Open house tonight on Rockville Swim Center improvements

An open house will be held from 7:00-9:00 PM tonight, May 6, 2015, at the Rockville Swim Center, at 355 Martins Lane in Rockville. The purpose is to get citizen feedback on proposed upgrades and renovations at the center, and answer questions.

A report outlining the needs of the facility, and the proposed options for renovation, is available to read online.

Quickway Hibachi & Sushi posts Coming Soon signage in Rockville (Photos)

Quickway Hibachi & Sushi has posted Coming Soon signage at its future 275 N. Washington Street home. Several Asian-owned businesses have signed leases at that JBG retail/office property. I note that the name has changed from the originally-announced "Quickway Hibachi Grill".

Kaypi Peruvian Chicken coming to Rockville (Photos)

A space once home to an Italian restaurant and a pizzeria is getting a different international flavor on Veirs Mill Road. Kaypi Peruvian Chicken is coming soon to the Twinbrook Marketplace shopping center at 2005 Veirs Mill Road in Rockville.

The Upton leasing center opens today in Rockville (Photos)

The leasing center for the new Upton luxury apartments in Rockville Town Center will open in an hour, at 9:00 AM this morning. Future tenants can choose among studios, 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom apartments. Amenities in the 16-story building include a rooftop deck, a 9th-floor rooftop pool and fitness center, and a 15th-floor club room with outdoor terrace.

First residents are scheduled to move in by late May.

Their office is located at 44 Maryland Avenue. Alas, the online appointment scheduler is currently claiming appointments are already booked up for today through the weekend.

Rockville homeowners forming solar energy co-op

Rockville residents interested in joining a new cooperative solar energy group can learn more at a May 5 meeting at City Hall. The City of Rockville is providing outreach support to an enterprise of MD SUN and Community Power Network, and the Rockville Environment Commission is organizing the effort.

The meeting will be at 7:00 PM, and you can register online.

This is only one of many alternative energy options out there. Homeowners should examine these programs carefully, and consider the pros and cons - as well as the age of their existing roof - before signing anything or installing solar panels.

Clark Reed, a Rockville Environment Commissioner, says that reverse metering will be available, and that residents who sign up in May will be able to get solar panels installed by September or October.

Twinbrook reelects citizen association officers, sets agenda for coming year

Twinbrook Citizens Association members reelected the incumbent slate of officers at last night's election meeting at the Twinbrook Recreation Center. President Richard Gottfried defeated challenger Rob Crow 29-9. The 38 voting residents also reelected the other officers, who were unopposed:

Vice-president: Dr. Steven Wilcox

Secretary: Mary Ann Barnes

Treasurer: Christina Ginsberg

Member-at-large East: Rachel Sultanik

Member-at-large West: Virginia Quesada

The presidential contest turned primarily on questions of how dense development should be around the Twinbrook Metro station, with Crow favoring taller buildings. How to get more residents involved in the association was another issue, as was the association's handling of nearby development like the B.F. Saul project and Rockville Pike Plan. Gottfried cited the increase in turnout for important meetings since he took office a year ago, and outlined plans for further outreach, such as partnering with the Recreation Center's movie nights this summer.

After the vote, Gottfried and Treasurer Christina Ginsberg discussed some of the priority issues that will most affect Twinbrook in the coming year. Ginsberg cited the likely return of Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett's proposal for an appointed taxing authority this fall, and the debate over potential historic preservation efforts that could impact property values, as the two biggest issues. 

Ginsberg said historic designation would hurt home values, sending potential buyers to adjacent Aspen Hill where they wouldn't have to get every exterior change approved by the Historic District Commission. 

Gottfried said the county's bus rapid transit proposals, expansion or replacement of the Twinbrook Recreation Center, the need for a sprinkler system at Twinbrook Elementary School and a streetlight at Halpine Road and Ardennes, the APFS school standards debate, and requiring more developer investment in the neighborhood, are among at least 30 issues he will be working on in the months ahead. He said the association will begin lobbying the Mayor and Council on needed projects this fall for next year's budget decisions.

Among issues brought up by residents was men gathering to drink in Rockcrest Park, who are leaving glass bottles behind on park property that borders several homes.

It's alive. Again. APFS proposal to return for "possible" vote in Rockville

Rockville residents who just beat back yet another attempt to weaken the city's Adequate Public Facilities Standards may be experiencing a sense of deja vu. The proposal to align the APFS school overcrowding provisions with Montgomery County's weaker standards is back, and could face a vote on May 18 or June 1. City Manager Barbara Matthews told the Mayor and Council last night that the final date would depend on which meeting had space to add the APFS to the agenda.

The discussion and "possible vote" on the APFS changes was allowed onto a future agenda last night, under the rule that 3 Council members can request an agenda item be added for a specific meeting date. Councilmember Virginia Onley brought up the topic for the second week in a row, saying again that she felt it was critical to have a "discussion" on the APFS.

Councilmember Tom Moore, who has led the effort to change the APFS standards, said that due to the large turnout of residents at two public hearings on the topic, the proposal should be put to a vote, as well. Mayor Bridget Donnell Newton noted that there would have been a vote February 9, but that Moore withdrew his motion that evening, when he realized it would fail. 

Councilmember Julie Palakovich-Carr also favored a discussion and possible vote. Onley said she was more concerned about having a discussion than a vote. Councilmember Beryl Feinberg said she preferred to focus on the more-urgent budget and compensation issues before the council at the moment. Newton said it was clear the proposed changes were opposed by a majority of residents who testified at the public hearings.

The request by Moore, Palakovich-Carr and Onley means there could potentially be a vote on the highly-controversial issue within the next 40 days.