CarMax site annexation plan approved by Rockville Mayor and Council (Photos)

Rockville's Mayor and Council voted unanimously last night to adopt the annexation plan proposed by developers 355 Partners, LLC and Frederick Road, LLC, for a four-acre property at 15931 Frederick Road. The site is adjacent to the Shady Grove Metro station, and next to the new Bainbridge Shady Grove apartments across Frederick Road from King Farm. It was formerly home to a CarMax auto dealership, which has now moved north to Shady Grove Road.

The Rockville Planning Commission recommended the Mayor and Council adopt the plan. Its recommended conditions included capping the height of the future apartment building at 7 stories. Councilmember Tom Moore asked if that made sense for a property by Metro, and whether such a provision would carry over for the site in perpetuity. City Attorney Debra Yerg Daniels said the provision could be limited to the current proposal.

Mayor Bridget Donnell Newton asked how tall the adjacent Bainbridge residential building is. Wilson said it is 6 stories tall. Newton said that made a case for keeping the new building at 7 stories. Wilson said that the Mayor and Council didn't need to adopt any of the Planning Commission recommendations at this juncture, advising that those issues could be ironed out at future stages of the annexation process.

Moore moved to adopt the plan, and revise the fire response data in it to reflect the opening of a new fire station at Shady Grove Road and Darnestown Road. His motion was seconded by Councilmember Julie Palakovich Carr. The plan was adopted by a unanimous vote.

A public hearing on the potential annexation will be held on November 16.

Peerless Rockville contesting Historic District Commission decision on Confederate statue

Eileen McGuckian, Executive Director emerita of historic preservation organization Peerless Rockville, criticized the September 17 vote by the Historic District Commission to allow Montgomery County to relocate the city's Confederate statue at last night's Mayor and Council meeting. McGuckian said the HDC made at least two errors in its decisionmaking process.

On the question of whether or not the statue had itself been declared historic, McGuckian said HDC commissioners were misled by city staff, who had said no such evidence could be found. She said that was incorrect, and that the statue had indeed been declared historic in the past. McGuckian also argued that the HDC used the wrong set of the U.S. Secretary of the Interior's Standards in reaching its conclusion.

The deadline to file a request to reconsider the HDC decision is October 4, McGuckian said. But the next Mayor and Council meeting is not until October 5. The Mayor and Council couldn't do anything about the matter anyway, Councilmember Tom Moore told McGuckian, as they have no authority to intervene.

Mayor Bridget Donnell Newton and Councilmember Beryl Feinberg said they would make themselves available to meet with McGuckian this week to discuss the matter.

McGuckian also called for more training for HDC commissioners, whom she said "were clearly uncomfortable with their roles" on September 17.

Newton said the Mayor and Council must have a public discussion on a separate issue regarding the statue October 5 - whether or not it will be accepted by the Beall-Dawson House, which is the preferred location by Montgomery County so far.

Former Ted's 355 Diner demolished in Rockville (Photos)

The fate of the diner at Wintergreen Plaza on Rockville Pike is now clear. Formerly Ted's 355 Diner, the structure is now being demolished. Conflicting signs of what was pending - construction fencing and dumpster, but also a sign offering the building for lease - had many wondering what exactly the shopping center's plans were for the diner.

About the only thing left from the diner is some silver trim along the front of the gutted building.

New York Mart opens in Rockville (Photos)

It's been a long road, but New York Mart has finally opened in the College Plaza shopping center at MD 355 and College Parkway. I was out of town for a large part of Saturday when it opened. But Rockville City Councilmember Tom Moore was among the first day's customers, and sent several photos (below). I went by yesterday and found the parking lot had many more cars than it has had on a Sunday since Magruder's closed, and quite a few people going into the store.

Hours will be 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM, and as you can see in the bottom photo, there will be a prepared food section in addition to groceries.

Photos:
Top: Robert Dyer
Bottom 3 photos: Tom Moore

New Rockville Pike bank recalls Rockville history (Photos)

Rockville history buffs may want to attend the Grand Opening of a TD Bank on Rockville Pike this weekend. This new branch is in the Pike District, south of the city boundary. It opens this Saturday in the Montrose Crossing shopping center at 12003 Rockville Pike. Between 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM Saturday, they'll be providing food, giveaways, "fun and games", and - of course - banking offers.

Green features at the bank include solar panels, modern-design bike parking, LEED certification, and native plants growing in the landscaped area outside.

The bank also has an interesting easter egg inside that hints at the future of this site, which is currently labeled many things - Rockville by the USPS, North Bethesda by many, White Flint by many others, but newly branded as the Pike District. All of that nomenclature may be irrelevant in the not-so-distant future.

That's because there is real potential that the City of Rockville may eventually extend southward to Montrose Parkway, as more unincorporated territory is annexed by the city. The possibility is such that it frequently comes up in discussions of the city's Planning Commission regarding long-range annexation plans.

Tour the bank, and you'll find a premonition of that future on display. A display recalls a historic drugstore in Rockville's now-demolished and redeveloped downtown. That drugstore was built in the 1880s, and is known to many as Vinson's Drugstore, after it was bought in 1911 by Robert William "Doc" Vinson. But a previous owner of the store was D.F. Owens. 

A document on the Rockville website says the drugstore was also a popular gathering place for city politicians, and that President Woodrow Wilson once personally traveled there to buy Wolfhound tablets (they don't say what Wolfhound tablets were, though...). The building was torn down in 1962, and replaced with an office building during Rockville's "urban renewal" craze. According to Joanna Church of the Montgomery County Historical Society, artifacts from the drugstore can be found today in the Stonestreet Museum and Rockville Memorial Library (which has the store's soda fountain in one of its meeting rooms).

Here in this mural inside the bank is Owens Drug Store, as it looked at some point between the 1880s and 1911.

It's particularly interesting because the bank is not near the site of the former drugstore. But the bank will now be perfectly positioned if it finds itself annexed into the City of Rockville one day - the historic mural already on the wall in anticipation.

JBG pursuing Gold LEED for Homes certification for The Terano in Rockville

The JBG Companies announced it is pursuing a Gold LEED for Homes certification for its Terano development at 5720 Fishers Lane in Rockville. A 214-unit apartment building near the Twinbrook Metro station, The Terano has several features designed to meet the indoor air quality and health standards required for the certification under the LEED for Homes program.

These include a no-smoking policy, a mechanically ventilated HVAC system that delivers a constant flow of fresh air, high-efficiency HVAC filters that reduce airborne dust and particles, energy-saving low-emittance windows, low-VOC (volatile organic compounds) paint, adhesives, and Green Label Plus-rated carpet.

Light-colored roofing cools the "heat island" effect of urban buildings, and Energy Star appliances and built-in Smart Meters add to energy efficiency.

This is the first project JBG has applied to the U.S. Green Building Council LEED for Homes pilot program for certification.

Photo courtesy The JBG Companies

Rockville Mayor and Council 2015 debates scheduled

With about 40 days until Rockville elects its next Mayor and Council, and the first time it will elect them to a 4-year term, the candidate debate schedule is starting to fill up.

Here are the forums scheduled so far:

October 7 (Televised on Channel 11)

Rockville Chamber of Commerce Debate - 7:00 PM
Thomas Farm Community Center, 700 Fallsgrove Drive.

October 14

Senior Citizens Commission Debate - 1:00 PM
Rockville Senior Center, 1150 Carnation Drive.

October 20

College Gardens and Woodley Gardens Civic Associations Debate - 7:30 PM
Rockville Senior Center, 1150 Carnation Drive.

October 22 (Televised)

League of Women Voters Debate - 7:00 PM
F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre, 603 Edmonston Drive.

October 27 (Televised)

King Farm Citizen's Assembly Debate - 7:00 PM
King Farm Community Center, 300 Saddle Ridge Circle.

Mayoral candidates are incumbent Bridget Donnell Newton, and challenger Sima Osdoby.

Council candidates are Beryl Feinberg, Rich Gottfried, David Hill, Brigitta Mullican, Virginia D. Onley, Julie Palakovich Carr, Mark Pierzchala, Clark Reed, and Patrick Schoof.

There are 4 council seats.