Armed robbery at Rockville gas station

Montgomery County police responded to a report of an armed robbery at a Rockville gas station on Saturday night, December 18, 2021. The robbery was reported at a gas station in the 12600 block of Twinbrook Parkway at 10:32 PM, according to crime data. A knife was the weapon used in the robbery.

Finnegan's Wake temporarily closes at Rockville Town Square "for the safety and well-being of our staff and patrons"

Rockville Irish pub Finnegan's Wake abruptly announced on Instagram this afternoon that it would be closing "until further notice...for the safety and well-being of our staff and patrons." The announcement made no mention of the reason, nor of coronavirus. 

Omicron-variant coronavirus has caused cases and hospitalizations to spike in many parts of the country, and has resulted in restaurant closures in other cities. Public awareness of any increased risk in Montgomery County may have been lessened, as the Maryland Department of Health has failed to provide Covid-19 case numbers for nearly two weeks. State officials have blamed the failure on a hack of MDDOH's computer system.

Finnegan's Wake is located at 100 Gibbs Street at Rockville Town Square.

Rockville, Shady Grove Metro stations to reopen in January

WMATA announced that the extended closure of two Metro stations that has extremely inconvenienced commuters in Rockville, Gaithersburg, Germantown, Clarksburg and Damascus for months will end in January. The Shady Grove and Rockville Metro Red Line stations are now scheduled to reopen for service on January 16, 2022. Free parking and free shuttle bus service will continue to be offered at both stations until the reopening date.

Rockville Burger King update (Photos)

There's still no reopening date for the Burger King at 16004 Shady Grove Road, on the border of Rockville and Gaithersburg. A few minor signs of progress since my last report: They've painted the formerly red southwestern corner wall. A final layer of material was applied to the fake tower atop the front of the building. And resurfacing and striping of the parking lot has been completed.

Those weird 1000-lunch-bags window coverings are still up. It looks like canopies over the drive-thru windows may yet have to be installed. This is the best-rated Burger King of those that remain in Montgomery County. I hope they reopen soon, because I've missed about 15 limited-time Burger King menu items during the renovation, between the pandemic and the closure.

Rockville Amazon Fresh construction update (Photos)

If you're just looking from the outside, nothing much appears to have been done at the future Amazon Fresh at the 270 Center on Shady Grove Road in recent weeks. The most visible change is fresh asphalt and line striping on the parking lot in front of the store. But inside, installation of complex wiring, cameras and sensor equipment is being performed, a process that is quite time-consuming for an Amazon grocery store with automatic checkout functions. It can't even be ruled out that they might employ Just Walk Out technology at this store, as they mean for that checkout system to replace the Dash Cart across all Amazon Fresh locations eventually. In addition to the Friendship Heights store, another Montgomery County Amazon Fresh has been confirmed for the Chevy Chase Lake development.

Rockville Historic District Commission to consider historic significance of Lincoln Park house

The Rockville Historic District Commission will consider the historic significance of a single-family home in Lincoln Park, to determine whether the owners may demolish the structure. 215 Lincoln Avenue is located off of a shared driveway. It began as part of a larger, single kinship lot shared by a family in 1932. The lot was subdivided in 1989, at which point the home was given its present address.

A review by city planning staff member Sheila Bashiri found that the home does not meet any of the criteria for historic designation. While the community of Lincoln Park is very significant in the African-American history of Rockville and Montgomery County, the house itself has been altered to the point that it has lost its historic physical integrity, Bashiri wrote. Construction of additional homes around it have erased the only historical context for the site, which was the phenomenon of shared kinship properties, Bashiri noted.

The HDC will consider the historic significance of the property at its December 16, 2021 virtual meeting, and issue a recommendation. Bashiri's staff report recommends against historic designation.

Photos via City of Rockville

Public art unveiled at the Ansel apartments in Rockville Town Center (Photos)

Well, you can't say they didn't try to do something different with the public art installations at the new Ansel apartments at 33 Monroe Street in Rockville Town Center. Coverings were removed yesterday from the obelisks, which feature lighted, glowing panels that visually cite cameras, social media photo apps, and Hollywood films.

Among the icons displayed are the Death Star from Star Wars, the Polaroid instant camera, and the Instagram logo. A Regal Cinemas movie theater is within sight of the new obelisks, and they're obviously meant to be photographed for social media. With the unveiling of the art pieces, the sidewalk has reopened at the site.

The Upton apartments sold in Rockville Town Center

The Upton apartments in Rockville Town Center have changed hands. Developer Duball, LLC sold the property to Comstock Holding Companies last month. Comstock plans to make upgrades to the building, and to rebrand it as BLVD Forty Four. The Upton is located at 44 Maryland Avenue in Rockville.

Photo courtesy Comstock

Car stolen from Derwood auto dealership

Auto thieves broke into an automobile dealership in Derwood early yesterday morning, December 7, 2021, and stole a car. Montgomery County police responded to the burglary at a dealership in the 15900 block of Indianola Drive at 1:06 AM, according to crime data. 

Duball, LLC seeks to convert ground floor retail into residential units in Rockville Town Center

Planned retail and restaurant spaces
boarded up at the Ansel apartments in Rockville

The developer of the Ansel apartments at 33 Monroe Street in Rockville is finding weak demand for retail space in the ground floor of the newest residential building in Rockville Town Center. Duball, LLC is asking the city's Planning Commission for permission to convert up to 20,153 square feet of ground floor retail space to residential loft apartments, which would have direct access doors to the sidewalk. 

Retail spaces currently on the market
for lease at the Ansel; the developer says
demand for them is weak at this time

Retail and restaurant uses on ground floors are considered beneficial in activating the streetscape in urban areas, and in making pedestrians feel more secure about walking in an area at night. Duball is making a counter-argument in its application, suggesting that having occupants living on the ground floor will activate the streetscape more than having empty, walled-up storefronts. It cites the pandemic retail market as a major obstacle to leasing these already-approved retail and restaurant units, and promises that the loft apartments can be converted back to retail use if demand rises in the future.

A virtual meeting on the matter will be held this Thursday night, December 9, 2021 at 6:00 PM. Access the Zoom meeting online by entering Meeting ID: 929 7347 6840 and Passcode: 894571. You can also join the meeting by phone at +1 301 715 8592 US.

Rockville Chase Bank branch project moving forward on Meixin Supermarket site

J.P. Morgan Chase is moving forward with its proposed Chase Bank branch on the site of the vacant Meixin Supermarket at 460 Hungerford Drive in Rockville. The Mayor and Council last month voted to deny historic status to the Jack Sullivan-designed retail structure, which will now be demolished. 

A Level 2 site plan for the branch will be reviewed by the Planning Commission at its virtual meeting this week on Wednesday, December 8, 2021, at 7:00 PM. Planning staff are recommending approval of the plan, but with a whopping 28 conditions, ranging from lighting that does not cause glare for drivers to compliance with master plan requirements for a shared-use path and future extension of Dawson Avenue.

Photo by Robert Dyer; rendering via City of Rockville

Public art installed at Ansel apartments in Rockville Town Center (Photos)

Public art has now been installed at the new Ansel apartments at 33 Monroe Street in Rockville Town Center. Suspense remains in the air, however, as the art is about 95% under protective cover. The cover is also wrapped in police tape. Only the top parts are sticking out, but details such as a house are visible.