Rockville construction update: Metropolitan at Rockville Town Center (Photos)

Construction crews have been working on a terrace above Beall Avenue at the future Metropolitan at Rockville Town Center. Scheduled to deliver in the 4th Quarter of 2017, the Metropolitan will house 275 apartments, and 6033 SF of retail space. The retail space is below the terrace at street level in the above photo, and is being marketed by real estate firm Streetsense.

Richard Montgomery HS security leader arrested for having sex with student...again

Montgomery County Public Schools superintendent Jack Smith's apparent giddiness over the shocking decision to drop charges against the two students accused in the alleged Rockville High School gang rape was short-lived, to say the least. Remember the Richard Montgomery High School "security team leader" MCPS didn't run a background check on before hiring him - and who was then arrested for allegedly having sex with a 17-year-old female RMHS student? After being bailed out of jail quickly, Montgomery County police say he did it again.

Mark Christopher Yantsos was arrested Friday after a County judge revoked his bond. Police allege Yantsos defied orders to stay away from the student. Instead, they allege, he met with her several times since he was charged, and had sex with her once again.

Yantsos made headlines after it was revealed MCPS had hired him without doing a background check, which was proven by the fact that his previous run-in with the law - brandishing a revolver toward a woman he was trying to pick up at a topless bar - is easily called up in a simple Google search. Yet he was hired by MCPS to run security at Richard Montgomery. You can't make this stuff up, folks.

Rockville rape suspect freed after prosecutors drop rape charge

Henry Sanchez

Rockville High School gang rape suspect Jose Montano has been released by a Montgomery County judge, after prosecutors dropped rape charges against him in the alleged March 16 attack in a school bathroom. According to Fox 5, prosecutors are now going to pursue child pornography charges against Montano in juvenile court (he had been charged as an adult in the rape case).

Earlier this morning, the Washington Post reported that rape charges against the second suspect, Henry Sanchez, would also be dropped. The Post reported that he, too, would face child pornography charges, for having images of the alleged rape victim that were forwarded to him by Montano.

What we are not hearing, are the specifics regarding why prosecutors dropped the charges. Whatever evidence they are working with has obviously not been made public. Dropping the charges means the public is essentially being told a violent sexual encounter between a 14-year-old girl and two men in a school bathroom was a consensual and legal act. That is hard to believe, as Sanchez's defense attorney acknowledged to the Post. The public has a right to know what is going on here, in regard to the justification for dropping charges.

Equally important: If Montano is indeed being released, will he be arrested by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE)? ICE has declined to comment publicly on Montano, citing his age. But both Montano and Sanchez were detained by the Border Patrol after illegally entering the U.S. last year, and set free to family members under the Obama administration's "Catch and Release" policy. ICE did place a detainer on Sanchez. Will the County alert ICE to Montano's release, and Sanchez's release, should it occur?

Stay tuned.

Rockville rape suspect in court today; defense claims rape charge will be dropped

Rockville High School gang rape suspect Henry Sanchez is scheduled to be in court today to face charges in the alleged March 16 attack in a school bathroom. Sanchez's attorney, Andrew Jezic, has told the Washington Post that prosecutors told him they are dropping the rape case against Sanchez. Prosecutors have not publicly confirmed that report as of press time.

Should the charge be dropped, it would raise serious questions about the prosecution of this case. As defense attorneys engaged in victim shaming, prosecutors seemed to suggest that Sanchez's alleged role in the attack was the more egregious. Even if a consensual encounter in a school bathroom had been planned between the victim and alleged rapist Jose Montano (and no evidence has been made public to support that contention), that did not mean the victim had agreed Sanchez could participate, prosecutors argued.

If their case against Sanchez falls apart today, then, where does that leave the victim and the case against Montano? As for Sanchez, the Post reports prosecutors will pursue a child pornography case against him, for possessing photos of the victim that were forwarded to him by Montano.

Regardless of the outcome of the case, Sanchez faces immediate deportation by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE), unless Montgomery County politicians help him escape by not honoring the ICE detainer. Both Sanchez and Montano are in the country illegally.

Pie 360 closes in Rockville

Well, that was quick. Pie 360 has closed at The Galvan by Twinbrook. The pizzeria only opened last December at the JBG development. Customers are still coming by, and are shocked to find the place cleared out. They had a good four-star rating on Yelp, so it's not clear what happened.

Change is permanent in Rockville's town center [Sponsored]

[Sponsored content]

by Robert Dyer

The only constant in Rockville's town center for the last 60 years has been change. Newcomers may find it hard to believe, but Rockville once had a charming, historic town center like those still found in Frederick and Hagerstown. But in the 1960s, city leaders decided to demolish it, and pursue "urban renewal."

Redevelopment brought with it brutalist office buildings, the Americana Centre, and the modern Rockville Mall, anchored by a Lansburgh's department store. Only a year later, Lansburgh's was gone, an ominous sign of what was to come. Urban renewal had more businesses checking the Yellow Pages for movers in Rockville, MD, than adding up profits. What was seen as the jewel in the crown of Rockville's urban renewal was ultimately considered an albatross around the city's neck - particularly by developers eager to replace it.

The arrival of the Metro subway in the early 1980s, and the much-later construction of "Regal Row" along E. Montgomery Avenue, failed to change perceptions. Over the next two decades, city leaders sought to start over again.

A new plan sought to recapture some of what had been lost in the misguided downtown demolition mania. Centered around a Federal Realty mixed-use project called Rockville Town Square, the new design would be one to emphasize public space. At its 2007 opening, that was primarily embodied in the namesake town square. Well-programmed with events, there's always something going on in the town square, providing an energy not found in wealthier downtown Bethesda.

Cambria Suites guest room

But the change didn't end there. Choice Hotels moved its headquarters to the town center from Silver Spring. Duball, LLC brought another high-quality development in 2015, with the Upton apartments and Cambria Suites hotel. Phase 2 of the town center's redevelopment is bringing Kettler's The Metropolitan at Rockville Town Center, the Brightview West End senior apartments, and the already-completed 475 N. Washington Street retail-office development by The JBG Companies.

The Metropolitan at
Rockville Town Center under
construction in January

The JBG project came to represent a larger demographic change in the town center. Almost all of the businesses in the new building are Asian-owned. As gentrification pushed residents and businesspeople in Chinatown out of the District, many found a new home in Rockville. The city has become a dining destination for Asian flavors, and the arrival of acclaimed chef Peter Chang in 2015 made official what those in-the-know already knew.

There are big changes still to come. The city is now studying a plan that would place MD 355 underground through the town center, opening up the land above for redevelopment, and the creation of a large park. That park could allow the annual Hometown Holidays event to again include large concerts, which were the main draw for the late-May celebration.

Whether you're opening a business, relocating your office, or moving into a new apartment in the town center, Artisan Movers can provide the professional planning and execution of your move. Seniors downsizing into the Brightview assisted-living apartments will appreciate Artisan's secure and climate-controlled self-storage facilities, enabling them to downsize their lifetime of "stuff" at their own pace.

Artisan Movers is a Rockville company, not an impersonal nationwide chain. They have a perfect 5-star rating on Yelp, where one customer raves: "I give Artisan Movers a huge round of applause. I would use them again, and recommend Artisan Movers!" Once you consider your individual situation, you may just conclude that Artisan Movers is the right move for you.

This content is sponsored by Artisan Movers.

New apartment building proposed for Rockville Town Center

A developer is proposing a new, 240-unit apartment building with 8000 SF of retail space for Rockville Town Center. The building, which will offer garage parking, will be located at 220 E. Middle Lane.

A public meeting has been scheduled to unveil early details on the project, for which no application has yet been submitted to the City of Rockville. The meeting will be held next Thursday, May 11, at 7:00 PM in the Buchanan Room of VisArts at Rockville Town Square, which is located at 155 Gibbs Street.

Stonestreet corridor study to launch tonight in Rockville

The City of Rockville will launch a study of the Stonestreet corridor in East Rockville tonight, May 2, 2017, at 7:00 PM, at the Lincoln Park Community Center, located at 357 Frederick Avenue in Rockville. An area of about 150 acres will be studied between Westmore Road, and the dead-end of South Stonestreet Avenue.

There are several controversial properties within the study area. One is the Board of Education site, widely considered an eyesore, and which Mayor Bridget Donnell Newton has made a priority for redevelopment. Recently, yet another development proposal for the former WINX-AM radio site failed to garner support from city officials. WMATA owns land around its station toward the south end of the study area. And Montgomery County recently made a rash decision to secretly buy property on Westmore Avenue, only to have instant buyer's remorse when their MCPS bus depot scheme was blasted by residents.

The study will examine sites ready for redevelopment in the short and long-term, land-use compatibility, and improving relationships between residential properties and commercial-industrial uses.

Sign installed at Honeyfish Poke in Rockville (Photos)

The sign is up at Honeyfish Poke at Congressional Plaza on Rockville Pike. A fast-casual restaurant considered to be the Chipotle of raw fish, this will be their first location outside of Southern California.

Montgomery County microlending could put taxpayer money in County Councilmembers' accounts

Last week, the Montgomery County Council got into the banking business. Despite there being a bank on almost every corner, and of every size, the Council thought it was time start their own bank - using your money, of course. $572,000 of your money in FY-2018 alone, to be exact. The result is the newest patronage scheme by our corrupt County Council, with real potential to put taxpayer dollars into the campaign accounts of councilmembers.

Here's how the scheme works. Small businesses based in Montgomery County can apply for microloans of $500-$15,000 from the Council's new "bank." The individuals who decide who gets the money are all either appointed directly by the Council, or are closely within their political orbit. So corrupt councilmembers could absolutely influence who gets the loans.

Once the businessperson obtains the loan, there is nothing to stop him or her from donating some of that money to the councilmembers' campaign accounts. This has happened in the past with another Council patronage scheme - the funding of non-profits. Councilmembers vote on which non-profits get money. They decide the exact dollar amounts given to the non-profits. Officers of those non-profits, who often earn salaries from their non-profit, have then made campaign contributions to the councilmembers who fought to obtain the funding for them. In some cases, they've made the maximum contribution allowed by law.

Both schemes may now become even more essential in the new age of public financing. We now know what I predicted in 2014 was correct - the specific public financing program passed by the Council was designed primarily to help Council incumbents, not challengers. Longtime councilmembers have vast numbers of patrons from which to extract the many, many small donations needed to unlock the taxpayer-funded public matching funds.

With the new bank "microloans," and the same non-profit scheme, an even larger portfolio of political patrons can now be developed. Meanwhile, challengers have no such Rolodex to draw upon. True public financing would give every candidate a reasonable amount of funds from which to get their message out. Montgomery County's does not. So many incumbents have signed up for the public financing option, there's a real possibility the funds will be depleted. What then? They'll simply make an appropriation of more of your taxpayer dollars.

Three ways to use your taxpayer dollars to fund their campaigns. It's outrageous. And it's amazing how the Council can find $572,000 in the sofa cushions for microloans, and millions in public funds for their campaigns, but not for a host of other more urgent needs. Things that make you go, "Hmmm..."

How do we get this ripe-for-corruption system under control? By passing a law to prevent those receiving these microloans, or who receive income from non-profits awarded funds by the Council, from donating money to political candidates who have influence over the awarding of those loans and funds. A reasonable approach to keeping the corrupt hand of the Montgomery County cartel from getting yet another chance to pick your pocket, to profit themselves. Demand all candidates support such a rule change in 2018.

#ThrowTheBumsOut
#LockThemUp

Rockville Farmers Market to return May 13

The Rockville Farmers Market will return for summer on Saturday, May 13, from 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM to the jury parking lot at E. Jefferson and Monroe Streets. Vendors this year will offer fruits and vegetables, plants and flowers, herbs, baked goods, local beer and wine, knife sharpening, meat and coffee.

Welcome the following new additions to the market, which will run on Saturdays through November 18:

Good Hope Farmstead of Woodsboro, McClintock Distilling Company of Frederick, Mock's Greenhouse of Berkeley in West Virginia, Oak Spring Farm of Freeland, Shenandoah Seasonal of Boyce in Virginia, and Twin Valley Distillers, who are based right here in Rockville.

Nails by Timothy appears to have closed in Rockville

Wintergreen Plaza nail salon Nails by Timothy appears to have closed. A sign is offering a number to call for a similarly-named business, Timothy's Salon and Spa.

Corner Bubble, Fusion Academy coming to Rockville Town Center

Rockville Town Square has found a tenant for the briefly-vacant Ev and Maddy's space at 101-C Gibbs Street. Corner Bubble appears to be a bubble tea shop.

Meanwhile, up the road at 275 N. Washington Street, The JBG Companies have found a different type of tenant - a school. Fusion Academy will be a private school offering one-to-one teacher-student learning for middle school and high school students.

With one teacher and one student per classroom, Fusion Academy is designed for children who are not being served well by traditional class sizes. These include gifted students, and those interested in pursuing acting or athletics.

Fusion will hire 15-20 teachers at first, and could have as many as 35 staff members once the school is at full capacity. They will also offer customized schedules tailored to each student's needs. Homework is done at the Homework Cafe at school.

Allison Mapes, who will be the Head of School, is originally from Virginia. “I’m eager to return to the area and to connect with students and parents in a way that fosters true educational, emotional and social growth,” Mapes said in a statement Monday. “Having taught in many private and public school settings, I’m impressed by Fusion’s ability to connect directly with each student, making them feel valued and treasured, which is what we strive to remind them of every day.”

Fusion has schools in Alexandria, Washington, D.C. and Tysons. Fully accredited, the first location was founded 27 years ago in San Diego. The school will share JBG's recently-constructed mixed-use building with Kung Fu Tea and Lavande Patisserie.

Rocklands Barbeque & Grilling Company closes in Rockville (Photos)

Rocklands Barbeque & Grilling Company has closed at Wintergreen Plaza in Rockville. The owner says they lost their lease. Barbecue fans won't have to go far in search of food, however. Mission BBQ recently opened in the same shopping center. The closest Rocklands location to Rockville is probably the one at 2418 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W., in the District.

Another office project to go residential in Rockville (Photos)

Project site at the northeast corner
of W. Montgomery Avenue and
West Gude Drive

More potential high-wage jobs are about to disappear in Rockville. A site at the corner of W. Montgomery Avenue and West Gude Drive once planned to hold office space and research facilities will trade conference rooms for bedrooms, should a revised mixed-use project receive approval. Applicant J2 Holdings, LLC is asking to replace the already-approved 3 office/R&D buildings with 2 buildings, holding 459 residential units and 10,053 SF of retail space.

J2 Holdings is also requesting a 75' building height, 10' more than is allowed under the current zoning. 620 parking spaces are planned. The property and currently-approved office use were part of the Fallsgrove Concept Plan.

The site is currently a
wooded area along Route 28

Montgomery County's moribund private-sector economy, and hostile-to-business reputation, have led to a high number of office vacancies. With residential development more profitable than office, many developers have seized on the opportunity to shoehorn more residential into office zones. Critics note that the resulting loss of jobs increases driving and auto emissions, as residents of bedroom community Montgomery County are forced to commute to job centers elsewhere in the region.

After a Development Review Committee meeting on May 11, the project will go to the Planning Commission for review.

Proposed senior housing project at old Rockville IBM site morphs into mixed-use project

Last year, a 175-unit senior housing apartment building was proposed for 50 Monroe Place, the former IBM site in Rockville Town Center. Now a new, mixed-use project is being proposed for the same address.

The new project will consist of an unspecified number of "mixed-income" rental apartments, including some for those with special needs, and retail and office space. Structured parking and landscaping will also be part of the project.

A public meeting to introduce the project will be held on Tuesday, April 25, at 7:00 PM, at the Rockville Memorial Library, in the 1st Floor meeting room.

Rockville construction update: Brightview Senior Living West End (Photos)

One of the major pieces of Rockville Town Center Phase 2 is the Brightview Senior Living West End project. Developer Shelter Group has planned the residential building to both offer internal activities, as well as the advantages of Rockville Town Square and other restaurants and retail within walking distance.

The project is scheduled to deliver this summer. For right now, a leasing office is open at 401 N. Washington Street, in Suite 100.

Montgomery County wants to increase your Rain Tax by 9.7%

Your rain tax may be about to increase. Bigly. Montgomery County continues to have an annual Water Quality Protection Charge, determined by the "total impervious area for each property." After the County's original, illegal rain tax was struck down by the courts in 2015, the Montgomery County political cartel simply figured out a legal workaround, and brought it back again.

County Executive Ike Leggett is recommending a whopping 9.7% increase in the Rain Tax, er, "Water Quality Protection Charge," for FY-2018. The County has already determined the amount of impervious surface on your property to determine your charge, by looking at an aerial photo. Very scientific.

You'll also pay higher property taxes this year, as rising assessments create an automatic tax increase even when the tax rate doesn't change. And the County Council gets another salary increase, just like Bell, California. The difference is, Bell's Council is in prison, and ours is still free and on-the-take.

Throw the bums out. Or #LockThemUp.

Mavana Nails opens in Rockville

Mavana Nails & Waxing is now open at Rockville Town Square. The spa took over the former Acqua Nails space at 100-H Gibbs Street. To make an appointment, call 301-424-0009.

MoCo's number of registered voters exceeds its voting-age population, foundation threatens to sue

Judicial Watch, a non-partisan foundation promoting integrity and transparency in government, is threatening to sue Maryland in federal court over what it calls Montgomery County's "dirty election rolls." The foundation's analysis revealed that there are more people registered to vote in Montgomery County than there are citizens of legal voting age, based upon the latest U.S. Census data. Judicial Watch says the excess voter names are of those who have died or moved, or of non-citizens who have illegally-registered to vote.

Voter fraud can often involve people impersonating voters known to be deceased, or to have moved away, at polling places. In Montgomery County, only the most basic personal information (name, address, date of birth) about a deceased or absent voter would need to be known to vote using their name at the polls. Maryland U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D) warned last year that "We've seen fraud committed in our state in prior elections." Cardin and Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh (D) implored voters to "let us know" if they "encounter fraud or misconduct" at polling places.

Maintaining up-to-date voter rolls is required of states under federal law. Judicial Watch is demanding Maryland force Montgomery County to remove all ineligible voters from its rolls in 90 days, or they will sue the state - and ten others - for violating Section 8 of the National Voter Registration Act.

“Dirty election rolls can mean dirty elections,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said in a statement. “These 11 states face possible Judicial Watch lawsuits, unless they follow the law and take reasonable steps to clean up their voting rolls of dead, moved, and non-citizen voters.”

hhgregg closes in Rockville (Photos)

Big box consumer electronics and appliance store hhgregg has finally closed its doors forever in Rockville. After filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy this year, the struggling chain announced it was going out of business a few weeks later. Its corporate headquarters will close next month.

A farewell message in the window of the Rockville store says, "Gone fishin'." Meant to be humorous, of course, it sounds a bit off in tone, considering that everyone at the store has lost his or her job. On the other hand, at least this is one of the rare business closures we can't blame on the incompetent Montgomery County Council. The county has lost over 2000 retail jobs since the turn of the century, according to the Maryland Association of Retailers.

Despite fake news headlines, you won't be buying liquor at grocery, drug or convenience stores in MoCo

You may have seen fake news headlines over the last few days trumpeting that "liquor" will soon be sold at "privately-owned stores" in Montgomery County. The careful wording was designed by the Montgomery County political cartel, to give casual readers the false impression that beer, wine and spirits would be coming to the shelves at Giant, CVS, 7-Eleven, etc. Nothing could be further from the truth, and it was surprising that many in the local media enabled the deception with false headlines. This is one of the more audacious public misinformation campaigns I've ever witnessed from the MoCo cartel.

Here are the facts:

The Maryland General Assembly just passed a bill which will only allow privately-owned beer and wine stores to sell liquor. Clever language in the bill specifically excludes grocery stores, drug stores, and convenience stores. Even popular convenience stores that currently sell beer and wine, like Talbert's in Bethesda, will be ineligible to sell liquor.

Even those beer and wine stores that qualify to sell liquor under the bill will still have to buy that liquor from the Montgomery County Department of Liquor Control - the government monopoly. That means they will be competing on retail price directly with the Montgomery County government liquor stores. Merchants like Bradley Food and Beverage have pointed out in the past that such competition is unfair to the small private businesses being forced to compete with the same government-monopoly seller, who sets the prices they have to pay for stock.

The new law allows the DLC to decide the criteria for the granting of contracts with private beer and wine stores by itself, with no public input or transparency. DLC, in other words, can decide the terms of competition itself. Profits for whichever few retailers DLC decides to "compete" with will likely be limited by the monopoly control over price, and that means no savings for you, the customer.

It's also unlikely that private beer and wine stores could be competitive with County-owned liquor stores on inventory, because the County stores are physically larger than stores which have been only allowed to sell beer and wine. And they'll still have to deal with the same DLC inventory and delivery problems that have hampered their existing beer and wine sales.

Once again, County politicians have tried to "look busy," even as they bolster and preserve the government liquor monopoly. Real change would be full privatization of beer, wine and spirit sales in Montgomery County, and being able to buy Bud Light or a bottle of wine at Safeway or Rite Aid. That did not happen with this new law.

Fact check score for fake news "liquor to be sold at privately-owned stores" headlines, designed to fool people who don't read the articles for the details?

Four Pinocchios/Pants on Fire

Car vandalized on Coleman Park Lane in Rockville

Montgomery County police were called just after 12:00 AM this morning for a report of vandalism in the 100 block of Coleman Park Lane, in the Croydon Park area of East Rockville. A resident reported that their car window had been broken.

Nighttime road resurfacing on Shady Grove Rd., Crabbs Branch Way in May

A contractor will resurface parts of Shady Grove Road and Crabbs Branch Way near the Shady Grove Metro station next month. The work will be done at night, between the hours of 9:00 PM and 5:00 AM, to avoid negative impacts on traffic flow and local businesses. Resurfacing will begin the first week of May, and take about two weeks to complete.