Tequila Modern Mexican restaurant opening in Rockville

Earlier this week, the signs came down at the shuttered Chuy's in Rockville. The good news is that a sign has gone up for a new Mexican restaurant in Rockville Town Center. Tequila Modern Mexican is opening soon at 11 N. Washington Street. It is a small but rapidly-expanding chain, beginning in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and opening new locations here, and in North Carolina and Kansas. The chain is small, but the menu is not, with all of the standard dishes you would expect alongside some unique ones. 

Rockville Regal Cinemas to close

Rockville Regal Cinemas will close as part of the bankruptcy restructuring of Regal parent company Cineworld, Variety reports. A closing date has not been announced, but the company said in a bankruptcy filing that it will begin to reject leases for the closing theaters on February 15, 2023. This will be another economic cannonball to the gut for the struggling Rockville Town Center area, where the Rockville Town Square development has many vacant storefronts. 

Parking continues to be an issue, but the theater closure will eliminate a significant amount of foot traffic on evenings and weekends. A study last decade showed that a cineplex can draw 20,000 additional people to an urban center per weekend than an area without a multi-screen theater might attract.

Water main break in Rockville

There is a water main break in the area of 500 N. Washington Street in Rockville. A City of Rockville Public Works crew is now on-site making repairs. The right southbound lane of N. Washington Street is currently closed. 401 and 500 N. Washington Street are currently without water service until the repair is completed.

Police called after assault at grocery store in Rockville

Rockville City police were called to a grocery store in the Rockville Town Center area yesterday morning, after an individual reported being the victim of a 2nd-degree assault there. The assault was reported at a store in the 200 block of N. Washington Street at 10:20 AM Friday, December 16, 2022. A suspect was accused of shoplifting at the store, as well. Dawson's Market is located on that block.

Police called after assault at Rockville restaurant

Rockville City police responded to a report of a 2nd-degree assault at a restaurant in the Town Center area early yesterday afternoon, December 11, 2022. The assault was reported at a restaurant in the 200 block of E. Middle Lane at 1:08 PM Sunday.

Car stolen in Rockville Town Center

Rockville City police are investigating the theft of a vehicle in the Town Center area Friday night, November 18, 2022. The vehicle, which was parked along the street on Helen Heneghan Way, was reported stolen at 11:20 PM.

Car stolen in Town Center area of Rockville

Rockville City police responded to a report of a stolen vehicle in a parking lot in the Town Center area yesterday morning, September 16, 2022. The lot was on E. Middle Lane. Police were called at 8:11 AM Saturday morning to investigate.

Assault at Rockville bar

Rockville City police responded to a report of an assault at a bar this past Saturday night, June 11, 2022. The assault was reported at a bar in the 100 block of Gibbs Street at 9:37 PM. That is at Rockville Town Square.

Rockville Mayor & Council to hold closed session on Rockville Town Center business location proposal

Rockville's Mayor & Council will meet in a closed session to discuss a significant business proposal related to the Rockville Town Center area on Wednesday, April 6, 2022 at 11:00 AM. The stated purpose of the meeting is to "consider a matter that concerns the proposal for a business or industrial organization to locate, expand, or remain in the Town Center area of the City." This would likely be a matter that involves legal advice and/or a financial outlay by the city, such as an incentive payment tied to job creation, or to convince an existing company to stay. 

The city needs a win in the Town Center area, after Choice Hotels announced it planned to move down Rockville Pike to Pike & Rose, despite Rockville going to great lengths to bring the lodging giant to Town Center a little over a decade ago. Alas, closed session means we won't know yet which business entity, and what proposal(s), are being discussed until a later date.

Rockville Town Center apartment tower sold, rebranded as BLVD Ansel

Dulles-based Comstock Holdings has acquired The Ansel apartments at 33 Monroe Street in Rockville Town Center. The real estate firm will rebrand the newly-delivered Duball, LLC-developed property as BLVD Ansel. Comstock already holds the Ansel's sister building at 44 Maryland Avenue, also developed by Duball, which it rebranded as BLVD Forty Four in December.

“BLVD Ansel is the latest addition to Comstock’s mixed-use, transit-oriented portfolio of high-quality, luxury residential assets in one of DC’s fastest growing employment centers,” Comstock CEO Christopher Clemente said in a statement. “The Duball team did a tremendous job developing The Upton and Ansel, making these properties proud additions to our expanding BLVD brand of luxury apartment communities."

“Duball, LLC has a tremendous amount of pride in developing The Upton (now BLVD Forty Four) and Ansel, with over 600 new residents, much needed parking, and retail services for Rockville residents,” said Marc Dubick, President of Duball, LLC. “For over a decade, we have worked closely with the City of Rockville and believe these two mixed-use developments materially changed the face of the city. We know the project will be in great hands with Comstock as Ansel moves from physical completion to fully operational.”

New public parking garage opens in Rockville Town Center

Parking is always a hot topic in Rockville Town Center. Now there is a new option for drivers: the public parking garage at the Ansel apartments at 33 Monroe Street. The just-opened garage is operated by Colonial Parking.

There aren't any businesses to patronize at the Ansel yet, but you can still park there when going to any other nearby destination in the town center. In fact, there may never be any businesses in the Ansel. Despite developer Duball, LLC's success in attracting desirable national brands like World of Beer and Panera Bread to the sister Upton/Cambria Suites building across the street, the company is now seeking permission to convert the ground floor retail spaces in the Ansel to residential apartments.

Duball, LLC seeks to convert ground floor retail into residential units in Rockville Town Center

Planned retail and restaurant spaces
boarded up at the Ansel apartments in Rockville

The developer of the Ansel apartments at 33 Monroe Street in Rockville is finding weak demand for retail space in the ground floor of the newest residential building in Rockville Town Center. Duball, LLC is asking the city's Planning Commission for permission to convert up to 20,153 square feet of ground floor retail space to residential loft apartments, which would have direct access doors to the sidewalk. 

Retail spaces currently on the market
for lease at the Ansel; the developer says
demand for them is weak at this time

Retail and restaurant uses on ground floors are considered beneficial in activating the streetscape in urban areas, and in making pedestrians feel more secure about walking in an area at night. Duball is making a counter-argument in its application, suggesting that having occupants living on the ground floor will activate the streetscape more than having empty, walled-up storefronts. It cites the pandemic retail market as a major obstacle to leasing these already-approved retail and restaurant units, and promises that the loft apartments can be converted back to retail use if demand rises in the future.

A virtual meeting on the matter will be held this Thursday night, December 9, 2021 at 6:00 PM. Access the Zoom meeting online by entering Meeting ID: 929 7347 6840 and Passcode: 894571. You can also join the meeting by phone at +1 301 715 8592 US.

Public art installed at Ansel apartments in Rockville Town Center (Photos)

Public art has now been installed at the new Ansel apartments at 33 Monroe Street in Rockville Town Center. Suspense remains in the air, however, as the art is about 95% under protective cover. The cover is also wrapped in police tape. Only the top parts are sticking out, but details such as a house are visible.

Rockville construction update: The Ansel apartments (Photos)

Here's a super-sized update on The Ansel, the new apartment building in Rockville Town Center across from Regal Row. At this later stage in construction, you can really see how the architecture is complimentary to its sister Duball, LLC project across Helen Heneghan Way. 

The official address of The Ansel is 33 Monroe Street, and the building is managed by Bozzuto. Construction remained on-schedule for the fall opening despite the pandemic, and leasing information can be found on the property's website. The following photos are in chronological order, from August 30, 2021 through today: