Rockville construction update: Upper Rock retail center (Photos)

Existing small retail spaces in Rockville's
Upper Rock District

Is Upper Rock becoming a hub for the "creative class" in Rockville, as was promised during the development's planning process? The jury may still be out on that, but what is known is that several retail additions are coming soon to the district off of Shady Grove Road. Among them are MOM's Organic Market, and the ubiquitous CVS Pharmacy.

Rockville fireworks 2017 tonight at King Farm

Fireworks return to King Farm tonight in Rockville for the City's annual Independence Day celebration, hosted by the Mayor and Council. The fireworks display, and live music by the Rockville Concert Band and country artist Shane Gamble, will be at Mattie J.T. Stepanek Park, located at 1800 Piccard Drive.

Music will begin at 6:00 PM, and the fireworks display will begin at 9:15 PM, and last about 20 minutes. Plenty of free parking will be available in lots on Shady Grove and Gaither Roads and Piccard Drive, all near the park. Attendees are encouraged to approach the site via main roads, as some smaller routes will be blocked off by police.

Lab Café aiming for mid-July opening in Rockville

The bubble tea shop concept coming to Rockville Town Square has changed its name. Originally going under the moniker "Corner Bubble," it will now be called Lab Café. Not to worry, bubble tea fans, boba tea is still central on the menu. Lab Café' says they are hoping to open in mid-July, and are currently hiring staff.

MoCo Council wants to enter student loan business, as Katz sounds alarm on County debt

Plan would create 

ITA-like

"Authority,"

with $20-30 million

start-up cost

After creating a barrage of new offices and six-figure staff positions in the last year alone, opening their own microloan bank, and committing Montgomery County to staggering financial liabilities on bus rapid transit and the Purple Line, the Montgomery County Council is now planning to enter the student loan industry. That's not a misprint, and today isn't April 1. But just four days before announcing its intentions, one Councilmember, Sid Katz, raised red flags on the County's massive debt load.

The Council's proposal would create a new Montgomery County Student Loan Refinancing Authority to refinance student loans, much like the Independent Transit Authority that was panned and ultimately defeated by taxpayer opposition. Such an Authority would potentially have all the features hated in the ITA concept - the ability to raise taxes, carry unlimited amounts of debt that could end up being dumped back onto the taxpayers, and a lack of direct accountability to voters. The specifics will be unknown until a final state bill to create the Authority (sound familiar from the ITA fight?) is written, but one detail known is that the Authority will have the power to issue bonds. It should be noted that no other county in the United States currently is involved in student loan financing.

Does it make any sense from a fiscal responsibility standpoint for Montgomery County government to enter the student loan business at this time? The assessment of Katz, the only Councilmember with real-world business experience, suggests the answer is, "No."

"I, candidly, am very, very concerned about the debt Montgomery County has," Katz said during a June 22 meeting of the Government Operations and Fiscal Policy (GO) Committee. "If we don't get a handle on this, if we don't get a blueprint on debt in Montgomery County, it's going to overtake us. Right now, if [our debt] was a department, it would be the third largest department in Montgomery County."

Katz also expressed concern with the uncertain revenue forecast for the coming years. Trump administration cuts to government could drastically reduce income tax revenue for the County, Katz noted. Montgomery County is locked in a structural deficit as far out as the forecasts go - meaning that, as it is now, we already will be in the red every single fiscal year.

In the context of these red flags, a report by the County Office of Legislative Oversight raises many concerns.

How much would it cost taxpayers to launch the Authority? "The Montgomery County Department of Finance has estimated that a Montgomery County Student Loan Refinancing Authority would need $20 to $30 million to start a $100 million refinancing program," the report states.

The report confirms that these start-up funds "would impact the County’s debt levels (the amount the County can borrow)."

It appears loans would be extended to illegal immigrants, according to Page 4 under "Eligibility." On Page 6 of that section, it floats the idea of requiring a co-signer "if a borrower is not a U.S. citizen." In other words, resident taxpayers would be paying to provide low-cost student loans to non-taxpaying, non-resident students. Wow.

Later, the report notes that there are already numerous private student loan refinancing firms, and that their interest rates are actually less than the state-run loan entities the Council wants to ape. Why would we enter a market where there is no vacuum, with a more expensive product? Nuts.

A response from the office of County Executive Ike Leggett wisely pans the idea of entering the student loan business. "Student loan debt is the largest and fastest-growing share of consumer debt, and has the highest delinquency rate of all consumer credit debt," wrote Timothy Firestine, the County's Chief Administrative Officer, on behalf of Leggett. "As a result, there are few states and no localities willing to incur the financial risk and significant cost of operating a Student Loan Refinancing Authority."

Creating such an authority would "seriously impact many of our critically-important programs, ranging from K-12 education to safety and transportation," Firestine added. Starting it up would likely require the County to issue more debt, he said, and budget cuts in other areas would be needed to fund start-up costs, he wrote.

Another MoCo DLC employee busted for stealing $20K+ of liquor from DLC trucks

Kelvin Snowden, Jr., a
Montgomery County DLC employee
police say stole liquor from DLC trucks

Montgomery County's government liquor monopoly is embroiled in yet another scandal. One of their employees was arrested by Montgomery County police yesterday, and charged with stealing $21,769 worth of liquor from the Department of Liquor Control's own trucks.

Police say Jean Auguste, 27, of Lanham, and Montgomery County Department of Liquor Control (DLC) employee Kelvin Eugene Snowden Junior, 31, of Gaithersburg, took the alcohol from box trucks parked at the Department of Liquor Control warehouse, which is located on Edison Park Drive in Gaithersburg. The alleged thefts occurred between Valentine's Day and May 28 of this year.

Montgomery County police responded to the last of what detectives say were 8 total thefts from the DLC warehouse site on May 28, and caught Auguste parked nearby in a Chevrolet Suburban, with cases of DLC liquor in the vehicle. The ensuing investigation led them to Snowden, who they say was the main thief who actually broke into the DLC to steal from the trucks. Snowden also allegedly sold stolen DLC liquor to Auguste on at least one occasion.

This is not the first time a DLC employee has been arrested for stealing liquor from the DLC. In 2014 and 2015, employees were caught stealing alcohol and were fired. Many have called for an end to the outdated Montgomery County government liquor monopoly, which has proved inept, internally corrupt, and expensive and tedious for bars and restaurants to purchase alcohol through.

Councilmember Hans Riemer
was at the center of a previous DLC scandal

County Councilman Hans Riemer was also ensnared in a 2014 DLC scandal that came to be known as "Beerghazi." Riemer appeared to be aware of criminal activity within the DLC - but instead of reporting it immediately to authorities, he kept quiet until after he was safely reelected in November 2014.

Less than 48 hours after the polls had closed, Riemer then appeared in a formal, sit-down interview with NBC 4 in which he attempted to then use the information he had withheld to promote himself as a crusader against DLC corruption. It was clear that the NBC 4 investigation had occurred long before Election Day, and that Riemer had been in on the reporter's investigation all along. But with Riemer having direct oversight of the DLC, revealing the criminal activity in the department before Election Day could have damaged his chances of reelection.

Riemer had previously claimed it was time for the government to get out of the liquor business. But in 2015, he flip-flopped and suddenly endorsed maintaining - and strengthening - the government liquor monopoly. And here we are today, with the same Jurassic World government monopoly liquor system, and another DLC employee behind bars. "Helpless" Hans Riemer strikes again!

Duball ready to move forward on Phase 2 of its Rockville Town Center development

Duball, LLC has submitted a Site Plan amendment for its 196 & 198 E. Montgomery Avenue project in Rockville Town Center. The developer is requesting to add 178 additional housing units to the building, bringing the total number of units to 400. 150 of those will be age-restricted to senior citizens, in the new building on the remaining half of the parking lot in front of "Regal Row."

A 15% reduction in parking is also being sought. The Rockville Planning Commission previously rejected Duball's request for 400 units, and a 25% reduction in parking, in October 2014.

Duball will host a public meeting on the amendment on Tuesday, July 11, 2017, at Rockville City Hall at 6:30 PM.

New signage at Congressional Plaza in Rockville (Photos)

After extensive remodeling of the shopping center, Federal Realty has installed new signage for Congressional Plaza in Rockville. It includes new entrance signage, and wayfinding maps.

Persiano Furniture Outlet opens on Rockville Pike (Photos)

Persiano Furniture Outlet has just opened at 1598-A Rockville Pike. It is in the former Watercrafters Pools & Spas building, near the new Salvation Army Store and AT&T. I like how they've converted the showroom to look very much like a living room. Persiano is a Montgomery County-based retailer, and has been in business since 2000.

Honeygrow, Pieology to open in Rockville

Pieology, which just opened at Bethesda Row, is already planning another nearby location at Montrose Crossing on Rockville Pike. The pizzeria will be neighbors with the already-announced Five Guys and Allure in a new retail building at the shopping center, now under construction where Timpano Italian Chophouse once stood in the parking lot.

Just since my report on Five Guys yesterday morning, Pieology and two other tenants were made official by property owner Federal Realty: Cava Grill, and Honeygrow.

Cava Grill is the increasingly-ubiquitous, locally-owned Mediterranean alternative to Chipotle. Honeygrow is a Philadelphia-based fast casual chain serving stir-fry, salads, "honeybars," and cold-pressed juice.

In total, the new retail structure sounds like it will join parking lot neighbor Chick-fil-A as a lunch hub for nearby residents and office workers.

Has Rockville reached peak Five Guys? Burger giant to be first tenant at new Montrose Crossing addition

Federal Realty has its first tenant for the new, 18000 SF retail structure it is building in the front parking lot of the Montrose Crossing shopping center at 12055 Rockville Pike. And it's a familiar one.

Five Guys has leased one of the units; the burgeoning burgers-and-fries chain already has a location across the street from Montrose Crossing, suggesting that could change in the future. Federal Realty has Five Guys in their Rockville Town Square and Bethesda Row developments, as well.

Rendering of the new retail building
under construction on the former site
of Timpano Italian Chophouse

Rockville Mayor & Council back Paris climate accord

Rockville's Mayor and Council unanimously approved a resolution Monday night supporting the Paris climate accord. President Trump recently announced his intention to withdraw the United States from the accord, citing its economic impact on American businesses and jobs.

The Montgomery County Council recently adopted a similar resolution, as did Washington, D.C.

It's unclear what impact such votes have beyond the political. They do not put us back into the Paris deal, and Gov. Larry Hogan's environmental policies are already far more stringent on Maryland than the Paris accord would have been.

At least Rockville has not made the absurd claim the Montgomery County Council recently did - that they could negate the environmental impact of the Paris withdrawal in the air over Montgomery County. You can't make this stuff up, folks.

Rockville becomes a sanctuary city

Rockville did last night what the Montgomery County Council and Maryland legislature didn't have the guts to do earlier this year - declare itself a sanctuary city for illegal immigrants. Thumbing their noses at the U.S. Justice Department, and potentially losing millions of dollars in future federal funds, three City Council members voted to pass the Orwellian-sounding "Fostering Community Trust" ordinance. Dissenting were Mayor Bridget Donnell Newton and Councilmember Beryl Feinberg.

The ordinance will codify the informal sanctuary policy the City Police department currently operates under. It passes after the toxic Rockville High School rape case, the theft of a Rockville police officer's assault rifle by an illegal immigrant, and the alleged murderer of a Muslim teenager in Sterling was just revealed to be an illegal immigrant from El Salvador.

During discussion of the ordinance after two hours of public testimony, Feinberg made an alternative motion to direct the City Manager and Police Chief to devise a written policy on how they would deal with immigration status, within 30 days. Councilmember Virginia Onley opposed the motion, but seconded it for the sake of discussion. Councilmember Mark Pierzchala declared Feinberg's proposal as being too late.

Feinberg countered that "we never had a robust discussion," requiring her to make a last-minute proposal to "force the discussion." She said a written policy would be more "nimble" than a formal ordinance, which could not be suspended during an emergency by the City Manager. Feinberg also termed the ordinance, which would forbid any City employee from inquiring about a person's citizenship status, "unenforceable."

Speakers backing sanctuary status for Rockville hurled invective at opponents throughout the Community Forum segment of the meeting: "racist, xenophobia, hate, anti-immigrant (as opposed to anti-illegal immigrant), genocide, hate-filled time." But Feinberg and Newton questioned that holier-than-thou attitude. "Both sides have been fearmongering," Feinberg said. Newton decried the "venom spread by both sides" in the months-long debate.

Newton said she was "disappointed" that the same councilmembers who only recently released the text of the ordinance would now block another member from proposing a last-minute alternative. She called the ordinance "a solution in search of a problem," noting that Rockville has had no issues with its current police policy. Newton suggested such policy is better written by police, than by politicians with political motives.

"That was just a staggering speech," Pierzchala said. "Thank you," replied Newton sarcastically. "And not in the good sense," Pierzchala clarified.

"This is how this body has been functioning for more than a year now," Feinberg said. "Things will be just shoved in front of us." She bemoaned the "collegiality" among her colleagues. Onley expressed agreement with Feinberg's assessment, even though she did not support Feinberg's proposal. Onley said, "we need work sessions, not surprise attacks and last-minute motions."

When the Mayor called the vote, the Team Rockville slate of Pierzchala, Onley and the sponsor of the ordinance, Julie Palakovich Carr, voted in favor, and Newton and Feinberg voted against it.

There were some intriguing aspects to the discussion prior to the vote.

Proponents of sanctuary status, caught off-guard by the strong opposition by legal Asian immigrants at a March public hearing on the proposal, had claimed many of those speakers were not Rockville residents. But last night, they bused in sanctuary advocates from Bethesda, Silver Spring, Takoma Park, Gaithersburg and Washington, D.C. to testify in favor of the ordinance, doing exactly what they had accused opponents of three months ago.

Second, during the Mayor and Council discussion, Palakovich Carr stated that cities that don't enforce federal immigration law have lower crime rates. That is simply not true. In Frederick, which does enforce federal immigration law, you have a 1 in 196 chance of being the victim of a violent crime such as murder, rape, armed robbery, or assault. In Baltimore, a sanctuary city, your chance of being a victim shoots up to 1 in 65. In Chicago, where Mayor Rahm Emanuel has presided over a sanctuary city and record numbers of homicides, it is 1 in 110. In sanctuary San Francisco, it is 1 in 127.

Frederick is clearly safer. In Manassas, after Prince William County Chairman Corey Stewart's policy to enforce federal immigration law passed ten years ago, today your chance of being a victim of a violent crime is a staggeringly low 1 in 454. Aggravated assaults in Prince William County have dropped by 27% since then, and not a single racial profiling complaint has been filed with the County police. Police there can only inquire about citizenship status after arresting a suspect and taking him or her to the County jail.

As speaker Liz Matory noted in her testimony during the Community Forum, the research done for the Mayor and Council by staff regarding the proposed ordinance did not take into consideration the policy of Frederick County.

Honeyfish Poke opens in Rockville (Photos)

Honeyfish Poke has opened at Congressional Plaza at 1615 Rockville Pike. The fast casual restaurant serves fresh, raw fish and tofu in a build-your-own-bowl format. This is their first location that isn't in California.

Doña Cecy's Pupuseria opening in Rockville (Photo)

There's a new entry in the pupusa wars in Montgomery County. Doña Cecy's is coming to the Twinbrook Shopping Center at 2002 Veirs Mill Road in Rockville. This, to my knowledge, is the first location for this brand, but they've already got a nifty logo on the sign featuring Doña Cecy herself.

Mayor and Council to discuss adoption of Rockville sanctuary city proposal Monday night

A highly-controversial ordinance that would formalize Rockville's status as a "sanctuary city" returns to the Mayor and Council's agenda this coming Monday night, June 19, at 7:00 PM. The legislation, introduced by Councilmember Julie Palakovich Carr, will be discussed and potentially adopted that night, if a majority support the measure. It would prevent any City employee, including police officers, from inquiring about a person's citizenship status.

At a previous public hearing, the sanctuary ordinance drew emotional testimony on both sides. Since that evening, several high-profile Rockville and Montgomery County crime stories involving illegal immigrants have made national headlines. The alleged gang rape of a 14-year-old student at Rockville High School by two illegal immigrants scuttled a sanctuary state proposal in Annapolis, and threatened to table further discussion of Rockville's proposed law. 

Under extreme political pressure, and with no detailed factual explanation, Montgomery County State's Attorney John McCarthy suddenly declared he would not pursue the rape case any further. McCarthy stated there was not enough evidence to warrant prosecution, despite police officials' earlier statements that they had slam-dunk physical evidence from the scene of the alleged rape in a school bathroom. He did not explain what happened to that physical evidence, characterize the findings of any medical examination, or state whether the victim agreed with his decision, or was still seeking justice. With no media outlet holding McCarthy accountable, the firestorm ended in an instant, clearing the way for revival of the Rockville ordinance.

That didn't stop another illegal immigrant from breaking into a City of Rockville police cruiser, and stealing an assault weapon and several rounds of ammunition. We've never learned what Mario Alvarado intended to do with that assault weapon, or if he had a gang affiliation. We do know that this AR-15-wielding car thief was then improperly released back into the community by Montgomery County, despite U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement having put a detainer on him.

McCarthy's magic wand couldn't help County officials this time. ICE blasted Montgomery County for putting its agents, and county residents, at risk by forcing them to then find and apprehend Alvarado in an uncontrolled public setting. The County ultimately admitted they were in the wrong in releasing Alvarado, humiliating Montgomery County on the national stage once again.

Finally, we learned just how bad the gang situation is today in Montgomery County. A funeral was held for a 15-year-old girl who was executed by MS-13 gang members she became involved with at Watkins Mill High School. Sitting in the pews, and attending the burial service that followed, were armed undercover police officers, in case the gang attacked the funeral. Is that something you thought you would ever hear in Montgomery County, or in El Salvador?

Speaking of El Salvador, it gets worse. MS-13, with their charming motto of "Kill. Rape. Control," has a new rival gang. In response, the Washington Post reported, MS-13 kingpins are ordering their members to travel specifically to Montgomery County en masse. MS-13 leaders say that Montgomery County is the place they hope to establish a strong base of operations, and cited the large number of juvenile and/or unemployed illegal immigrants - living off of free County services - as ripe for recruiting by these soon-to-arrive MS-13 agents.

Guess who will be in the crossfire between these two gangs when they start to fight for territory in Montgomery County? The citizens of Montgomery County. Nice. Can you imagine what that's going to be like?

Despite all of this, the Montgomery County Council continues to insist there is no gang problem in the County. You know, the County where funerals now have to have armed guards, in case gang members attack the funeral!

There will be no public hearing Monday night, but residents can express their opinions on the proposed sanctuary legislation during the Community Forum segment of the meeting. Priority will be given to speakers who have signed up in advance by calling the city Clerk's Office at 240-314-8280 by 4:00 p.m. on the day of the meeting.

PM Pediatrics urgent care clinic opens in Rockville (Photo)

A new PM Pediatrics after-hours urgent care clinic has opened at 12254 Rockville Pike, in the Towne Plaza space that was formerly home to Chef Geoff's and Houston's. The company's founders established the network of clinics based on their own experiences in the healthcare industry. They realized most children's visits to emergency rooms weren't for life-threatening medical issues, and that the hospital environment was too complicated and intimidating to provide those children with the best care.

PM Pediatrics has clinics in New York state, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Maryland. The clinics are open until midnight seven days a week. You don't need to make an appointment, but you can "save your spot" and see the current wait time on their website.

Small business event to discuss:"Is your business or family safe in a sanctuary county?"

How do sanctuary immigration policies affect small businesses? That topic will be discussed at the next networking social event of the Small Business Action Network of Montgomery County, on Wednesday, June 28, from 6:30 to 9:00 PM at Hunter's Bar and Grill, located at 10123 River Road in Potomac.

The speaker will be Jonathan Hanen, who the event announcement says will discuss the question, "Is your business or family safe in a sanctuary county?" Montgomery County has been designated by the federal government as a sanctuary jurisdiction.

Recent crime headlines in the County make this a timely discussion, and the County has been blasted by the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for not honoring ICE detainers on criminal illegal aliens. ICE said the County put its agents and the community at risk when it recently allowed a man with an ICE detainer who had stolen an assault weapon from a police cruiser to go free, forcing ICE agents to locate and take him into custody in an uncontrolled setting.

SBAN-MOCO is inviting small business owners from across Montgomery County to attend.

The cost to attend the event is $15. The cost to join SBAN-MOCO is $25. There will be a cash bar. Space is limited - to reserve a spot, email your RSVP.

Mayor and Council vote to acquire two other Chestnut Lodge properties

Chestnut Lodge in 2003; the
building burnt down in 2009

Rockville's City Manager is now authorized to acquire two parcels at the former Chestnut Lodge site, after a unanimous vote by the Mayor and Council last night. The City moved to acquire the main Chestnut Lodge property from owner JNP Chestnut Lodge, LLC earlier this year. These two additional parcels are owned by the Chestnut Lodge Homeowners Association.

All three pieces of land are expected to be converted into a passive public park, on the site where the famed Chestnut Lodge psychiatric hospital once stood. A 40-year covenant will be placed on all three for that purpose.

Photo courtesy City of Rockville

MoCo drags feet on correcting illegal traffic signals, refunds for drivers wrongly ticketed by red light cameras

Montgomery County still has illegally-timed traffic signals, which could be issuing unwarranted red light camera tickets to drivers, a recent report by the County's Office of the Inspector General found. On Friday, Delegate Marc Korman (D - District 16) asked County Executive Ike Leggett to consider an outside audit of its signal timing (the OIG had to rely on the word and data of the County Department of Transportation), turn off any cameras ticketing at an illegally-timed signal, and to begin reimbursing drivers who were wrongly ticketed at those intersections.

After being caught ticketing drivers with illegal signal timing in 2015, the County initially resisted adopting the Maryland-required yellow light time of 3.5 seconds. It then promised to correct the problem. However, the OIG report - based on MCDOT data not confirmed by an independent audit - found that 13% of signals countywide are still illegally timed.

When asked by the OIG for a schedule for correction of those 105 remaining signals, MCDOT refused to produce one. And while MCDOT insists that there are no red light cameras at the out-of-compliance intersections, the OIG noted that "We did not test or verify the accuracy of the information provided by MCDOT."

"Improper timing of traffic signals at locations with red light cameras goes to the heart of the confidence people can have in their government," Korman wrote in his letter to Leggett. 

Montgomery County responded to the OIG report with a one-sentence promise to create a schedule for signal correction, but did not say when such a schedule would be released. Once again, Montgomery County seems unable to deliver the basic functions of government - collecting the trash, clearing snow from sidewalks along its properties (sometimes as long as a month(!) after the snowstorm ended), plowing roads, providing 911 service or completing construction projects on-schedule (with the Wheaton Library being the latest, now a year-and-a-half behind-schedule).

New house proposed on Martins Lane in historic district

A property owner has proposed building a new home in the Hebron House Historic District of Rockville, on a newly-subdivided lot at 19 Martins Lane. The single-story home will have an attached garage. Hebron House itself is located at 17 Martins Lane.

The Historic District Commission will take up the proposal at their June 15 meeting. Staff is recommending approval of the home, once advice from the Commission is incorporated into the design.

Rendering courtesy City of Rockville

Dunkin' Donuts Community Celebration this Saturday in Rockville

The local Dunkin' Donuts franchisee is hosting a community celebration this Saturday, June 10, from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM, at the Dunkin' Donuts at 15180 Frederick Road, in the College Plaza shopping center. There will be games, a raffle, facepainting and a moonbounce.

Another Brightview senior housing project proposed in Rockville

Shelter Development, LLC has filed a pre-application submittal for a new Brightview senior housing development, this time at 1201 Seven Locks Road. Currently home to the Montrose West building, that office building would stay. A separate lot would be created on the southern area of the site for a new 198-unit senior housing development.

120 of the units would be for independent senior living, and the remaining 78 units divided between assisted living and memory care patients. Amenities will include a cafe and other dining facilities, a library, a media room, fitness center, art studio, spa/salon, and a movie theater. There will be 242 parking spaces in a three-level underground garage, and there will continue to be 278 surface and garage spaces for the existing office building.

The seven-story building will have an "F" configuration, and a setback from the sixth-floor up. Shelter has another Brightview building currently under construction in Rockville Town Center.

Rendering courtesy hord coplan macht
All rights reserved

Rockville construction update: 1900 Chapman Avenue Phase 1 (Photos)

Construction is now at ground level and rising at the site of the future apartment building at 1900 Chapman Avenue in Rockville. There is still no website for the development that I can find online.

This is phase 1 of the project, which will eventually have a 61-townhome development on the other half of the site. The property is bordered by Chapman to the west, Twinbrook Parkway to the south, and the CSX railroad to the east. This used to be the location of Syms.