Rockville fireworks 2015

Where to see fireworks in Rockville this year? The location has moved to Mattie J.T. Stepanek Park in King Farm, which should be an improvement for both pedestrians and drivers.

Rockville's July 4 celebration will begin at 7:00 PM Saturday night at the park. A live concert including the Nighthawks will take place from 7:00 until 8:45, when the Mayor and Council will greet attendees from the Stars stage.

Fireworks will begin at 9:15 PM.

For a map of where you can park, click here. If it rains Saturday night, the fireworks will be rescheduled for Sunday, July 5. You can bring food and beverages, blankets and chairs. Food will also be available from several vendors during the event.

Mattie J.T. Stepanek Park

1800 Piccard Drive

Rockville Planning Commission to be briefed on APFS school standards changes July 8

Rockville planning staff will brief the city's Planning Commission on the Adequate Public Facilities Standards changes recently adopted by the City Council regarding school capacity, at the commission's July 8 meeting. The changes weakened the city standards, adopting the less-stringent Montgomery County standards. That means crowding can now reach 120% of capacity, rather than the city's previous 110% standard, and that capacity will be measured by the average of all schools in a cluster, rather than applying the standard to each individual school. By cluster averaging, individual schools have reached overcrowding levels of 180% of capacity in the MCPS system, despite the supposed 120% limit.

A memo from staff to the commission reflects these changes, but also details the elimination of school and transportation requirements for the following types of development in the city:

• Accessory apartments
• Personal living quarters
• Wireless communications facilities
• MCPS schools and portable classroom trailers
• "Up to 3 housing units"
• Senior housing, housing for the disabled, and other age-restricted residential uses
• Nursing homes

The memo also lists the projects that will benefit from the changes most immediately. Those are the Avalon Bay apartment project at Twinbrook, and an EYA development planned for the Tower Oaks area.

This meeting will begin at 7:00 PM on Wednesday, July 8, at City Hall, and will be broadcast live on Channel 11.

Future Rockville restaurant Stanford Grill gets serious about sushi (Photos)

Stanford Grill will be opening in September at 2000 Tower Oaks Boulevard in Rockville. They'll be adding world-class sushi to the American cuisine they've already built a following for at their Columbia location. You might not be surprised to hear that they've named an executive chef for the Rockville restaurant who knows sushi well.

Sean Kinoshita will come to Rockville from his former restaurant, the famed Tao Asian Bistro in Las Vegas. Of his cuisine, Kinoshita says, "A lot of people ask me how I make good food. I just say, I make food I like to eat. I make food that reflects my taste and flavors."

For the Stanford Grill Rockville menu, Kinoshita has created 5 sushi rolls, including:  two spicy tuna rolls, one original-style with sriracha mayo and one battera style. The spicy tuna roll battera style coils around avocado, sashimi, wasabi, scallions, sriracha mayo and unagi sauce. A coconut shrimp roll will feature a spicy masago mayo, crisp cucumber, avocado and pea sprouts. And a yellowtail jalapeno roll will bundle yellowtail, jalapeno, wasabi and cilantro.

But Stanford Grill wants to give you a preview of his handiwork in advance. They are hosting 3 special preview sushi nights with Chef Sean Kinoshita at the following locations and dates (reservations are recommended due to limited seating):

July 13, 4-10 PM

Stanford Grill

8900 Stanford Boulevard

Columbia, MD 21045

410-312-0445

July 27, 4-10 PM

Copper Canyon Grill

928 Ellsworth Drive

Silver Spring, 20910

301-589-1330

August 10, 4-10 PM

Copper Canyon Grill

9300 Taj Lane

Lanham, MD 20706

301-322-8600

Quickway Hibachi opens in Rockville (Photos)

Work in downtown Rockville? You may have a new spot for lunch. Quickway Hibachi is celebrating its Grand Opening in JBG's new retail development at 275 N. Washington Street. This is north of Rockville Town Square, and part of the Phase II redevelopment of Rockville's town center.

They have hard copy takeout menus, and you can also see their menu online. "Hibachi" may make you think of grilled, but they do have a good selection of sushi as well. You can combine these for a takeout bento box. The dining room is pretty nice, too, if you prefer to dine-in.

Ted's 355 Diner closed in Rockville (Photos)

Retro yet gleaming, Ted's 355 Diner has been a popular dining destination for those seeking a modern version of yesteryear's diner experience. Alas, the nostalgia is over, as patrons found when they pulled up for a meal this weekend. "What's going on?" "Are they closed?", many asked, before heading back to their vehicles in disappointment.

Indeed, Ted's 355 Diner has closed permanently. It's currently unknown if the space will be leased to another restaurant, or replaced altogether by another structure. The diner has occupied a prominent roadside spot on Rockville Pike for many years.

Here are some photos for history's and posterity's sake:

Rockville residents, businesses express concerns at Southlawn Industrial Area listening session (Photos)

The City of Rockville held two listening sessions on the Southlawn Industrial Area Feasibility Study Thursday, at the David Scull Community Center on First Street. A presentation by consultant VHB gave a background on the current conditions of the industrial area bordered by Gude Drive, First Street, Lincoln Street, Lofstrand Lane and North Horners Lane.

The industrial area is currently in a bit of a decline, according to statistics presented by Nancy Fox of VHB. In 2011, 945 people were employed in the Southlawn Industrial study area, down 17% since 2002. Most are in the construction field, she said. Of the 27 properties there, 3 are currently at least 50% vacant, the vacancy rate is 17% overall, and vacancies are trending upward in recent years. In contrast, industrial areas described as "North Rockville" and the "Rockville submarket" are trending in a more positive direction in terms of vacancy rates. 43% of workers in the study area live within 10 miles of Southlawn, and 11% live more than 50 miles away, Fox reported.

Dan Lovas of VHB gave an overview of the transportation data the team has gathered at this early stage, although he said they will be collecting much more over the summer. Right now, they've identified North Horners Lane as the road that appears to be suffering from the most "collector" and cut-through traffic related to the industrial area. He noted "we're not seeing really a ton of tractor-trailer activity on Horners," but rather, smaller trucks. Lovas said the study area has a "pretty decent sidewalk system" with some gaps, and an unusually-high number of bicycle facilities for an industrial zone. That includes 2 Capital Bikeshare stations. The goal in the study, Lovas said, will be to better connect all of these bike facilities.

The floor was opened to attendees, who had a variety of concerns. One immediate question was, why wasn't the entire industrial area along Gude Drive being included in the study. Susan Swift, Planning and Zoning Director for the City of Rockville, said the study was intentionally limited to the area in question. She said this specific industrial zone had been a problem area for residents on 3 occasions over the last 15 years. Those controversies led to a call for a study of this type.

"What we were attempting to do was follow up on the study requested," Swift explained. In light of the study area's proximity to residents, the city hopes the study will "interface with the problems, the opportunities, but - frankly - the problems of the industrial and residential being so close to each other," Swift said. The most recent flareup was related to a self-storage facility proposed for the property next to Maryvale Elementary School.

Some industrial landowners and business owners expressed concern that the study and problems might lead to the industrial area being phased out by the city. Referring to resident complaints, one business owner argued most bought their homes well after the industrial area was in operation. "You should not live in an industrial area if you can't handle it," he said. "You should have moved to Washington, D.C., where they don't have that anymore."

One resident replied that he did not feel there was animosity toward the businesses. In talking to 200 of his neighbors related to a neighborhood issue, he said only 1 expressed negativity or a desire for the industrial area to be replaced. Fox noted during her presentation that many of the businesses support the local community, such as providing repairs and services.

Paul Mayer of VHB said concerns about the industrial use being eliminated were premature. The idea of the industrial use disappearing at Southlawn is "not a realistic expectation," he said. However, he added, the study will examine what the current market forces and trends are in the Southlawn area, and how they might be changing.

Going forward, Mayer said, there will be another public meeting in September. Between now and then, VHB will gather more traffic data, hold interviews with stakeholders, assess property values, and develop land use alternatives.

Choice Hotels street renaming request needs more...choice in Rockville

The decision on what - if anything - to rename Renaissance Street to in Rockville Town Center has been delayed again by the Rockville Planning Commission. Last night, representatives of Choice Hotels appeared before the commission in person. Previous discussions, at which Choice did not appear to personally plead the company's case for the name change, were unsuccessful.

Despite the in-person plea, the commissioners did not find the present options any more appealing than they were a few weeks ago. Commissioner Charles Littlefield, echoing the efforts of many in the community to establish a Rockville Science Center and promote science in the city, suggested Galileo as a potential alternative. Chair Don Hadley said he didn't think most people visiting the street were there for science. Hadley and some commissioners thought Hospitality might be an appropriate name. He said it would show the city's appreciation for Choice locating its headquarters there, and also emphasize that the town center is a welcoming place.

Commissioner Jack Leiderman wasn't as enthusiastic, noting that there are Hospitality Ways all over the country, "one off every off-ramp." He said he wasn't so much concerned with having a name that reflected a particular industry, as having one that was specifically related to Rockville. "I'd like some more choices," Leiderman said.

More choices are what the commission will get, a Choice representative promised. "I appreciate that none of these names resonate with the [commission]," he said. He added that the company was very appreciative of the commission's time in taking up the request, and that it is very important to them. Choice will now try to generate some additional name possibilities over the next couple of weeks, and submit them to city staff.

The commission will then revisit the discussion of the change at its July 22 meeting, Staff Liaison Andrew Gunning said.