A Bite of China posts Coming Soon signage in Rockville (Photos)

Some readers were asking where in College Plaza A Bite of China will be opening. Here are a couple of photos, including the "Coming Soon" signage the restaurant has posted on the storefront. A Bite of China will be at 15106-A Frederick Road.

Firefighters respond to vacant American Tap Room in Rockville (Photos)

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue personnel entered the vacant American Tap Room in Rockville Town Square early last evening. They appeared to be searching the building, and inspecting the kitchen. There apparently was no fire, but it's unclear what brought the firefighters there. American Tap Rom closed about three weeks ago.

CS NY Pizza to bring New York-style pizza to Rockville

Having mastered the art of real Neapolitan pizza, the owners of Pizza CS in Rockville are turning their attention to a pizza capital a little closer to home: New York City. CS NY Pizza is promising to bring authentic New York-style pizza to the Edmonston Crossing shopping center, located at 1020-1066 Rockville Pike, just north of Taco Bell.

CS NY Pizza is scheduled to open in March.

Rockville is ready for A Bite of China

A Bite of China isn't just a Chinese television show anymore. It's also going to be the newest addition to Rockville's exploding Asian community and businesses. The restaurant will be located at 15106-A Frederick Road, in the College Plaza shopping center. A Bite of China has applied for a liquor license from Montgomery County. Stay tuned for further details.

Winchester Homes closes on 1900 Chapman Avenue deal in Rockville

Winchester Homes is the developer that will construct 61 townhomes at 1900 Chapman Avenue in Rockville. The former site of Syms, the property is divided between Winchester's project, and a 318 unit apartment building by a separate developer. Winchester has now purchased the 104855 SF site for $10,365,000, according to real estate records. The project is directly adjacent to the CSX railroad tracks and Twinbrook Parkway.

GNC stores in Rockville to close Wednesday, reopen as One New GNC on Thursday

Struggling vitamin and supplement retailer GNC is making a dramatic effort to right the ship this week. Tomorrow, Wednesday, December 28, all of their stores nationwide - including the ones in Fallsgrove and Federal Plaza - will close for the day. When they reopen on Thursday, they will be rebranded as One New GNC, according to a company spokesperson.

Store staff will be armed with tablets to assist customers, and new point-of-sale terminals will provide faster checkouts. A new loyalty program and mobile app will go online at the same time, with the idea of increasing customer incentives to shop at GNC. And inventory will be more diverse, with new brands, and more stock of currently-popular products.

During January, a 1 Million Point Giveaway Contest will be held, and other samples and prizes will be awarded in stores on Saturdays. Robert F. Moran, Interim Chief Executive Officer of GNC, doesn't underestimate the challenge of turning the company around.  "The New GNC leaves the old, broken model behind," he said in a statement. "We're confident it will have a positive impact on the business, but it will take time for the changes to take hold and translate to improved financial results."

Rockville Mayor elected chair of National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board

Rockville Mayor Bridget Donnell Newton was unanimously elected Chairman of the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board for 2017 on Wednesday.  The TPB includes representatives of local governments, state transportation agencies, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority and members of the Maryland and Virginia legislatures, and prepares regional plans and programs for approval by the federal government. Without those plans and approvals, the region cannot receive federal funds for important projects and programs.

Newton is completing her fourth term on the TPB, and served as its vice-chair this past year. She is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, a member at large of the Maryland Municipal League (MML) Board of Directors and served as president of MML's Montgomery County chapter from November 2012 through May 2015. She is in her sixth term on the MML Legislative Committee, of which she was appointed committee chairman in June 2015.

"I am honored and humbled to serve as chairman of the TPB in 2017," Newton said in a statement yesterday. "As a regional, long-range planning board, the TPB has a unique responsibility for thinking across jurisdictional boundaries and decades into the future. I look forward to working closely with my colleagues from across the metro area to address our region's long-term transportation needs."

Newton's election to this key leadership position gives Rockville and Montgomery County an important seat at the table, as critical transportation policy decisions are made for the D.C. region.