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.

Construction advancing at new Rockville Qdoba (Photos)

Qdoba is out to an early lead among new tenants at the new Rock Grove shopping center at the corner of MD 355 and Shady Grove Road. The interior fit-out appears to be more than 50% complete. Permanent signage was installed this week above the storefront. The Mexican chain has an existing Rockville location at 128 Rollins Avenue.

Japanese supermarket Ebisu Life Store opening in Rockville

Ebisu Life Store, a Japanese supermarket chain, will open a new location in Rockville at 836 Rockville Pike. This space was formerly home to Shah & Patel Grocery, and is next door to Mattress Frame. Ebisu Life Store has existing locations in New York City and Aurora, Colorado. In addition to imported groceries and snacks, the store will also carry health and beauty products and other goods from Japan.

Rockville biotech receives patent for tech that can identify patients at-risk of opioid addiction

HSR.health CEO Ajay Gupta

Rockville-based HSR.health announced this morning that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued a patent for the firm's novel use of geospatial tech, advanced AI models, and sets of social determinants of health data to identify patients at risk of opioid addiction. The technology also can identify patients at risk of having an overdose in the next 12 months. Overall, the purpose is to mitigate these negative outcomes before they happen, the company said.

HSR.health CEO Ajay Gupta said this morning that the issuing of the patent "is an acknowledgement of the uniqueness of our health-focused spatial data infrastructure." The now-patented tech can also be applied to pre-diabetic patients. Other areas of focus for the firm are reducing hospital readmissions, and assisting countries with pandemic response efforts.

Six additional HSR.health patent applications are now before the USPTO, related to geospatial tech, data and AI models. Montgomery County's biotech sector continues to be the bright spot amid an otherwise-moribund county economy.

PetWellClinic opening in Rockville

When your dog goes to Pike & Rose next year, it may not just be for fun and treats at Bark Social. That's because PetWellClinic is opening a location on the Rockville Pike/Old Georgetown Road corner of the Federal Realty property. The preventative-care veterinary clinic will be between Visionworks and Chipotle.

Franchisees Dave Ballow and Liz Overmann plan to open this and 24 other locations in our region. The Knoxville-based clinic chain was founded in 2009 by Dr. Sam Meisler, who sought to catch pet illnesses early through preventative care, while lowering vet bills for pet owners by stopping disease before it requires more expensive treatment.