Renamed Rockville street gets official signage as Helen Heneghan Way (Photos)

The City of Rockville has acted quickly on the renamed street running down the middle of the Duball, LLC developments between Regal Row and Rockville Town Square. Signs bearing the new name, Helen Heneghan Way, have been installed less than 30 days after the city's Planning Commission voted to give Renaissance Street the new moniker. The change was made at the behest of Choice Hotels, which didn't like having the street by its properties labeled for a competing hotel brand.

Potomac Grill closes in Rockville (Photos)

Potomac Grill has closed in the Talbott Shopping Center on Rockville Pike. The traditional steak and seafood restaurant lasted a decade, which many restauranteurs will tell you is an impressive accomplishment in the industry by itself.

Owner Scott Blaugrund says he and his family are "heartbroken" to say goodbye to loyal customers. The exit also leaves Talbott Center with a significant vacancy to fill for the time being.

MoCo planners recommend moving Rockville Confederate statue to Beall Dawson House, or "private entity"

Montgomery County planners are recommending the Montgomery County Planning Board endorse moving the controversial Confederate statue from the Red Brick Courthouse to the Beall Dawson House in Rockville. As an alternative, they suggest giving it to the United Daughters of the Confederacy, or another private owner. As a last resort, they recommend relocating it to one of two possible County parks, in Potomac or Darnestown.

Such a move is hardly agreed upon yet, but any removal of the statue will have to go through the Rockville Historic District Commission. That body - mostly unknown to the public, but well-known to readers of this blog, which covers its meetings regularly - has jurisdiction over the Rockville Old Courthouse Historic District, in which the statue currently stands.

The statue itself is owned by Montgomery County, as is the property it rests on.

Montgomery County Council staffmember Marlene Michaelson was directed by Council President George Leventhal this summer to convene a committee, to discuss the relocation of the statue. Michaelson began a site search, and inquired about one in particular, Woodlawn Manor Special Park.

Several meetings were held in late July and August. Leventhal then invited the following individuals to participate in another meeting on August 11:

Timothy Chesnutt, Director of Recreation and Parks, City of Rockville
Anthony Cohen, President, Menare Foundation and Button Farm
Bonnie Kirkland, Assistant Chief Administrative Officer, Office of the County Executive
Jamie Kuhns, Senior Historian, M-NCPPC
Joey Lampl, Cultural Resources Manager, M-NCPPC
Matthew Logan, Executive Director, Montgomery History
Joy Nurmi, Special Assistant to the County Executive
Nancy Pickard, Executive Director, Peerless Rockville
Anita Powell, President of the Montgomery County Maryland Branch NAACP and Lincoln Park Historical Foundation
Laurie-Anne Sayles, President, African American Democratic Club of Montgomery County
Scott Whipple, Supervisor of Historic Preservation Unit, M-NCPPC

Powell is also a commissioner on the Rockville HDC.

From a list of 14 potential sites, the group did not agree upon or endorse a final location for the statue, but generated a shorter list of 5 potential locations:

1. Beall-Dawson Historical Park in Rockville.
2. Callithea Farm Special Park in Potomac.
3. Darnestown Square Heritage Park in Darnestown.
4. Jesup Blair Local Park in Silver Spring.
5. The Edgewood Farm (privately owned) in Gaithersburg/Unity.

Some participants expressed concern that the County would lose control of who could access the statue, should the private owner wish to restrict public access. The County might also lose the ability to provide context in any display of the statue, with some worrying the display could continue to be offensive to some. Others felt the statue should remain where it is, with better interpretive display elements.

A chart is scheduled to be posted on the Montgomery County Council website next week, to allow for public comment.

RockvilleNights.com has obtained the chart already, however (click to enlarge):

If you can't wait until next week, comments on the statue can be sent to Council President George Leventhal / Montgomery County Council / Re: Confederate Statue / 100 Maryland Ave. / Rockville, MD 20850, or by email to county.council@montgomerycountymd.gov.

Someone will also have to pay for the "hard costs" of moving and maintaining and securing the statue. County Executive Ike Leggett has identified the following costs:

 Access (if driveway, path, parking, trail, etc. are needed or to achieve ADA compliance)
 Fencing
 Lighting (depending on which site is selected)
 Security
 Conservation
 Interpretive Signage and other Historical Display Items

Montgomery County's Department of Parks has stated it does not believe the statue should go to a public park in the county.

Callithea Farm is primarily an equestrian facility on River Road, and the statue would have to be fenced to keep visitors separated from pastured horses. The park is adjacent to the Camp at Muddy Branch site, a Union camp during the Civil War, and a trail would have to be built from Blockhouse Point Conservation Park (the modern location of the camp) into Callithea Farm. No lighting could be used, as it would attract insects that carry diseases afflicting horses.

Darnestown Square Heritage Park seems an unlikely location, as it is adjacent to a Harris Teeter-anchored shopping center on Route 28. 18,000 Union soldiers camped there, but does that make sense as a tie-in when you consider the statue remembers Confederate soldiers? Wouldn't the risk of vandalism - likely to persist at almost any publicly-accessible location, particularly with the media attention and controversy - be high there, as well? There is no vehicle access at this site, either, and it contains a cemetery at which the grounds may not be disturbed or altered.

Jesup Blair Local Park is a more accessible location, in a higher population area - which obviously would increase the vandalism risk, as well. Located at Georgia Avenue and Blair Road near the D.C. line, the park is named for a member of the famed Blair family, which has been extremely prominent in county and Maryland history - including during the Civil War.  That connection, and specifically, the Blairs' close ties to the Lincoln administration (and the fact that Montgomery Blair's house was burned by the Confederates), make this again seem like a downright nutty context for a Confederate statue. In my opinion, at least.

Planning staff is discouraging placement of the statue at any of these 3 County parks.

Their top recommendation is to move it to the Beall Dawson House, or transfer it to the Daughters of the Confederacy or another private owner.

If it is necessary to utilize a County park, however, staff is recommending Callithea Farm - but only if "it can be housed in a true Civil War visitor center." That would require the statue to be stored at County expense until such a facility could be funded and constructed.

The second choice of planners is Darnestown Square. They are recommending the Planning Board ask Leggett and Leventhal to remove Jesup Blair from consideration.

Leggett is expected to appear before the Rockville HDC at its September 17 meeting. The County Planning Board will discuss the matter and vote on their recommendations at their September 3 meeting.

Mellow Mushroom applies for liquor license in Rockville (Photo)

Finally, some signs of life at the future site of Mellow Mushroom in Rockville Town Square. The eccentric Southern pizzeria has applied for its liquor license from Montgomery County. Their hearing is scheduled for September 17.

World of Beer coming to Rockville (Photos)

"550+ beers from around the world" - under the Montgomery County liquor regime? I've gotta see this. But that's what World of Beer is promising.

A liquor license application sign announcing the restaurant's future arrival was posted on an unfinished storefront in the Upton apartments, across the street from the Regal Rockville theater.

It's not yet known how World of Beer will keep its promise with MoCo's famed liquor challenges, which leave many bar owners with empty taps when their special orders can't be filled. But the beer list from World of Beer's Arlington location tempts one to imagine having an 1809 Berliner Weissbeer or Eggenberg or Heavy Seas Fielder's Choice on the patio this fall.

Dining options at the Arlington location include their signature German Pretzel with choice of mustards, sriracha lime shrimp tacos, and Belgian Waffle S'mores.

Should Gordon Biersch be concerned about this new competitor on the next block?

Iran deal supporters to rally in Rockville today at noon

Supporters of the proposed American nuclear deal with Iran will rally in the fountain area outside the Red Brick Courthouse at 29 Courthouse Square today, August 26, at noon in Rockville. The event is one of many planned nationwide today by a MoveOn.org-led coalition of groups.

Participants will deliver 153 pages of signatures on a petition asking Congress to support the Iran deal, and will thank Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D - 8th District) for his support of the agreement worked out between political representatives of Iran and the Obama administration, the United Kingdom, France, China, Russia, Germany, and the European Union.

"Community members will be delivering Congressman Chris Van Hollen a big 'Thank you!' for supporting the historic agreement to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapons production capability," Rockville resident and event organizer Rob Lovelace said Tuesday.

Osdoby, Team Rockville make it official (Photos)

"You probably might guess what we're going to say tonight, but act surprised," Max van Balgooy joked at the outset of last night's campaign kickoff for the reworked Team Rockville candidate slate. Van Balgooy, returning as the slate's campaign manager, had the right idea, given that the slate had become the worst-kept secret in Rockville over the last few days.

Campaign Manager Max van Balgooy
introduces Team Rockville 2015

Sima Osdoby announces
her candidacy for Mayor

Sima Osdoby, a 35-year resident of the city, officially announced her candidacy for mayor of Rockville, and will take on incumbent Bridget Donnell Newton in the November 3 contest. Osdoby has served on many city boards, and as Board President of Peerless Rockville. Joining her on the reshuffled slate, which swept all four council seats in the 2013 race, are former councilmember Mark Pierzchala, incumbents Julie Palakovich Carr and Virginia Onley, and newcomer Clark Reed.

Clark Reed

"Who is Clark Reed, anyway," Reed asked the crowded clubhouse at New Mark Commons, predicting the question Rockville residents who don't follow the doings of the city's Environment Commission may be asking themselves this morning. Reed is the chair of that Commission. A Twinbrook resident since 2002, Reed said he's running because "I really wanted to give back to the city."

A co-founder of the Rockville Solar Co-op, Reed says his venture is "literally giving power to the people," having signed up 200 families for solar panels this year. Despite his rookie status in electoral politics in Rockville, he didn't shy away from taking a swipe at the current Mayor and Council. Reed argued that "personal grudges grew into dysfunction," producing a "continuous shower of negativity." Presumably referring to those who opposed weakening school capacity standards in the city's Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance, Reed said, "fearmongering is stopping us from moving forward."

That divide over planning and development became the central theme of the evening. By event's end, one thing was clear - Team Rockville leans more toward the dense, transit-oriented redevelopment being implemented at the city's door in the Pike District, than the small town approach the city has followed outside of its town center for decades.

Mark Pierzchala

Speaking of Town Center, it's in serious trouble according to Pierzchala. He noted he has counted 15 empty storefronts in the Town Center area. "That is stunning, given the amount of money we've spent," Pierzchala said, promising to "renew those [shopping] centers." Palakovich Carr cited the "problems ailing Rockville Town Center" as one of her priorities.

Palakovich Carr spoke the least about development, however, positioning herself as an environmental and pedestrian safety advocate. Overhauling the city's Animal Control Ordinance and the establishment of a water conservation program are among her first-term accomplishments. She said Rockville should be a city "where no one loses their life or jeopardizes their safety" when walking or biking. She also noted her vote in favor of bringing the city's school capacity standards in line with Montgomery County's weaker standards, which has opened the entire city up for development. That 3-2 Council vote enraged a large, well-organized coalition of citizens. Palakovich Carr termed the dissenters a "vocal minority of naysayers" last night.

Virginia Onley

Onley embraced her deciding vote on that school overcrowding issue. "I was responsible for bringing back the agenda item on the APFO/APFS," she said, to vigorous applause from supporters. She pinned the need for more housing on the growing number of millennials. Rockville needs more housing units "so that they can live in their city," Onley argued.

"I swore I was never gonna join another slate," Onley recalled. She said the caliber of the new slate changed her mind, promising that Team Rockville will "keep their thumbs on the pulse of development" if elected.

Osdoby

But mayoral candidate Osdoby gave perhaps the most aggressive speech of the evening, slamming unnamed elected officials by arguing "change is happening all around us, but critical decisions are not being made." And when decisions are made, the answer is "too often, 'No'," Osdoby said.

"Doing nothing costs," Osdoby declared. "We're standing still. The future is passing us by."

Criticizing the delay in the update of the Rockville Pike Plan, Osdoby charged "something's wrong here." Planning Commissioners recently defended the time spent on the plan as valuable in obtaining citizen input, and the fault of those on the Council who changed the APFS standards that were relied upon throughout the current draft. With those now out the window, the Commission said the Council knew their actions would delay the plan further.

Osdoby somewhat ironically blamed Newton for "failing to forge consensus" as mayor, given that Team Rockville's message last night implicitly labeled a sizable group of Rockville residents as a "vocal minority" of "fearmongering" bad actors, who in Pierzchala's words, are "spending too much time fighting last century's battles." Not exactly words to bring the city together.

Turnout was sizable for the last-minute event. Osdoby noted that the slate had only been working together for a few days, and "we've got a room full of people here." Notables in the crowd included former Mayor Rose Krasnow, current Councilmember Tom Moore, Maryland State Senator Cheryl Kagan (D - District 17), and former Planning Commissioners Jerry Callistein and Steven Johnson.

Not all supporters were from the city, however. Former state Democratic Party chair Susie Turnbull, Somerset Mayor Jeffrey Slavin, and Montgomery County Planning Board Commissioner Natali Fani-Gonzalez were also in attendance. I asked Fani-Gonzelez, who recently became the first Latino commissioner ever appointed to the Planning Board, if she was endorsing the slate. She clarified that she was there not to officially endorse anyone, but because she served on the board of Emerge Maryland with Osdoby. Turnbull was a co-founder of Emerge Maryland.

Montgomery County Planning Commissioner
Natali Fani-Gonzalez (right) joins supporters
behind Team Rockville
at the end of the event

Team Rockville will compete against Newton, Council incumbent Beryl Feinberg, and challengers Brigitta Mullican and Richard Gottfried for the mayoral seat, and four council seats, on November 3. The voters who turned out in 2013 appeared to be undecided on what direction they wanted the city to take.

Voters that year eagerly voted for the council candidates on Team Rockville, but chose Newton over Pierzchala. One could interpret that as a desire by the citizens to pursue many of the agenda items of Team Rockville, but wanting Newton as a check on that power. One could also interpret Pierzchala's decision to run for council this year, rather than mayor, as a tacit admission that Newton will be tough to beat.

Or, perhaps the political ground has shifted since then. That's what makes elections exciting.

Rain didn't dampen the
turnout at the New Mark Commons
Clubhouse