JK Beer & Wine coming to Rockville Pike

JK Beer & Wine is coming soon to Rockville Pike. It will be in the Golden Arcade strip mall at 800 Rockville Pike, in a storefront that was formerly home to Enterprise Rent-A-Car. The store has a liquor license hearing scheduled for August 19, 2021.

IT'SUGAR opens at Montgomery Mall

IT'SUGAR is now open at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The store was previously found at Rockville Town Square. You can see my sneak preview of the candy shop here. Look for IT'SUGAR on Level 1, in the Nordstrom wing.

Wendy's introduces limited-time Ghost Pepper Ranch sauce for chicken nuggets

Wendy's is being haunted by a spicy new chicken nuggets sauce option. The fast food chain has temporarily added Ghost Pepper Ranch sauce to its menu. How hot is it? Watch a detailed review on YouTube.

Mr. Wish to open Rockville location

A new source of refreshment is coming to Congressional Plaza in Rockville. Mr. Wish is "coming soon" to 1615 Rockville Pike, according to signage placed in the storefront window. At Mr. Wish, you will find fruit teas, bubble teas, and smoothies that may hit the spot after your workout at the shopping center's new Fit Row fitness studios.

Mr. Wish currently has locations in nine other states. This will be the Pennsylvania-based chain's first Maryland store. Mr. Wish will be located next to Custom Ink.

Rockville Town Square now offering 2 hours free parking without validation

 

A major challenge for businesses at Rockville Town Square has been greatly reduced after years of debate. Patrons at the Federal Realty development will now be able to park free in the Rockville Town Square garages for 2 hours, without validation. 

After two hours, the parking fees are $1 (2-3 hours), $3 (3-4 hours), and $5 (4-5 hours). While parking there still won't be free for unlimited hours like it is at competing developments Rio Lakefront and Downtown Crown, the two free hours at least makes it competitive now.

Rockville expected to add new Rock East District

Rockville's Mayor and Council may officially designate a new district within the City at its meeting on Monday, July 19, 2021. Rockville Economic Development, Inc. (REDI) has formally submitted a request that elected officials declare the East Gude Drive corridor as the "Rock East District." If the Mayor and Council approve Monday night, REDI will fund and install pole banners along East Gude Drive for a targeted formal launch of the branding in September. Banners, signage and other branding materials will illustrate the breweries, "trendy shopping" and recreational opportunities found along the industrial-oriented corridor.

Rockville Mayor & Council to consider changes to remainder of 2021 event schedule

While the Biden administration earlier this year targeted July 4 as a symbolic ending to the pandemic, new virus variants, debates about the necessity for booster shots, and a failure to reach vaccination targets have made it hard to make such a declaration. In this context, the City of Rockville is now re-examining events that had been anticipated to take place over the remainder of 2021. "The pandemic is better, but not quite over," a staff report prepared for the Mayor and Council meeting for July 19 summarizes. 

Staff recommendations include postponing a planned Post-Covid 19 Pandemic Celebration until next year, as well as the State of the City address and the annual Volunteer Appreciation Party. The report notes that, in addition to health concerns, staff shortages at security firms have massively increased costs for hiring event security this year.

Other recommended changes are to move the Rocktobierfest from Rockville Town Square to RedGate Park, and to proceed with the 9//11 ceremony, the Rockville Antique and Classic Car Show, and Veterans Day ceremony at Veterans Park as scheduled, as all of these events are outdoors.

The Mayor and Council will review the recommendations at Monday's meeting, and instruct staff to implement any schedule changes.

Photo courtesy City of Rockville

Montgomery County to rifle through residents' recycling bins with camera crews in tow

Montgomery County is experiencing a violent crime wave, but has defunded 27 police officer positions. The County was chastised last year for leaving 54 positions unfilled at its 911 call center, a failure that was highlighted by a 36 minute response time to a fatal drowning incident. Those are far from the only areas of government understaffed, as witnesses to the collapse of a rusted-out traffic signal pole in Bethesda this week can attest. But the County's Department of Environmental Protection appears to be well-staffed, as it will demonstrate this morning in Bethesda. 

According to a press release, DEP inspectors will go house-to-house in the neighborhood near Walt Whitman High School, and rifle through each resident's recycling bin. "Reporters and camera crews will be able to follow the inspectors" starting at 6:30 AM this morning, in what appears to be a massive violation of residents' privacy. This was clearly the wrong week to toss your unshredded sensitive documents or Playboy collection. Do you read the wrong newspaper, or drink too many boxed alcoholic beverages? We may find out this morning!

The "Oops Tag" program quietly began two months ago, the press release states. Inspectors have had the time and manpower to already sweep through those early-targeted neighborhoods "two to three times." Rummaging through residents' recycling bins, they have left a tag on those which contained items that cannot be recycled, identifying the ineligible items. Such ineligible items cost taxpayers approximately $750,000 in 2020, the press release says.

Rockville Pike Mobil completes garage conversion to convenience store

The Mobil gas station at 890 Rockville Pike by Edmonston Drive has a new, more modern look. A recent project to convert the auto repair garage bays into a larger convenience store space is now complete. This is definitely an above-average size of convenience store as far as Rockville Pike gas stations go, and somewhat more competitive with the Dash In-style convenience store model found on corridors like MD 650 and US 301 in Maryland, or the smaller 7-Eleven gas stations.

Inotiv to lease space in Rockville after acquiring Biolreliance genetic toxicology unit

Inotiv, an Indiana-based non-clinical contract research organization, has acquired the genetic toxicology unit of MilliporeSigma’s BioReliance portfolio. While MilliporeSigma 's parent Merck is headquartered in Germany, it has a Bioreliance facility at 14920 Broschart Road in Rockville. As a result, Inotiv announced plans today to lease space in Rockville near that Bioreliance facility "to help boost its new buy," Fierce Biotech's Ben Adams reported this morning.

Rockville police chief to address Asian community safety Thursday night

Rockville Police Chief Victor Brito will address the safety of the city's large Asian-American community in a virtual forum this Thursday night, July 15, 2021 at 7:00 PM. You can register online in advance to participate in the meeting, which will also include representatives of the Asian and Pacific Islander community. The forum is being organized by the City of Rockville's Asian Pacific American Task Force.

Rockville zoning change would allow self-storage use at office buildings in mixed-use employment zones

U-Haul, Inc. has filed a request with the City of Rockville for a zoning change that would permit a self-storage use on existing properties citywide that are currently zoned as MXE (mixed-use employment) zones. The applicant is seeking the change because it would like to install self-storage units in an office building it owns at 1355 Piccard Drive. Self-storage warehouses in MXE zones were eliminated as a permitted use in 2019 by the Mayor and Council, and became a conditional use, and only if the site adjoins property that allows heavy industrial uses.

A zoning text amendment (ZTA) proposed by U-Haul would allow the self-storage use under the following conditions

• Self-storage would be operated in conjunction with an existing permitted use in the MXE zone
• Access to the self-storage units is internal-only, from inside the building
• Self-storage use is located inside an existing office building

The Rockville Planning Commission will receive a briefing on the proposed ZTA at its July 14, 2021 virtual meeting. 

Planning staff have advised against adopting the ZTA. At U-Haul's Piccard Drive building in particular, staff suggests the area proposed for conversion to self-storage is large enough to make that the principal use, rather than a use "in conjunction with" an existing principal use. The change would also reduce the job-creating potential in existing office buildings, staff argues. Any existing, "underperforming" office building could add self-storage as its principal use under the ZTA as proposed, which staff indicates goes against the reasoning behind banning self-storage facilities in MXE zones in the first place.

The ZTA will come back before the Planning Commission on July 28. At that time, commissioners will have the opportunity to discuss and make a formal recommendation to the Mayor and Council on the ZTA.

Underground utility work on E. Middle Lane in Rockville (Photos)

A utility crew was working under the street on E. Middle Lane in Rockville Town Center late last night. The work took place near the driveway entrance to the Choice Hotels headquarters garage. A new apartment building is under construction on that block. At least one City of Rockville vehicle was on-site.

Rockville city drinking water again gets a passing grade in annual report

The latest annual report on the municipal water supply shows that Rockville's water once again meets or exceeds federal standards for safe drinking water. Rockville has its own water treatment plant on the Potomac River, and serves 13,000 customers in the city. "Thousands of daily, monthly, quarterly and annual laboratory tests help monitor our water quality and determine the correct type and level of treatment necessary to provide our customers with safe, reliable drinking water," Rockville's Director of Public Works Craig Simoneau wrote in an introductory letter to the new report.

Photo courtesy City of Rockville

Car stolen from Rockville apartment building

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a vehicle being stolen from an apartment building garage in Rockville yesterday. The vehicle was taken from the garage of a building in the 500 block of Hungerford Drive. It is believed the car was stolen sometime between 4:00 PM Sunday and 11:00 AM Monday, according to crime data.

Car stolen from home in Rockville

City of Rockville police responded to a report of a stolen car at a home in the Twinbrook area of Rockville yesterday afternoon. The vehicle was parked along the street in the 300 block of Nimitz Avenue, according to crime data. It is believed the car was stolen sometime between 9:30 PM Wednesday night and midday Thursday.

Rockville Mayor & Council to review recommendations for Wootton Parkway, Woodley Gardens, College Gardens in 2040 plan

Rockville's Mayor and Council will discuss sections of the draft Rockville 2040 comprehensive master plan at their Tuesday, July 6, 2021 meeting related to Wootton Parkway, Woodley Gardens, and College Gardens. In response to public testimony discouraging widening or other methods of increasing vehicular capacity on Wootton Parkway, The City planning staff report is recommending limiting such improvements to "creative solutions" at intersections.

The staff report is also recommending designating the property of the Woodley Gardens Swim Club at 850 Nelson Street as "Open Space Private." While sale of the property is under consideration, the staff report notes, one or more potential new owners have indicated they wish to maintain the existing pool operation. 

In regard to the College Gardens area, the report is supporting public testimony that called for reopening the walking/biking connection between Princeton Place and the Montgomery College - Rockville campus, leaving out any mention of a planned new roadway between W. Gude Drive and Yale Place, construction of a pedestrian path between College Gardens and Woodley Gardens, and for a new sound barrier along I-270 on the western side of Woodley Gardens.

However, the report does not support entirely eliminating a proposed new I-270 interchange with W. Gude Drive. The report recommends the Mayor and Council retain the draft's proposal for studying such an interchange, but to amend the language that would only endorse an interchange "that has minimal or no impact on the Woodley Gardens and College Gardens neighborhoods." A new interchange had support from residents in Fallsgrove and the West End who participated in listening sessions, and from businesses in the Southlawn industrial area, the report states.

Rockville apartment building sold

Mallory Square Apartments at 15251 Siesta Key Way in Rockville has a new owner. Nuveen Real Estate acquired the recently-constructed building for $110 million, according to Julie Sanders of REbusinessOnline. 

Mallory Square is one of two recent stack-and-pack-style apartment buildings along the MD 28 corridor near Shady Grove. It features a Dunkin' Donuts on the ground floor.

Pike Center gets new signage in Rockville (Photos)

Pike Center at 12137 Rockville Pike has new entryway signage. The signage features a vertical Pike Center logo, and several horizontal, lighted panels designed to feature tenants of the shopping center. Only TGI Friday's has been added so far. Its panel manages to squeeze in both the restaurant chain's logo, and its current marketing tagline, "In here, it's always Friday."

Rockville poised to extend outdoor dining streeteries through Halloween 2021

Picnic benches for outdoor dining
on Gibbs Street in Rockville

Diners in the City of Rockville will likely continue to have the option to eat outdoors on some city streets through Halloween, if the Mayor and Council approve an extension of the pandemic-related program this Thursday night. An extension order drawn up for the July 1 meeting will allow outdoor dining to continue in select public rights-of-way through October 31, 2021. Approved streets include Gibbs Street, South Adams Street, and E. Montgomery Avenue.

Seventeen businesses across the city currently hold permits for such outdoor dining spaces on public easements and along public sidewalks. Those are scheduled to expire on Thursday, if officials take no action. The extension is expected to be approved, as the Mayor and Council unanimously voted to allow the outdoor dining use last June.

Slice of Rockville closing tonight - last chance!!

Slice of Rockville at 1111 Nelson Street in the Woodley Gardens shopping center, will close permanently at the close of business (9:00 PM) tonight, June 25, 2021, according to the pizzeria's Facebook page. The pizza parlor has had a good 11-year run in challenging times, but is sure to be missed by the neighborhood and the nearby Rockville Senior Center. A new restaurant tenant will take over the space in the near future, but today is your last chance to stop by for a Slice of Rockville! 🍕

Rockville fireworks 2021

Montgomery County has canceled its government-funded public fireworks displays this year, making it an outlier among our neighbors Frederick and Howard counties, who are proceeding with theirs. The City of Rockville has also canceled its display, and City of Gaithersburg officials have postponed theirs. What is a traditionalist to do? If you are near any of these mostly-private fireworks displays, you may be able to enjoy a free show anyway (just don't trespass on private property). 

Bethesda/Chevy Chase/Potomac

Chevy Chase Club - July 3, 2021/9:30 PM

Columbia Country Club - June 29/9:10 PM

Congressional Country Club - July 4/9:15 PM

Kenwood Golf & Country Club - June 30/9:15 PM

Poolesville (PUBLIC)

Upper Montgomery County Volunteer Fire Department at soccer fields on Hughes Road at Sugarland Road - July 4/Event begins 5:00 PM, fireworks "after dark"/Parking $5.00

Rockville

Manor Country Club - July 1/9:30 PM

Norbeck Country Club - July 1/9:20 PM

Woodmont Country Club - June 26/9:30 PM

Silver Spring

Argyle Country Club - July 2/9:30 PM

Thai Chef posts "coming soon" signage at Rockville Town Square

Thai Chef is coming soon to Rockville Town Square, and signage has been installed in the windows to remind passersby of that. It is expected to open later this summer. The restaurant is currently hiring for all positions.

Construction begins at Sports & Social in Rockville (Photos)

Sports & Social is now under-construction at 11800 Grand Park Avenue at Pike & Rose. Massive windows screens promote the upscale sports bar in the former Del Frisco's Grille space. One touts the giant video wall that will be a centerpiece on game days. I spy scrapple and "boozy cereal" on the brunch menu.

Assault at Rockville grocery store

City of Rockville police responded to a report of an assault at a grocery store on Saturday afternoon. The incident took place at a supermarket in the 1800 block of Rockville Pike around 3:27 PM, according to crime data.

Want to buy a Walgreens in Rockville?

The building currently home to Walgreens at 430 Hungerford Drive in Rockville is for sale. Before you hear the asking price, you may want to have a seat. Buying this property will set you back a wallet-busting $10,650,000.

Rather than indicating that Walgreens is struggling, the selling point of the building is that the Walgreens is a successful, highly-desirable tenant. Walgreens has an absolute net lease with 7 years remaining on it, and rent escalations every five years. The drugstore opened in 2013; its 1970 building was previously home to the legendary Orange Ball Billiards and Cafe.

Another reason you'll have pay over $10 million, is the redevelopment potential of the site. You could practically throw a football and hit the Rockville Metro station from the property. Assemble additional parcels, and you would have a very profitable redevelopment opportunity, but a nice opportunity even by itself.