Major changes proposed for once-iconic, long-vacant Rockville mansion

100 W. Montgomery Avenue in Rockville was once an iconic mansion known as one of the most beautiful homes in town. It's hard to argue with that description looking at old photographs of the Queen Anne-style Victorian home built in 1888 for the wealthy Rebecca Veirs. A 1945 fire changed that, with parts of the home having been destroyed, and then rebuilt with additions that greatly altered its appearance. Also altered was its use, from private home to boarding house. Long vacant, the structure is now deteriorating. 

2009 photo of the home

A redevelopment of the property has now been proposed by its owner and local architect Craig Moloney. It would nod to both the original home, and its later multifamily use at the same time. First, the front of the home would be moved forward on the property, closer to the street like the church next door. Second, Moloney would attempt to more accurately recreate the original appearance of the front facade of the home. The post-1945 additions behind it would be demolished, and replaced with an 8-unit apartment building. A small parking lot for tenants would be constructed behind the proposed building.

2022 photo

2022 photo

The Rockville Historic District Commission will conduct a courtesy review of the proposal at its March 16, 2023 meeting. That review is intended to provide feedback from commissioners, and anyone who wishes to testify at the meeting, to the applicant. It is not going to be a final recommendation that will be voted upon that particular evening.

Proposal to move the front of the
home up to the green dotted line

Planning staff have not recommended approval of the proposal yet, finding that it does not meet at least five of the criteria the HDC uses to evaluate this type of application. The proposed building would be significantly larger than the existing home, and larger than most other homes on W. Montgomery Avenue and S. Adams Street. Remaining historic materials on the house would be lost, and the proposed apartment addition would wrap around three sides of the structure. Staff also found that there was not a structural report submitted that adequately verifies that the existing home is beyond repair, and that the proposal would remove several mature trees from the lot.

"The applicant needs to provide much more information to justify the current proposal," the staff report concludes. "Without a structural report there is no definitive evidence of the building’s condition and the HDC can’t make an educated recommendation. With the provided information the HDC can only recommend the house should be rehabilitated and brought into compliance."

Images courtesy City of Rockville, Google Street View

Montgomery County Metro ridership up 94.6% year-over-year

Montgomery County commuters have been returning to the Metro subway system in force in recent months, according to the latest data from WMATA, the D.C.-area transportation authority that operates it. Ridership in January 2023, the most recent month for which data has been made public, was up 94.6% over January 2022. Pandemic-era data released by Google in 2020-2022 had shown much weaker ridership, and a turtle-like pace of increasing return to the system after the initial lockdown of 2020.

A Red Line train approaches the
Rockville station

The biggest surges, 296.6% at Shady Grove and 263.6% at Rockville, may have had more to do with maintenance-related closures at those stops over the last two years. Grosvenor-Strathmore was the next-highest, with an increase of 140.5%. Twinbrook had the smallest increase at 8.7%. WMATA's numbers are based upon the number of entries and exits recorded at each station, so they do not count gate jumpers, only paying customers.

Car stolen from Rockville apartment complex

Rockville City police are investigating the theft of a vehicle from an apartment complex. The vehicle was reported stolen from the parking lot of an apartment complex in the 1000 block of Rockville Pike on March 4, 2023 at 11:27 AM. That appears to be at the Woodmont Park Apartments.

Rockville man arrested in robbery of Girl Scouts

Rockville City police have arrested a suspect in connection with the robbery of Girl Scouts who were selling Girl Scout cookies at the Fallsgrove Village Center Safeway on February 12, 2023. Gerrard Luke Harrison, 24, of Rockville is also accused in the February 18 armed robbery of a food delivery driver in Fallsgrove. Harrison has been charged with armed robbery, robbery, illegal possession of a firearm, use of a handgun in connection with a felony, 2nd degree assault and "handgun on person." Detectives are still reviewing evidence to determine if Harrison is connected to any other crimes. 

Bacon Ranch McCrispy arrives at McDonald's in Montgomery County

The new Bacon Ranch McCrispy has arrived at McDonald's restaurants in Montgomery County. While the limited-time-only menu item is scheduled to be available nationwide on March 13, 2023, it is popping up early at McDonald's locations in Montgomery County. The Bacon Ranch McCrispy sandwich features a "whole muscle chicken filet," topped with a special ranch sauce on both the top and bottom buns, applewood smoked bacon and crinkle-cut pickles. A Deluxe version adds sliced Roma tomatoes and shredded lettuce.

N'SYNC, 98 Degrees, LFO, O-Town members to perform at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda April 1

Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda will transport you back to the golden age of Y2K on Saturday, April 1, 2023. Members of the boy bands that ruled the charts at the dawn of this century will converge on Level 1 of the Nordstrom wing at 1:00 PM that afternoon for a live concert. Hosted by N'SYNC's Chris Kirkpatrick and 98 Degrees' Jeff Timmons, the Y2k Pink Party concert will include live performances by LFO and O-Town. The concert is free, but if you RSVP online and agree to receive promotional emails from the mall, you will be entered to win a meet-and-greet with the boy band stars.

Between 11:00 AM and 8:00 PM on that day, before and after the concert, a DJ will be playing so many records from the Y2K era that you'll feel like you're outside the MTV studios screaming, "Bring me up, Carson!!" A pop-up biergarten will take over the Blossom Lounge near the Lego Store, serving Lone Oak Brewery's Sandbar Tropical Hazy IPA, The MoCo Show MoCo Lite Lager, and Rose Hard Seltzer. The mall is encouraging you to wear pink to the concert.

The mall's Center Court will be set up to accept donations of Spring and Summer clothing, which will earn you coupons for mall restaurants. Donate your old jeans, and American Eagle will turn them into insulation for homes - and give you a coupon for $10-off a new pair. 

Montgomery Mall will be counting down to the concert all this month, with the Cherry Blossom-themed Blossomfest. Find Instagram-ready flower displays for your selfie backdrops in the Nordstrom wing during March, courtesy of Edge Flowers. The Blossom Lounge near the Lego Store will feature displays of pink flowers designed by the region’s premier creative props firm, Brightly Ever After, along with white leather seating. Enjoy free, live jazz music every Friday from March 17 to April 14 from 5:00 - 7:30 PM. Treats from Adonni’s Desserts will be available for purchase.

A female artist showcase will include the mall's new mural, Carpe Diem, by local artist Nicole Bourgea on Level 2, and displays of works by Maggie O'Neill and Cris Logan throughout the mall. Kids will enjoy playing in the cherry blossom-themed playhouses designed by Brightly Ever After.

The April 1 concert won't be Bethesda's first direct connection with N'SYNC, LFO and O-Town. That involved Bethesda company Dynasty Construction, the now-demolished Westwood Center II mini-mall, and a missing sum of $775,000. The true story is no April Fool's joke.

Another assault at Rockville Town Square

Rockville City police responded to a report of a 2nd-degree assault at Rockville Town Square on Friday afternoon, March 3, 2023. The assault was reported in the unit block of Maryland Avenue, between Beall Avenue and E. Middle Lane, at 2:15 PM. It follows a February 25 aggravated assault at the Town Square, and a middle-of-the-night brawl two days later on Gibbs Street.