Sign installed at Brightview West End in Rockville (Photos)

The permanent sign has been installed at the Brightview West End senior living apartment building in Rockville Town Center. Featuring 195 units for assisted living, independent living and dementia care, the building is expected to open next month.

Starbucks renovation underway at Rockville Town Square (Photo)

The expected remodeling of the Starbucks at Rockville Town Square is underway. Although the coffee shop had requested a permit to be able to operate a "temporary cafe" during the renovation, when I stopped by yesterday, the Starbucks was simply closed. Old furniture and carpets had been pulled out onto the sidewalk. There was no sign visible stating when the store would reopen yesterday, or what the schedule is during the work.

Rockville mayor: City needs another elementary school

Rockville needs another elementary school in addition to the one currently in the works for the Richard Montgomery cluster, Mayor Bridget Donnell Newton said Monday night. The Mayor and Council were discussing talking points for a letter to Montgomery County Public Schools regarding the relocation of a Chinese immersion program from College Gardens ES to another nearby school. 

Councilmember Mark Pierzchala said the proposed options of moving the program, which requires six classrooms to accommodate, to Twinbrook Elementary or Beall Elementary would be unfair to the neighborhood children who would be forced out of their school. An MCPS report recommended those two schools, and the future "RM5" ES as the three options. Pierzchala argued that the City should not only back RM5 as the Chinese immersion site, but also insist MCPS increase the new school's capacity to 740 seats.

The increase would just barely provide sufficient capacity for students redistricted into RM5, additional students generated by new development, and the Chinese immersion program's six classroom requirement. With student growth expected to continue citywide, and the new school's location in the Hungerford neighborhood, Newton called the situation "a tsunami waiting to happen."

Newton and the Council backed talking points Pierzchala sought to add to the letter regarding the Chinese immersion program. Linda Moran, Assistant to the City Manager, said she had already added Pierzchala's comments to the draft of the letter, and that she and the Mayor could make minor edits this morning.

# # #

Also at last night's meeting, Rockville Sister City Corporation President Drew Powell and Vice-President Brigitta Mullican introduced two of the many Pinneberg, Germany residents expected to visit Rockville this year. This is the 60th anniversary of the relationship between Rockville and Pinneberg, and a delegation from Pinneberg is scheduled to arrive in the City in October. They will participate in the Rocktobierfest on Saturday, October 7, among other activities.

Sears Auto Center closes, leaving only one location in Montgomery County (Photos)

Sears Auto Center has closed at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. Signage has been stripped from the building facade, although some of the lettering has left behind a ghostly image. Now only the White Oak Sears Auto Center remains in Montgomery County.

Handwritten sign
announcing the closure

The closure has added urgency to the debate over when the Sears store at the mall might close. Westfield has already purchased the store building from Sears. But this auto center closure comes as a knowledgeable source tells me Sears is planning a new round of store closures in the coming days or weeks. Notably, this set of closures will now include some profitable Sears locations.

Sign that directs loyal
Sears Auto customers to their
White Oak location

Senior moment passes for 50 Monroe Place, now to be affordable/special needs housing (Photos)

A senior housing project proposed last year for the former IBM site at 50 Monroe Place in Rockville has gone the way of the dodo. In its place, a new development team is envisioning a 7-story, 70-unit residential building with ground floor retail - expected to be a coffee shop. 90% of the units would be affordable, with at least 25% of units reserved for adults with developmental disabilities.

Some of those disabled individuals would work in the coffee shop. The focus on residents with developmental disabilities is the result of the developer's partnership with the Main Street organization. There will also be amenity space that can be utilized by the public, as well as by residents. Parking access will be from Monroe Place.

The 50 Monroe Place project will be taken up by the Development Review Committee at its September 28 meeting. But first, a public meeting will be held on Monday, September 18, 2017 at 7:00 PM in the Rockville Memorial Library 2nd Floor conference room, at 21 Maryland Avenue.

Public meeting scheduled on Chestnut Lodge park proposal

A required pre-application area meeting on the proposed conversion of three Chestnut Lodge parcels into parkland will be held on Tuesday, September 12, 2017 at 7:00 PM in the Mayor and Council chambers at Rockville City Hall. The proposal would remove three land parcels from the Chestnut Lodge Planned Development at 500 West Montgomery Avenue for future use as a public park.

Debate excluding Republican candidate still charging $70 to get in on website

Debate ticket order form
still showing $70 admission fee
for general public this morning

Responding to a public backlash against the idea of charging voters $70 to hear three Democratic candidates for Montgomery County Executive debate on November 15, event co-sponsor Bethesda Magazine announced on its website yesterday morning that the entry fee would be waived, and the debate open to the public. But Republican candidate Robin Ficker, who remains excluded from the debate, questions why the forum's other sponsor is still charging the $70 admission fee on their website.

As of press time, the debate ticket order form on the Greater Bethesda Chamber of Commerce website still shows admission charges for members and non-members of the Chamber. It's possible that people are still buying tickets without knowing the event is now free.

Ficker and others continue to press for his inclusion in the debate. A non-profit hosting a debate that promotes only one of the several political parties active in the County raises some questions. Organizations with tax exemptions cannot endorse candidates or parties unless the expenditures are through a separate political action committee. The Chamber has operated such PAC in the past, but it is not listed as the sponsor of this debate.

Another reason Republicans are wary of Ficker's exclusion is that, in heavily-blue Montgomery County, few debates are held after the primaries. Republican, Green Party, Libertarian and independent candidates are given few public forums to reach voters then, and so it is urgent that organizations include them in primary season debates.