Westfield Montgomery Mall to reopen Tuesday, June 23; Nordstrom opening early this weekend

Westfield Montgomery Mall is ready to come out of Covid hibernation. They will be reopening on Tuesday, June 23, 2020. The mall's hours initially will be 11:00 AM-7:00 PM Monday-Saturday, and 12:00-6:00 PM Sundays.

But you can get an even earlier start to shopping beginning this Saturday at Nordstrom, because they'll be reopening ahead of the rest of the mall this weekend (Nordstrom has its own entrance).

Nordstrom will have special hours this Saturday and Sunday 11:00 AM-5:00 PM.  Starting Monday, Nordstrom will be open Monday-Saturday 11:00 AM-7:00 PM, and Sundays 12:00-5:00 PM.

Montgomery County's Phase 2 reopening that begins Friday at 5:00 PM requires masks to be worn, and social distancing observed, in stores. There may be restrictions on how many customers may be in a store at one time if it gets crowded.

Malls in Montgomery County will be "open for shopping, not for socializing," County Executive Marc Elrich said yesterday. "The food courts will not be opening," Elrich said. "We are not going to allow people to gather in the mall."

Award-winning Rockville police officer promoted to corporal

City of Rockville police Officer Brandon Thomas has been promoted to the rank of Corporal, the department announced yesterday afternoon. If Officer Thomas' name sounds familiar, he has been in the news before. In 2019, Thomas received the Citation for Bravery at the annual Rockville Public Safety Awards ceremony for pulling a man threatening to commit suicide back from the ledge of a parking garage. 

At the 2018 awards, Thomas received the Lifesaving Award for saving the life of a stabbing victim at an unsecured violent crime scene. His colleagues Corporal Jonathan Lally and Corporal Steve Malko also received that award for their part in the same lifesaving effort.

Photo courtesy City of Rockville Police Department

America's largest crabapple tree would be relocated for redevelopment of Rockville office building

Tree designated "National Champion"

for its air and water purification

properties, height & circumference

UPDATE - July 21, 2020: The article has been updated to indicate that Montgomery County's assertion that a homeowner has agreed to accept the relocated tree is false; the homeowner has not even been contacted about the matter, much less agreed to accept the tree

A developer has proposed a plan to redevelop a one-story office building at 12500 Ardennes Avenue in the Twinbrook area of Rockville as a residential building. The property is directly adjacent to the City of Rockville, and is indeed partially surrounded by land within the city's jurisdiction, but falls under the planning authority of Montgomery County.

Developer Ardennes Partners, LLC is proposing a 203-unit residential building. It is requesting a 22% density bonus for affordable units it will include, and an additional 10% density bonus for workforce housing units. The project will be 198,718 SF in total, and 100' in height.

A national champion southern crabapple tree currently stands on the property (there are actually several mature trees on the site). It is the largest known southern crabapple tree in America, according to American Forests.

The developer has proposed relocating the tree to a "nearby" site on Vandegrift Avenue. That site is actually about four blocks away on the lawn of a private home, and is not visible from Twinbrook Parkway. However, the owner of the property Montgomery County claims would be accepting the tree tells me she has never given permission for the tree to be planted there, and that she has never even been approached by the developer or Montgomery County about the matter. There is currently a petition to stop relocation of the tree. Montgomery County Planning staff is proposing to require the applicant to be responsible for the survival of the tree at its new location for only five years.

Proposed site plan

A mostly-above-ground parking deck will hold 181 parking spaces. The site is a quarter-mile from the Twinbrook Metro station, and is allowed under Montgomery County rules to provide less than the minimum required parking spaces. An "urban plaza" will be constructed at the corner of Ardennes and Twinbrook Parkway.

It's unclear why the building could not have been configured to instead locate the plaza around the crabapple tree. The developer cites the need to grade the property, the need to construct a new sidewalk along Twinbrook Parkway, and Montgomery County's own demand that it dedicate right-of-way space along the parkway side to the County, as reasons the tree could not remain in place. Staff indicates in their report that the developer will be moving the tree at "considerable expense."

The Montgomery County Planning Board will review the proposed plan at its June 25 meeting. Planning staff is recommending approval of the plan, with conditions.

Amalfi Ristorante Italiano cautious on Phase 2 Montgomery County reopening, predicts July return

Montgomery County will move into Phase 2 of its reopening from the coronavirus lockdown on Friday at 5:00 PM, which will permit indoor dining at 50% of capacity. Amalfi Ristorante Italiano won't be among the Rockville establishments taking the leap of faith, however. The owners say it's too financially risky to restock the restaurant now, given the risk of a spike in coronavirus cases in the region that could force another abrupt shutdown, and the potential reluctance of many to eat at restaurants.

They say they plan to wait for Phase 3. Amalfi estimates right now that they could reopen July 7, perhaps by then having a better gauge of just how strong the market is for dining-in, as opposed to rolling the dice beforehand.

I-270 resurfacing begins

The Maryland State Highway Administration is beginning a resurfacing project on southbound I-270 between Falls Road in Rockville and Democracy Boulevard in Bethesda. Expect lane closures in that direction between 7:00 PM and 5:00 AM Sundays-Thursdays through late summer 2020. SHA says that two lanes will always be open southbound during the work hours. Sure enough, crews were out already Sunday evening.

Pike & Rose to add new dog park, shipping container bar

New additions to Prose Street are in the works at Pike & Rose. A new pop-up bar will be constructed out of refurbished shipping containers there, where The Beach at Pike & Rose has drawn crowds the two previous summers.

The bar's concept has not been made public yet, but you can see an example of a beer garden that was built out of shipping containers at Assembly Row in Boston, another property in Pike & Rose owner Federal Realty's portfolio. Also coming to Prose Street will be a fenced-in dog park.

What dining at IHOP in Rockville will be like when indoor seating resumes

The tents out in front of IHOP at the Ritchie Center on Rockville Pike are the most visible sign of coronavirus-era dining at the popular restaurant. But behind the scenes, IHOP is preparing for the green light from Montgomery County to allow dine-in service again. The County hasn't even moved to Phase 2 yet, much less the indoor dining with restrictions of Phase 3, but here's a sneak preview of what dining at IHOP will be like when it does.

Diners will be asked to wait in their cars outside to be informed that a table is ready for them. Only a limited number of diners will be allowed inside at one time, and diners with fevers or other COVID-19 symptoms will be turned away. Hand sanitizer will be available, and all high-touch surfaces will be sanitized throughout the day.

Once seated, you will order from a single-use paper menu that will be thrown away. Syrup and other condiments will be served in single-use containers. Staff will wear masks and will be subject to daily wellness and temperature checks. For now, however, takeout and curbside pickup are available.