Rockville McDonald's now offering $5 meal deal

McDonald's restaurants in the Washington, D.C. area began a new promotion for these inflationary times yesterday. A $5 Meal Deal is now being offered for the summer season. The meal includes your choice of a McDouble or McChicken sandwich, a small fries, a 4-piece Chicken McNuggets, and a small soft drink of your choice. According to the McDonald's app, you can also choose a Hot n Spicy McChicken, as well. In addition to Montgomery County and the D.C. suburbs, the deal will also be available at participating McDonald's restaurants in the Baltimore region and on the Eastern Shore.

“We heard our fans loud and clear – they’re looking for even more great value from us, and this summer that’s exactly what they’ll get,” McDonald’s USA President Joe Erlinger said in a statement Tuesday. “Value has always been part of our DNA. We’re focused on living up to that legacy and offering delicious, affordable options customers can enjoy any time they walk through our doors, go through our drive thru or place an order through our app.”

Assault in Derwood parking lot

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a 2nd-degree assault in Derwood Saturday afternoon, June 22, 2024. The assault was reported in a commercial parking lot in the 17500 block of Redland Road at 4:52 PM. That is a busy commercial area near the intersection with Muncaster Mill Road.

Windows covered at Pour Vino N' Hops in Rockville

The windows at Pour Vino N' Hops at 42 Maryland Avenue in Rockville have been covered with brown paper for several days. There was no sign posted explaining why the store was closed during business hours when these photos were taken. The store's social media accounts did not mention a temporary or permanent closure, or renovation plans. Pour Vino N' Hops opened here in November of 2018.

Rockville shopping center owner says plan to redevelop with 760 apts. is a 20-year-vision

The owner of Pike Center at 12137 Rockville Pike gave an overview of the plan to redevelop the shopping center with 760 apartments with ground floor retail last night, but stressed that this is the company's vision for the future, and predicted no demolition or construction would begin until five to seven years from now. Real estate investment trust Kimco Realty of Jericho, New York was founded in 1958, but only acquired Pike Center at the end of 2021, when it obtained the previous owner's portfolio of properties. Greg Reed, VP of Development for Kimco, said the company has new dining tenants in the works for the short term, and already holds a permit for 15,000-square-feet of fit-out construction related to those from Montgomery County. That includes Luna Hall, which will be a multi-tenant food hall, and celebrity chef Jose Garces' Buena Onda Baja Taqueria.

Kimco representatives emphasized that the company holds its properties for the long-term, and doesn't redevelop them to flip in a sale. That's one reason that the residential buildings constructed in the future are expected to be apartments, not condos, as Kimco wants to retain control as sole owner. Last night's meeting was not required, as the company is not filing immediate plans with Montgomery County. When each phase of the redevelopment moves forward in the future, community meetings will be held for public input. 

The Phase 1 building, which is likely to be the one on the south end of the property along Bou Avenue, is expected to be anchored by a grocery tenant. Interior streets, sidepaths along the exterior property lines, and a half-acre park would be constructed. 15% of the apartments would be Moderately-Priced Dwelling Units (MPDUs), the minimum affordable housing required by Montgomery County. The site is in unincorporated Rockville, and is within a half-mile of the Twinbrook Metro station.

One concern expressed at last night's meeting was the fate of the current Shell station. A member of the family who owns the gas station asked what will happen when the Phase 2 building - which currently includes the Shell site - is constructed. Kimco expects to allow tenants at the center who hold leases up to nine years to run those out. The Shell owner asked if the gas station could be part of the new development, and was told that nothing is set in stone yet about the future plans.

Renderings courtesy Kimco Realty

Express, Express Men to close at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Express and Express Men are closing at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The brand announced it would close nearly 100 stores after it declared bankruptcy this spring. But Bethesda wasn't on that April list. Alas, just as Express was acquired by a new owner, the axe has fallen. Everything must go!

Amazon Fresh Shady Grove Road store opening soon in reversal of plans by retail giant (Photos)

Amazon will open its Amazon Fresh grocery store at 15790 Shady Grove Road at the 270 Center on the border of Rockville and Gaithersburg after all, according to signage posted at the property. This saga began when I broke the story about Amazon leasing the space way back on September 1, 2020. The retail giant completed the interior fit-out of the store by the late summer of 2022, and spent months installing its Just Walk Out system electronics. It then postponed the grand opening to 2023, only to abruptly remove all signage from the building in April of 2023. Many other Amazon Fresh stores - some of them fully-constructed like the Shady Grove location - were also "paused" or canceled around the same time.

But after 14 months of abandonment of the project, Amazon suddenly posted help wanted ads for the Shady Grove Road store at the start of this month. Was this a glitch in Amazon's job site? On June 5, I emailed all three leasing representatives for 270 Center to ask if Amazon had reversed its decision. All three declined to reply to my inquiries. 

The secret can no longer be contained, however. On Sunday, a large banner was posted on the blank storefront with the familiar Amazon logo. Inside the store, more Amazon signage is visible. Parking space reservation signs for curbside pickup and Amazon Flex drivers are massed in the store's vestibule. And self-checkout machines are not only in place, but are activated with lit screens. 

Amazon's decision to go forward with the store is a triple win for the community. It will greatly increase foot traffic to 270 Center and its other tenants, a benefit the property owner has had to wait for nearly four years to realize. Second, Amazon Fresh delivery will now be extended to parts of the area where it has been unavailable. Finally, along with the new Aldi at the Walnut Hill Shopping Center, south Gaithersburg, Derwood, and upper Rockville residents will now have two grocery stores whose business models are centered around competitive pricing. Aldi is expected to open in July; Amazon has not announced the opening date for the Amazon Fresh as of this writing.

Dirty Dough opening in Rockville

Cookies are most definitely the new cupcakes and fried ice cream rolls. And here comes the latest entry in the latest trend, Dirty Dough. The rapidly-expanding chain has leased a space at 36-B Maryland Avenue at Rockville Town Square. How does Dirty Dough differentiate itself from the Crumbl Cookies, Levain Bakeries, and Chip Cities of the world? With stuffed fillings that render their creations not as mere cookies, but "super-stuffed cookie bombs." 

Like the competition, Dirty Dough is constantly producing limited-edition flavors, on a weekly basis in this case. If you need more sugar to go with your cookies, they also serve Dirty Shakes, in which you can have any cookie of your choice mixed in, and Dirty Scoops of ice cream. "Coming soon" signage has been posted in Dirty Dough's future Rockville storefront. The chain has an existing Maryland location in Halethorpe, with new ones coming soon in Baltimore and Laurel.