested Jose Rivera-Medrano of El Salvador on November 6. According to ICE, he has been convicted of sexually abusing a child in Rockville. The ICE detainee locator returns no results for his current location.

Update on Andy's Pizza in Gaithersburg (Photos)

Signage has been installed at Andy's Pizza, opening soon at 145 Commerce Square Place at Kentlands Market Square in Gaithersburg. More art has been added to the interior walls of the pizzeria. Furniture has been set up on the outdoor patio. Andy's Pizza will be opening here, and at a second Bethesda location in Westfield Montgomery Mall.

Tatte Bakery & Cafe, Mattress Warehouse construction begins in Gaithersburg

Wow, what a juxtaposition! Construction has begun on the former Buca di Beppo building at Kentlands Market Square in Gaithersburg. According to the property leasing map, the building is being subdivided into two spaces. One half will hold the upscale New York-based Tatte Bakery & Cafe. The other half will go to Mattress Warehouse. The signing of Tatte Bakery & Cafe was first reported by The MoCo Show.

Criminals strike twice at Maserati dealership in Montgomery County

 

Montgomery County police are investigating two incidents at Criswell Maserati at 19570-A Amaranth Drive in Germantown. At 5:00 AM on October 28, 2025, two male suspects trespassed on the dealership property, and attempted to steal two cars. They were unsuccessful and fled.

Four days later, police responded to a burglary call at the dealership in the early morning hours of November 1. Officers arriving at the scene found evidence of forced entry to a building on the premises. They determined property had been taken from the dealership.

Police describe the suspects in the second incident as "two Black males or two Hispanic males" of unknown age. If you have any information that could assist detectives in closing either of these cases, call police at (301) 279-8000.

Guapo's to open new Gaithersburg restaurant

Guapo's is opening a new restaurant in Gaithersburg. It will be a Guapo's Rotisserie Chicken & Tex Mex Grill concept, of which the local company operates three in Northern Virginia. This would be the first on our side of the Potomac. Guapo's has full-service Mexican restaurants in Bethesda, and at Rio Lakefront in Gaithersburg.

Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken is the specialty at the Guapo's Rotisserie Chicken locations. The new restaurant will be located at 12211 Darnestown Road, at the Quince Orchard Marketplace shopping center. That was formerly home to California Tortilla.

Song Dog Farm Distillery opens in Montgomery County (Photos)

Song Dog Farm Distillery has opened at 18100 Bucklodge Road in Boyds, Maryland. The distillery is located on a farm property in the Montgomery County Agricultural Reserve, and includes a tasting room, a "front porch" outdoor patio, and expansive lawns. Song Dog Spirits was founded in 2015 by the husband and wife team of Megan Draheim and David Harris, who purchased the farm in 2021, and constructed the facilities over the past four years. 

There is a tasting room menu, and food is also available from food trucks on-site, or you can bring your own. Kids and "well-behaved" dogs are also welcomed on the premises. Song Dog produces bourbon, rye whiskey, vodka, gin, and seasonal liqueurs, and all of their products reflect the agricultural produce and flavors of Maryland. Operating hours are 3:00 PM to 9:00 PM Wednesday through Friday, 12:00 PM to 9:00 PM on Saturdays and Sundays, and closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. For a preview of their product line, and information on planning a private event at the farm, visit their website.

Heven AeroTech chooses Virginia over Maryland for new corporate HQ

Montgomery County and Maryland have failed yet again to win another corporate headquarters competition. The winner in the contest is a familiar one: Northern Virginia. Heven AeroTech is moving its U.S. headquarters from Miami to Sterling, Virginia. The firm specializes in the design, manufacture, and deployment hydrogen-powered, runway-independent drones around the world. Needless to say, this is a booming field, as drones are the future of warfare, and are also being utilized in a growing number of non-military sectors of the economy.

A quick look at the map shows once again the critical importance of having direct access to Dulles International Airport for economic development. Heven AeroTech's new HQ address, 45240 Business Court, is 4 minutes from the airport. It's also right adjacent to VA 28, in which the state has invested greatly to bring it up to interstate highway standards, by constructing numerous interchanges. That's the same VA 28 that Montgomery County and Maryland could have made a direct highway connection to via a new Potomac River crossing many years ago, but have defiantly chosen not to.

The results continue to speak for themselves. We are falling further and further behind in the game, at an accelerating pace. According to Business Facilities magazine, in Fairfax County alone, 75 of that county's 125 aerospace firms have moved or expanded there in just the last three years. Montgomery County hasn't attracted a single major new corporate headquarters - of any type - in over 25 years. 

Our "leaders" have made the deliberate decision to not give ourselves the Dulles advantage, and to continue to follow a tax-and-spend blueprint that is not only not competitive with rival jurisdictions, but now represents the greatest tax and fee burden in the entire region. Heckuva job, Brownie!

Leech Woods Haunted Trail opens Friday in Damascus

Halloween season is officially underway, and that means it's time to track down local haunted attractions. One of the highest-rated is right here in Montgomery County in one of our greatest towns, Damascus: Leech Woods Haunted Trail at 11201 Bethesda Church Road, and it opens this Friday, October 3, 2025. The trail and hayride have gotten high marks for creativity, originality, scare factor, and the pace of entry to ensure that you get your own experience on the trail, rather than crashing into the adventurers ahead of you. Past survivors also praise the high quality of the food and drinks that are for sale in the village from which you will depart - you've got to fortify yourself for the terrors ahead.

Make sure to read the FAQ on the website for important information regarding accessibility, clothing and shoe requirements, and parking and weather advisories. You can also buy tickets on there, of course. Also, if you are a traditional hayride fanatic, be forewarned that the separate Haunted Hayride attraction is not simply a standard hayride. You will explore the haunted Leech cemetery on foot, in between your rides out and back from that burial plot. There are fire pits in the village over which you can keep warm, and/or heat up s'mores from kits you can buy. In past years, there have been fortune tellers, merch to immortalize your survival, carnival games, axe throwing, and more in that spooky yet quaint village area. And there are plenty of "characters" to keep you diverted while you wait to enter the trail.

The founders of this attraction have wisely grounded the haunts in a chilling story inspired by the original inhabitants of the property, the Leech family, who met a grisly demise at the hands of truly demented people...or something else...during the brutal Maryland winter of 1804. Suffice it to say, there's enough negative energy on-site to overload your ghost radar and EMF meter. No wonder so many who have survived their trek on the Leech Woods Haunted Trail have reported getting quite a scare in their 5-star Yelp, and 4.7-star Google reviews.

Hunger increases in Montgomery County

An unhoused person sleeps in the 
doorway of the vacant former
Sir Walter Raleigh Inn in Bethesda

Poverty, homelessness, and hunger continue to increase in Montgomery County. A new report released by the Capital Area Food Bank indicates that food insecurity in Montgomery County has increased by 1% in the last year. In contrast, hunger levels dropped in Prince George's County, the City of Alexandria, Arlington County, and Fairfax County. Food insecurity in Washington, D.C. increased by 2%.

The report was based on a survey of Washington Metropolitan Area residents conducted this spring. Most of Montgomery County's population growth in recent years has been in the low-income range. Meanwhile, the County has failed to generate high-wage jobs, and has not attracted a single new major corporate headquarters in over 25 years. The moribund economy and inflated food prices have been a devastating combination for many. Those who once turned to dollar menus at fast food restaurants to get by can no longer do so, as inflation and imposition of high minimum wages in that industry have had the desired effect of those policies' architects, to force low-income and working class residents to turn to government and non-profits for sustenance.