Showing posts with label construction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label construction. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 28, 2024

Aldi construction begins at Walnut Hill Shopping Center in Gaithersburg


Excitement is in the air at the venerable Walnut Hill Shopping Center at 16529 S. Frederick Avenue in Gaithersburg. Contractor HBW Construction of Rockville has begun work converting the former Weis Markets space for new anchor tenant Aldi. Renovations to update the shopping center's appearance are also underway at the property, as you can see below. 


Continue to patronize your favorite businesses at the center, as despite the tarps and scaffolding, all tenants remain open during the renovations. A second Gaithersburg location of Sheetz will add to the buzz at the shopping center in the future. The City of Gaithersburg recently approved the annexation of Walnut Hill into the city, in large part to secure the agreement with Sheetz. That Sheetz deal became a critical linchpin in Walnut Hill's plan to revitalize the property. Walnut Hill's ownership said the revenue from the Sheetz would finance the renovations to the center, property upgrades that Aldi had required as a condition of its lease. Sheetz opened its first Gaithersburg store last year, and shortly thereafter declared it was "highly-impressed with the performance" of the location.








Tuesday, February 27, 2024

Menu screens activated inside Wawa opening soon in Gaithersburg


The opening of the first Wawa in Montgomery County is that much closer today, with the activation of the animated flatscreen menu boards inside the convenience store at 405 S. Frederick Avenue in Gaithersburg. Through the windows, the screens could be seen cycling through menu items and promotional messages. 


Outside the building, fresh asphalt has been laid down on part of the parking lot area, and striping has been painted for parking spaces and crosswalks. Gas pumps have been in place since last November, and remain taped off for now. Wawa continues to show no dates for this, or any other new Wawa store, on the "Store Grand Openings" page on its website as of this writing.









Monday, January 22, 2024

Twinbrook Quarter developer seeks ROW agreement with Rockville for Wegmans, wayfaring signage


B.F. Saul, the developer of the future Wegmans-anchored Twinbrook Quarter development, is seeking an agreement and air-rights easement for wayfinding signage at the mixed-use property from the City of Rockville. The signage, which would present the name of the development and its retail tenants, would be placed within the public right-of-way along Rockville Pike, Halpine Road and Chapman Avenue. Other signs would be attached to the buildings above ground level, hence requiring an air rights easement to protrude into the public space above the sidewalk. 

Proposed Rockville Pike signage locations

The space in question belongs to the City of Rockville, but could later be ceded to the Maryland State Highway Administration if a FLASH bus rapid transit station is constructed at Twinbrook Quarter. Route 355 itself is currently a MDSHA right-of-way. The land directly adjacent to it on the east side of the Pike presumably was turned over to the City of Rockville when a city-controlled parallel service road was proposed. Only a portion of the service road has been constructed so far.

Halpine Road sign locations

The 99-year agreement proposed would be revocable at any time on 30-days' notice by the City. Twinbrook Quarter would assume all maintenance, insurance and liability requirements for the portions of the right-of-way and air rights in question. The Mayor and Council will review and discuss the proposed agreement and easement at their meeting tonight, January 22, 2024 at 7:00 PM. City staff recommends that the Mayor and Council approve and authorize the Acting City Manager to execute a Revocable License and Maintenance Agreement and an Air Rights Easement for Private Amenities in the public right-of-way with Twinbrook Quarter, LLC.

Chapman Avenue sign locations


Friday, January 5, 2024

Update on Montgomery County's first Taco Bell Cantina (Photos)


Montgomery County's first Taco Bell Cantina is getting closer to opening at 8662 Colesville Road in downtown Silver Spring. The latest additions to the interior are the electronic menu boards, soft drink fountain dispensers (Baja Blast!), and self-ordering kiosks. Booth seating has also been installed. I'm intrigued as to why the Grilled Cheese Dipping Taco Deluxe Box is showing on the menu board - it's not currently a featured item at Taco Bell, and not rumored to return to the menu soon, that I am aware of.








Friday, December 15, 2023

New Chase Bank branch lights up in Rockville (Photos)


Signage has been installed and is now lit at the future Chase Bank branch at 460 Hungerford Drive, in the Rockville Town Center area. Inside, comfortable furniture can be seen through the large glass facade. Outside, a drive-thru ATM is nearing completion. Utilities are being hooked up to the new building, which replaces a shuttered Chinese supermarket, whose historic building was razed to make way for the bank.








Wednesday, November 29, 2023

Wawa Gaithersburg signage, gas pumps installed ahead of December opening (Photos)


There are real "signs" of progress at the construction site of Montgomery County's first Wawa at 405 S. Frederick Avenue in Gaithersburg. The most visible to drivers passing on MD 355 is the roadside sign with the Wawa logo, and digital displays for gas prices. But the main logo sign is also now on the storefront of the convenience store, as well. Wawa-branded gas pumps have been installed, and safety bollards in line with the pumps. Above them is the Wawa logo signage for the gas station canopy. 


When will the Gaithersburg Wawa open? The chain's current target opening date is December 2023. There's still a not-insigniicant amount of paving and landscaping work to be done on the site. Let's see if they can get it done before the ball drops on New Year's Eve.




Friday, November 17, 2023

Choice Hotels logo signage installed at future headquarters in Rockville


The glowing logo of hospitality giant Choice Hotels is now shining from atop the new office tower nearing completion at Pike & Rose, at 915 Meeting Street along Rockville Pike. Choice will be relocating its corporate headquarters down the Pike from its current location by the Rockville Metro station. 


915 Meeting Street is on-schedule for a Q4 2023 delivery at the Federal Realty development. Another Montgomery County corporate headquarters in Gaithersburg, Sodexho, has also been lured to the new 266,000-square-foot trophy office tower. Choice represents many brands familiar to travelers, from Quality Inn and Radisson to Cambria Suites and EconoLodge.

Tuesday, October 17, 2023

Ice rink construction begins at Rockville Town Square (Photos)


One of the annual harbingers of the holiday season is the commencement of construction on the seasonal ice rink at Rockville Town Square. That work is now underway in the town square. To give you an idea of when opening day might be for skating this year, last year the rink opened on November 4. Lessons are offered, and reservations will be available.





Friday, October 6, 2023

Moby Dick signage installed on Rockville Pike (Photos)


The sign is up at Moby Dick House of Kabob at 11431-A Rockville Pike in White Flint. Interior fit-out of the restaurant continues inside the former Verizon store space, as you can see by the work trucks and vans parked out front. The sign looks pretty sharp, especially if it will light up at night. Serving authentic Persian cuisine, the popular local chain that started in Bethesda in 1989 has 26 locations across the Washington, D.C. area, including an existing Rockville location in the Fallsgrove Village Center.



Tuesday, October 3, 2023

Former chef at D.C.'s Obelisk opening La Speranza in Rockville


The sign is up at La Speranza at 806 Baltimore Road in the Burgundy Park Shopping Center in Rockville. Neptali Mendoza will be the executive chef of the Italian/Tex-Mex restaurant, his first venture after a long career in Washington, D.C.-area restaurants. He started cooking professionally under the chef Peter Pastan at the Michelin Guide-listed Italian restaurant Obelisk at 2029 P Street, N.W. in 2006. Mendoza then moved onto RedRocks Pizzeria in Alexandria, and Baronessa Italian Restaurant here in Rockville, which closed last year. He is a graduate of the culinary arts program at the Carlos Rosario International School.

La Speranza will serve Neapolitan-style pizzas cooked in a wood-fired brick oven, classic Italian entrees and pasta dishes. A smaller set of Tex-Mex and Latin American favorites on the menu will include fajitas, carne asada, BBQ pork ribs, ceviche mixto, nachos, and gambos al aljillo. Steaks and seafood will round out a menu that should appeal to a wide audience in a convenient neighborhood location. Mendoza hopes to open La Speranza before the end of the month; stay tuned for an opening date.

Monday, September 18, 2023

Rockville Wegmans construction update (Photos)


Work continues to advance at the construction site of the future Rockville Wegmans grocery store at the Twinbrook Quarter development at the corner of Halpine Road and Rockville Pike. While the exterior continues to look closer to the finish line, nothing has been constructed on the grocery store's interior yet. Developer B.F. Saul says it will turn the shell of the grocery store space over to Wegmans' interior fit-out contractor in the early spring of 2024. As I reported previously, the supermarket will open in 2025.


Regrading of the road surface of Halpine at Chapman Avenue is now underway, and is expected to continue for a few weeks. Stacks of Belden pre-blended bricks can be seen at the site. The brick facade of the building is now about 85% complete, according to B. F. Saul. Storefront spaces should be enclosed by the end of 2022. Contractors have begun tarring the roof.


While no work has been done on the Wegmans interior, the same cannot be said for the apartment building interior. Drywall is now being installed in the residential units on the second floor. Installers will progress upward to higher floors as the fall season goes on.