Home Depot Design Center sets opening date at Montrose Crossing in Rockville

The former Golf Galaxy space at the Montrose Crossing shopping center at 12087 Rockville Pike has been leased by a Home Depot Design Center. An opening date has been set for September 7, 2020. In contrast to a full-scale Home Depot big box store, this concept focuses on design and remodeling of kitchens and bathrooms. This will be only the second of this concept store in the country, following the first in San Diego. Here's a sneak peek:

Wentworth Gallery reopens, Elite Jewelers coming soon at Montgomery Mall

Wentworth Gallery, an art gallery featuring works by celebrity artists, has reopened at Westfield Montgomery Mall. The gallery is located on Level 2, right outside of Nordstrom.

Coming soon to Montgomery Mall will be Elite Jewelers. The chain features GIA-certified diamonds, handmade Italian 18k gold and platinum jewelry, and high-end watches like Movado, Bulova and pre-owned Rolexes. Elite Jewelers will be on Level 2 near Auntie Anne's.

TL Transportation to close Rockville location this fall, lay off 70 employees, filing says

TL Transportation will close its Rockville location on October 15, 2020, according to documents filed with the Maryland Department of Labor. Seventy employees will be laid off in the closure, the documents indicate.

The downturn for a last-mile delivery business is somewhat surprising, given that online shopping has been booming during the pandemic, and drivers have been highly sought after in that sector. TL Transportation is a third-party courier for Amazon.com, which has been one of the biggest winners in the coronavirus economy.

Supercuts has closed in Rockville

Supercuts has permanently closed at 211 E. Middle Lane in Rockville Town Center. The hair salon opened four years ago in the Cambria Suites hotel. It wasn't Montgomery County's moribund economy to blame this time, nor the struggles of the town center area, as the entire chain was impacted by the coronavirus lockdown that forbid haircuts. That temporary closure is now permanent, and the signage has been removed.

Blinds to Go coming to Rockville

Blinds to Go will be opening soon at 12204 Rockville Pike. The New Jersey-based blinds retailer is taking over a building that formerly housed Next Day Blinds. Next Day Blinds has gone out of business, and the new chain is not affiliated with them. Blinds to Go was founded in 1954 and now touts itself as the largest "manufacturer-retailer of direct-to-the-customer custom window coverings" in North America.

Montgomery County Public Schools not the top school system in Maryland, analysis says

Prominent data analysis firm Stacker has used hard numbers to determine the best school district in each state across America. Montgomery County Public Schools was not the winner.

Stacker says Howard County public schools are the best in the state. They determined this by reviewing statistics from the U.S. Department of Education, SAT/ACT scores, college readiness, teacher quality, and graduation rates.

MCPS has been in a steady decline since 2010, despite record spending on public schools over that same time. County elected officials have panicked this fall as a sizable number of parents transferred their MCPS students into private schools, and only a fraction of the anticipated number of new students materialized on the MCPS 2020-21 student roster.

Fallsgrove crime wave continues with another stolen car

Montgomery County police responded Wednesday to the report of a car being stolen in Fallsgrove, the fourth significant crime in the community since July 26. The vehicle was parked in a commercial parking lot in the 9400 block of Blackwell Road. It was stolen sometime Wednesday evening. Another car was stolen in Fallsgrove Sunday, and two armed robberies have occurred there in the last three weeks.

909 Rose is one of the DC area's few pandemic-ready office buildings

We've been hearing for months about how office buildings will have to be updated to adapt to the new abnormal of Covid-19, and potential future pandemics. But Federal Realty's new Class A office building at its Pike & Rose development in Rockville is one of the few pandemic-ready workspaces in the Washington, D.C. area.

909 Rose, located at 909 Rose Avenue, has several of the features landlords worldwide are considering already installed. These include a dedicated outdoor air system, which circulates 30% more fresh air through the building than required by code.

The building also has the Schindler touchless elevator PORT technology already built in. This eliminates the issue of high-touch elevator button surfaces, and potentially could be utilized to reduce the number of passengers aboard the elevator at one time, a second concern in Covid spread via elevators.

In addition to these rare features, the building also has open floor plates. This is essential at a time when office floorplans are being rethought, and physical separations between workers - including screens, cubicles or assigning employees their own office - are now considered ideal.

Windows are also designed for maximum natural light penetration, which might be an additional plus as direct sunlight is known to kill Covid-19, up to 90% in 34 minutes according to a recent study. And when internet reliability for devices and teleconferencing has never been of more concern, 909 Rose is Wired Silver certified, with a 100% uptime guarantee.

Considering that the building was complete when the pandemic struck, at too late a stage to have suddenly added such integral design elements, the features are a minor coup for Federal Realty in marketing the building. Federal Realty will have these advantages for its own employees, as its headquarters office is one of the already-signed tenants, along with OneDigital.

Urban Plates sets reopening date at Montgomery Mall

Urban Plates has been closed at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda since the nationwide coronavirus lockdown began this past spring. They've remained closed since Maryland and Montgomery County eased their restrictions to allow indoor dining with capacity restrictions. The good news is that they are now going to reopen this coming Monday, August 17, 2020.

Changes to operations will include PPE for all staff, social distancing, and food will now be brought to your table, instead of going through the cafeteria-style line the chain is known for. Their new hours will be Sunday – Thursday: 11:00 AM- 8:30 PM, and Friday - Saturday: 11:00 AM - 9:00 PM. Urban Plates is also featuring a summer special to celebrate their return, a $59.95 Ribs Family Meal, which includes four half racks of ribs, two large sides, and 4 slices of grilled rustic bread.

Twinbrook Laundromat construction continues in Rockville

The Twinbrook Laundromat looks closer to completion from the outside, but largely-covered windows and construction fencing make it difficult to gauge full extent of the progress inside. A sign has been installed on the front facade, and another one at the roadside.

They'll be competing with three other laundromats in the area, and it will be interesting to see what their operating hours are. The Aspen Hill Laundromat says it is open 24 hours, a rare throwback to the golden age of Aspen Hill, while the others tend to be closed between midnight and 6:00 AM.

Car stolen in Rockville

Fallsgrove crime spike

continues

Rockville police responded to the report of a stolen car Sunday afternoon. The vehicle was taken from the parking lot of an apartment complex in the 300 block of Prettyman Drive in Fallsgrove sometime between Saturday night, and mid-afternoon Sunday. This was the third major crime in Fallsgrove in a two-week period.

Rockvillle funeral home-turned-retail center gets first tenant

A former funeral home converted into a two-level retail center at 1170 Rockville Pike finally has its first tenant, after sitting vacant for 19 months. The PRD Insurance Group has leased a space on the first floor. PRD currently is located further up the Pike at 842 Rockville Pike.

Montgomery County health officer rescinds order closing private schools

St. Bartholomew's Catholic School
in Bethesda

One of the most bizarre weeks in Montgomery County political history ended yesterday with Health Officer Travis Gayles rescinding his latest order closing private schools through October 1. Gayles knocked over a hornet's nest a week earlier with a similar order issued in the dark of night as the weekend began. Parents filed a lawsuit seeking an injunction against the order. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan rebuked County officials, and issued his own order blocking the County from declaring a blanket closure of private schools. Gayles rescinded his first order, and then issued a second one based on a different Maryland law. As the week ended, County officials ignored a tepid memo from the Hogan administration, and were moving aggressively to shutter private schools as some began to announce they would start the semester online-only.

The aggressive stance County officials had taken Thursday made their capitulation Friday appropriately bizarre, in keeping with a turbulent week that made national headlines, with Montgomery County a topic on cable news. Gayles said he decided to rescind his order after reading the memo from the Maryland Secretary of Health. But that memo was issued more than 24 hours prior to Gayles announcing he was rescinding the order.

What is clear is that virtually all of the deliberation about the whole matter has taken place behind closed doors, out of public view. If the County had no legal standing, why did it issue the order in the first place? The County has often broken the law and prevailed in court virtually every time. What did they fear would happen this time?

Many believed the move was to stanch the outflow of Montgomery County Public School students to private schools this fall. MCPS had projected it would register 2500 new students for the fall semester. Instead, only 300 had signed up by mid-summer. Parents who felt their children were ill-served by MCPS online instruction last spring sought the in-class instruction many private schools will offer this fall. Student athletes sought private schools where they could still impress college scouts, where MCPS has cancelled sports this fall. And MCPS has been in a steep decline since 2010, no longer considered a premiere school system.

It's unclear what the week-long Kabuki theater by the County accomplished, other than riling up a new group of residents into political activism. Parents may or may not remember that the County Council supported the closure of private schools when they vote in 2022. A few schools and a few students may have changed plans, but ultimately County officials lost more than they gained.

Gayles issued a new order yesterday. It does not force private schools to close, but basically says it is unsafe for them to open, and that they will operate over his objections. The order essentially gives Gayles ground to say, "I told you so," if there is an outbreak of Covid-19 at a private school this fall. However, many have pointed out that summer camps and daycare programs have been operating all summer without a reported outbreak. If the outcome is anything like the run-up, we can be sure it will be unpredictable.

Montgomery County appears to have upper hand on private schools closure order until court date

Our Lady of Good Counsel High School

Tepid state response comes amid some

private schools' decisions to accept 

online start to fall semester

Is the newest order by Montgomery County Health Officer Travis Gayles closing private schools through October 1, 2020 legal, in light of Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan's own order forbidding such blanket closures of non-public schools? We likely won't even begin to know the answer to that question until it gets its first courtroom hearing a week from today. But Montgomery County's aggressive approach, and one state official's tepid response to it Thursday, appears to have given Montgomery leaders the upper hand in the interim.

A few private schools have begun switching gears amidst the impasse, announcing they will begin their fall semesters online, rather than in-class. This may demoralize some opponents of the County's order, if their students enrolled in those schools can't have in-person instruction before October anyway. Some Catholics have criticized the Archdiocese of Washington for not making a more forceful stand against the closures of their schools, while others have said Catholic leaders are most effective negotiating quietly behind the scenes.

But a response from Hogan putting the County in its place that many opponents hoped was coming from Annapolis yesterday never arrived. In its stead was a letter from Maryland Secretary of Health Robert R. Neall. Rather than threaten legal or law enforcement action against County officials for violating Hogan's express order, it simply laid out "the State of Maryland's position" on the matter. The letter reiterated Hogan's order that counties may not institute blanket closures of all private schools, but that health officers retain the authority to shut down individual schools in violation of CDC and Maryland Health Department protocols on reopening of schools. Montgomery County promptly ignored Neall's letter and proceeded forward.

Perhaps the state's low-key response is strategic ahead of the upcoming legal battle. But in the short term, it appears Hogan will not take immediate action to enforce his order. That leaves parents to continue to be the primary opposing force for at least another week. It also leaves the outcome in the hands of the judge in a courtroom, a place where Montgomery County Government almost never loses, it must be noted. If Montgomery County's order isn't legally airtight, they're sure acting like it is - and in the absence of action from Annapolis, they aim to take a knee and run out the clock.

With the overall goal being about protecting enrollment numbers at Montgomery County Public Schools amid an exodus of students as much a public health, the luxury of no strong opposition from Annapolis is a winning hand. That time ticking away, and the uncertainty, is already having an impact on some private schools' plans.

"The way forward for Good Counsel is to focus on stability," Our Lady of Good Counsel High School President Paul G. Barker said in a statement yesterday, announcing the school will begin the semester online. "We have just over a week to faculty orientation, two weeks to freshman orientation, and three weeks to the first day of classes for all. We have waited as long as we can to provide our teachers and families a clear path for the start of school."

Montgomery County digs in to fight parents with new private schools closure order

Bullis School in Potomac

Order again prohibits

private schools from opening

through October 1

Montgomery County officials moved aggressively Wednesday to signal they will fight private school parents on the question of whether private schools will be allowed to open for in-person instruction this fall. County Health Officer Travis Gayles was heavily criticized for issuing an order late last Friday evening prohibiting private schools from opening through October 1, 2020, and then hiding from the local media until Monday. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) first criticized the County's order, and then issued his own order prohibiting any Maryland county from issuing a blanket closure of private schools. A group of private school parents then filed a lawsuit against Gayles' order. Despite this, Gayles issued a new order last evening, again blocking private schools from opening through October 1.

The new order cites a different, very broad Maryland law to justify the closures, Maryland Code Annotated Health General § 18-208. However, this law states:

a)(1) When a health officer has reason to believe that a disease that endangers public health exists within the county, the health officer shall:

(i) Report immediately to the appropriate county board of health;  and

(ii) With the approval of the board:

1. Investigate the suspected disease;  and

2. Act properly to prevent the spread of the disease.

The County board of health in our case is the County Council. Gayles may "act properly to prevent the spread of" Covid-19 "with the approval of the board." So far, the Council has not taken a formal vote to approve the closure of private schools in Montgomery County. To the extent that the Council has discussed the topic at all, most councilmembers supported Gayles' original order. Councilmember Andrew Friedson (D - District 1) has attempted to have it both ways by sending Gayles a letter with questions about his decision, but did not rake Gayles over the coals when he testified before the Council earlier this week and had the opportunity, much less openly oppose the closure order.

Similarly, the Council does not wish to accept the political responsibility for closing private schools, and are glad to cede that role to Gayles, an unelected official who does not have to face voters in the 2022 elections. There's no question they support it, however, as the Montgomery County political cartel is demanding the private school closure.

Considering that Montgomery County Government virtually never loses in any courthouse located within the borders of Maryland (even when laws or County rules have been broken, as in the Westbard case), a judge might find the Council's verbal support and lack of action against Gayles' orders to be sufficient to say Gayles is acting "with the approval of the board." How Gayles' latest order can stand in the context of Hogan's order preventing a blanket closure of private schools is the biggest legal question, it would seem. Hogan has not yet responded with any new official action since the new County order was issued Wednesday.

The October 1 date is significant from a federal funding standpoint, not a health standpoint. That the County would take such an aggressive posture to ensure a closure through October 1 merely confirms that the exodus of students from Montgomery County Public Schools to private schools is significant and intensifying.

In fact, the closure order and successive media frenzy has been great advertising for private schools, possibly ending up as a backfire for those who sought to use the ban to stop the outflow of students seeking in-person instruction and athletics. Everything from MCPS funding to teacher salaries depends upon the enrollment numbers in the public school system, understandably leading those who will wind up losing from a mass flight to private schools pounding the panic button.

There is a legitimate question as to the risk to students, teachers, parents and the community at large that private schools opening would pose during the pandemic. But the legal questions as to the authority of the health officer and governor over the matter are likely to be resolved first, in the hours, days and weeks ahead.

Car stolen in King Farm

A car was reported stolen from the King Farm neighborhood of Rockville on Tuesday morning. The vehicle was parked in a residential parking lot in the 400 block of King Farm Boulevard. According to crime data, the car was taken sometime between Monday evening and early Tuesday morning.

Windsor reopens at Montgomery Mall

Women's fashion boutique Windsor is the latest tenant at Westfield Montgomery Mall to reopen. They are celebrating with a 20%-off sale.

Armed robbery at Thomas Farm Community Center in Rockville

Second armed robbery in

a week in Fallsgrove

Rockville police responded to a report of an armed robbery at the Thomas Farm Community Center in the Fallsgrove community early Sunday morning. The victim was threatened with a knife in the parking lot of the facility in the 700 block of Fallsgrove Drive around 3:22 AM.

This was the second armed robbery reported in one week in Fallsgrove. The first robber wielded a gun in a wooded area off Casey Lane the previous Sunday.

Hogan issues emergency order prohibiting blanket closure of private schools by Montgomery County

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) has issued an emergency order prohibiting Montgomery County from closing private schools this fall. The order, which applies to all counties, states that opening and closing decisions during the pandemic are to be made by local education authorities. Hogan's order asserts that private and parochial schools have the same authority to determine their ability to open, and that Montgomery County Health Officer Travis Gayles exceeded his authority in issuing his order late Friday evening.

"Over the last several weeks, school boards and superintendents made their own decisions about how and when to reopen public schools, after consultation with state and local health officials," Hogan wrote in a statement accompanying his emergency order. “Private and parochial schools deserve the same opportunity and flexibility to make reopening decisions based on public health guidelines. The blanket closure mandate imposed by Montgomery County was overly broad and inconsistent with the powers intended to be delegated to the county health officer."

After initially stating his opposition to Gayles' order over the weekend, Hogan has now taken action, entering what has become a contentious fight between private school parents and Montgomery County. The Republican governor, who has had to navigate a majority-blue state political sphere for two terms, is widely expected to be a candidate for president in 2024.

Montgomery County health officer reportedly set high bar for Covid-19 positive tests before ordering private schools closed

Holton-Arms School in Bethesda

Montgomery County Health Officer Travis Gayles reportedly said a major decline in positive coronavirus tests would be necessary to allow private schools to open this fall, prior to releasing his controversial order prohibiting private schools from opening through October 1. A person who was on a call between Gayles and a private school advisory group earlier last week recalled Gayles seeking daily positive Covid-19 test results to be in the single digits or teens before giving private schools the green light to reopen. Based on current case trends in the county, that is unlikely to happen this fall, much less by October 1.

Many are seeking answers as to what the specific data metrics behind the private schools order were, in part to discern whether or not the standard is one that could be met by October 1, or if the County is simply seeking to stanch an outflow of students from the public school system this fall. Gayles did not make himself available to the media over the weekend after releasing his order late Friday. More than 3000 private school parents have organized to oppose Montgomery County's order in the three days since it was issued.

Patisserie Manuel, Godiva Chocolatier reopen at Westfield Montgomery Mall

Patisserie Manuel, a French bakery that also offers Chilean specialties, has reopened in the Dining Terrace food court at Westfield Montgomery Mall. Clear plastic shields have been installed at the counter as a coronavirus safety measure for staff and customers. Their hours are now Monday-Saturday, 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM, and Sundays, 12:00-6:00 PM. Also reopening at the mall is Godiva Chocolatier.

Montgomery County private school parents mobilize to challenge closure order

Holy Redeemer School in Kensington

Montgomery County parents of children in private schools have moved quickly this weekend to counter a Friday county government order preventing those schools from opening through October 1. As of this morning, I am aware of two legal challenges to County Health Officer Travis Gayles' order being prepared. At least one Facebook group was started, and quickly grew to over 2000 members. And an online petition has begun gathering signatures.

In addition to challenging the legal authority of the County to shutter private schools, some parents have also questioned the blanket nature of the order, rather than having the County review the specific plans of each school by set standards. For example, a member of the Holy Redeemer School advisory board noted that the school's classrooms all have exterior doors, and that the school has no buses or cafeteria, and argued that such circumstances would allow it to operate with a greater degree of safety. 

Advocates of keeping instruction online-only for now counter that it is the enclosed classroom environment that will put students, teachers and the at-risk populations they interact with outside of school in danger of contracting Covid-19. Some private school teachers had lobbied for a closure in recent weeks, saying they want the same protection that Montgomery County Public School employees are getting with the closure of public schools for the fall semester.

Montgomery County prohibits private schools from opening through October 1

Sidwell Friends Lower School in
the Edgemoor neighborhood of Bethesda

Montgomery County Health Officer Travis Gayles issued an order prohibiting private schools in the county from opening through October 1, 2020. A statement from the County says Gayles will consider extending or terminating the order prior to October 1. Gayles said "the data does not suggest that in-person instruction is safe for students or teachers. We have seen increases in transmission rates for COVID-19 in the State of Maryland, the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Virginia, particularly in younger age groups, and this step is necessary to protect the health and safety of Montgomery County residents.”

The order came as many parents with the financial means to do so were scrambling to transfer their children out of Montgomery County Public Schools into private schools for the Fall 2020 semester. MCPS has already announced it will not offer in-class instruction, continuing an all-online instruction method begun this spring. A number of MCPS student athletes were also counting on transfers to private schools in order to play sports, so that they can be considered by colleges for scholarships.

As such transfer plans are now possibly moot, some are suggesting the County's move was political, to discourage a mass exodus from MCPS. If MCPS loses a significant number of students, it will also lose funding in the future. Some also questioned the legality of the order, calling for a legal challenge.

A few critics of President Trump cheered the move on social media, noting that the order would prevent his own son, Barron Trump, from receiving the in-classroom instruction the president has advocated for the nation. Barron Trump attends St. Andrews Episcopal School in Potomac.

Montgomery County says that any private school official who knowingly disobeys the ban on in-class instruction will face a one-year jail term, or a $5000 fine, or both.

Rockville planning commission to review Wegmans, Twinbrook Quarter Phase 1 site plan

The Rockville Planning Commission will review the Phase 1 site plan for B.F. Saul's Twinbrook Quarter mixed-use development at 1500-1616 Rockville Pike, which includes a Wegmans grocery store, at its August 5, 2020 virtual meeting. If approved, Phase 1 will include up to 460 apartment units, 270,000 square feet of office space, a 92,000 square foot Wegmans, 12,000 square feet of restaurant use, and 17,000 square feet of retail use.

One new element in the plan is a potential daycare facility within the structure, with a capacity for up to 135 children. Phase 1 will also include construction of Festival Street and another extension of Chapman Avenue, including its intersection with Festival Street.

Planning staff is recommending approval of the site plan. The project is adjacent to the Twinbrook Metro station at Halpine Road.

Main Street Apartments virtual ribbon-cutting scheduled for today at 5 PM

The official opening of the Main Street Apartments at 50 Monroe Place in Rockville will be marked with a virtual ribbon-cutting online today, July 30, 2020, at 5:00 PM. Guests of honor who will appear on the webcast will include Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R), Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen (D), U.S. Representative Jamie Raskin (D - Maryland District 8), Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich (D) and Main Street Connects founders Jillian and Scott Copeland.

You can register to join the virtual ribbon-cutting online now. Main Street Apartments is a unique development, in that 25% of the apartments have been set aside for adults with disabilities, and 75% of the overall units are reserved for low-income residents at below-market rates. A community center on the building's ground floor is designed to be a welcoming gathering space for residents and non-residents alike.

Armed robbery in Rockville; two cars stolen in 24 hours

An armed robbery was reported to Rockville police Sunday night, July 26, 2020. The robbery took place in a wooded area in the 400 block of Casey Lane in Fallsgrove around 11:30 PM. A gun was the weapon used in the robbery, according to crime data.

In other Rockville crime news, two cars were reported stolen in one 24-hour period on July 27. The first was taken from a commercial parking lot in the 1400 block of Research Boulevard. A second vehicle was stolen from a residential parking lot in the 10800 block of Antigua Terrace.

Bagel City contents to be auctioned off in August

Bagel City has permanently closed at the Pike Center on Rockville Pike. Now the contents of the shuttered bakery and deli will be auctioned off online next month. Items available for bid will include a 2-barrel Triumph mixer, a convection oven, bakery display cases and a cappuccino machine. Bidding will take place online on August 6, 2020.

Subway closes at Federal Plaza

No more $5 Footlongs at Federal Plaza. Subway has closed, their signage is gone, and their space has been totally cleared out. Usually we can blame the moribund Montgomery County economy or - more recently - the coronavirus, but the struggling sub chain has been closing an average of three locations a day according to Restaurant Business Online.

Rockville speed camera lit on fire

A Montgomery County speed camera that issues tickets to drivers was vandalized and lit on fire on July 17, 2020, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue spokesperson Pete Piringer said today. Anti-law-enforcement words were spray painted on the camera, the lenses were covered, and then the camera unit was lit ablaze.

The camera was located in the 400 block of Hurley Avenue, near Wootton Mill Park, in Rockville. Piringer asked that anyone with information related to this incident contact the MCFRS Arson Hotline at 240-777-2263.

Photo via Pete Piringer/MCFRS

7-Eleven opens at Montgomery Mall

7-Eleven has opened at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The store is located at the entrance to the Dining Terrace on Level 2.