Smashburger opening in Rockville on April 6

"Better burger" chain Smashburger will open at 10:00 AM on Wednesday, April 6 at 1800 Rockville Pike. Part of The JBG Companies' Galvan at Twinbrook development, this will be Smashburger's first franchised location in the DC area (the others in our region are company-owned).

We are excited to bring Smashburger’s better burger to Rockville. Satisfying and real, basic and good, affordable and fresh – Smashburger is a place with a burger soul,” said Smashburger Co-Founder & Chief Concept Officer, Tom Ryan yesterday. “With a broad menu of handcrafted burgers, chicken, salads, signature sides and handspun shakes, Smashburger has something for everyone and we are proud to be opening another location in the area.”

Smashburger restaurants have special regional items in each part of the country, and here once again, they will offer the local-only Capital Burger with grilled onions, aged Swiss cheese, baby arugula, applewood-smoked bacon, tomatoes and mayo on a brioche bun.

Beyond their 400 degree grill smashed Angus beef burgers, Smashburger also offers grilled or crispy chicken sandwiches, fresh salads, signature side items such as Haystack onions and Veggie Frites, and hand-spun Haagen-Dazs® shakes.

Having tried their other area locations, I can attest that the high quality, never-frozen Angus beef definitely makes their burgers stand out.

Mayor and Council authorize MOU for I-270 noise barrier

Noise relief for some along the I-270 corridor in Rockville is a step closer this morning. Last night, the Mayor and Council voted unanimously to authorize a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the City and the Maryland State Highway Administration to construct a 2,609' Type II noise barrier wall along the east side of the interstate.

There's no indication of the exact start and end points of the wall, other than the stipulation that it begins "at the interchange." Proximate neighborhoods include West End Park, Woodley Gardens and Regents Square.

The barrier, which is currently being designed by the SHA, will begin at the interchange with W. Montgomery Avenue (MD 28) and continue northward for about half a mile. It may require land acquisition by either the SHA or the City.

SHA will pick up 80% of the design and construction costs; the remainder will be paid by the City to the SHA in installments that must be paid within 30 days.

Mayor Bridget Donnell Newton noted after the vote that had the barrier been constructed when originally sought several decades ago, it would have been far cheaper to build.

Burden of Rockville water and sewer fees debated by Mayor & Council

A property owner facing $7000 in water and sewer fees from the City of Rockville even after rebates testified before the Mayor and Council during last night's Community Forum. During an FY-2017 capital budget worksession later in the meeting, Mayor Bridget Donnell Newton said the city's increases in such fees are "unsustainable." Particularly hard-hit, Newton said, are those residents on fixed incomes such as seniors.

Newton has asked City staff to consider the possibility of transferring revenue from a cell tower atop a City water tank to the sewer fund, rather than its current flow into the General Fund. Councilmember Mark Pierzchala said that would not provide sufficient revenue to allow a reduction in fees. Newton said that $50,000 annually adds up to a significant amount over time.

Like the WSSC, Pierzchala said, Rockville is being forced to spend large amounts to update aging water and sewer infrastructure. "It's what we have to pay to have clean, safe water," he said.

A ring that is planned for installation atop the tank will allow for more cell towers to be installed. Acting City Manager Craig Simoneau said that would provide opportunities for additional revenue.

Pierzchala warned that moving the cell tower revenue out of the General Fund would mean taking money from something else in the budget. Newton replied that the difference is there are more sources of revenue for the general fund, while water fees only draw money from ratepayers.

Photo courtesy City of Rockville

Rockville construction update: The Metropolitan at Rockville Town Center (Photos)

Construction continues at the future site of The Metropolitan at Rockville Town Center at 255 N. Washington Street. Its 275 units will range from one-bedroom lofts to three bedrooms on the former site of the historic Suburban Trust Building. Amenities will include a fitness center, a yoga room, a pet grooming station, bike storage, two courtyards with outdoor grills, a swimming pool, and a two-story entertainment lounge and terrace.

A two-level, 303-space underground parking garage and 6000 SF of ground floor retail round out the project. Delivery is expected in the fall of 2017. Kettler is the developer.

Giammo asks Rockville HDC to reconsider Chestnut Lodge review

Former Rockville Mayor Larry Giammo appeared before the Historic District Commission last night on the current hot topic in historic preservation: Chestnut Lodge. Following the Planning Commission's unanimous bodyslam of a proposed townhome development on the former site of the famed mental health facility last week, Giammo asked the HDC to reconsider the findings it made in a Courtesy Review of the project last year.

At that November 19 review, the HDC commissioners present expressed no objection to the plan of JNP Chestnut Lodge, LLC for townhomes at the 500 W. Montgomery Avenue site. The development team's presentation was well-received, in stark contrast to the response of the Planning Commission and the public. However, the two HDC commissioners who are usually the most-outspoken on preservation matters, Jessica Reynolds and Craig Maloney, were both absent that evening. Maloney's term on the HDC has since ended.

But a re-review of the plan with Reynolds and new commissioner Stefanie Tincher on the dais could conceivably end with a different conclusion than the November session.

That possibility is on the minds of those opposing the plan, which includes Giammo. The former mayor told the HDC last night that the conversation planning commissioners had last week is the one he had hoped the HDC would have had last year. Giammo also was critical of staff's instructions to the HDC, which he noted were very narrow in scope.

In fact, Giammo said, Maryland law trumps the guidelines suggested by staff, and require the HDC to fully consider the impacts of such redevelopment on a historic site. That includes whether or not the project might have a negative, degrading impact on the historic character and integrity of the overall site.

The HDC must reach an "unequivocal determination" on all of the issues that have been raised, Giammo said. He also emphasized that the claims of the developer's historical consultant that there are no blueprints or design records that would permit reconstruction of Chestnut Lodge - which burnt down in a suspicious 2009 fire - are "entirely false." Giammo said Peerless Rockville and other historic preservation advocates such as historian Eileen McGuckian stand ready to assist in such an effort.

A legal agreement reached between the City and the developer at that time in 2006 required the rehabilitation of the Chestnut Lodge building as a condition for the construction of 7 condo units within the rehabbed structure.

Photo courtesy City of Rockville

Dawn Crafton Dance Connection opening at Rockville Town Square

The blank wall next to Bar Louie - that has been a dead spot since Rockville Town Square opened - will finally become an active storefront. Dawn Crafton Dance Connection will take over that space on Gibbs Street in June.

DCDC's facility will include four dance studios, Marley and hardwood sprung floors, and a beauty station. The locally-owned business has an existing location in Gaithersburg, and this will be their second facility. Classes range from ballet and tap to jazz and hip hop. The interior build-out is now underway.

Dawn Crafton is a graduate of Wheaton High School.

It'sugar opening Friday at Rockville Town Square; Finnegan's Wake Watch continues

New candy store It'sugar will open this Friday, March 18, at Rockville Town Square, according to a store employee. The boutique's staff was unpacking sweets and lining the shelves and displays late Wednesday afternoon.

Meanwhile, Irish pub Finnegan's Wake was dark and locked up tight 24 hours before St. Patrick's Day happy hour. A building permit was visible through the front door's window, but the yet-to-open pub was not listed in a St. Patrick's Day email announcement from Rockville Town Square. Stay tuned.

It'sugar

130 Gibbs Street

Rockville Town Square