Thursday, January 31, 2019

6th Congressional District gerrymandering commission public hearing TONIGHT at Montgomery College in Rockville

Gov. Larry Hogan's Emergency Commission on Sixth Congressional District Gerrymandering will hold a public hearing tonight, Thursday, January 31, 2019 at 7:00 PM at the Theatre Arts Center building in the center of the Rockville Campus. This is your chance to weigh in on a potential redistricting that affects not only the voters who live in the 6th district, but also the 8th district. There's been much said about making the 6th more competitive for Republicans, but very little about how that is achieved without making the 8th an even-more-gerrymandered district for Democrats than it is already.

Wednesday, January 30, 2019

Rockville Target store updating electronics, entertainment departments

One whole department is cleared out at the Target store in Rockville, and other shelves are bare or sparsely-stocked. While these signs often precede yet another business closure in moribund Montgomery County, that's not the case here.

Target is updating its electronics and entertainment departments. The amount of floor space dedicated to physical media like music CDs, movies and video games is being reduced. However, the changes are described by Target as "upgrades." One thing they could definitely upgrade is their weak magazine section.



Tuesday, January 29, 2019

Rockville Council tables proposal to allow more school overcrowding until next week

There's still no compromise solution with majority support on the proposal to allow more overcrowding at Montgomery County Public Schools in Rockville. A majority of the City Council voted to table the discussion last night, when the body had been expected to vote on the matter. Developer B.F. Saul had warned that if the city failed to loosen its Adequate Public Facility Standards to avoid a development moratorium, it is possible that their Twinbrook Quarter anchor tenant Wegmans could back out of the project.

B.F. Saul had said if the vote was postponed beyond last night, the Wegmans deal could be in jeopardy. The Mayor and Council will take up the matter again at their February 4 meeting, postponing a high-stakes, election-year "Wegmans vs. schools" vote by seven days.

Monday, January 28, 2019

AutoZone coming to Rockville

AutoZone Auto Parts is coming to Rockville. They will be opening in the former Patio.com store space at 824 Rockville Pike. Renovation of the building for the new store is now underway. Currently, the closest AutoZone is in Aspen Hill.

Friday, January 25, 2019

Montgomery College-Rockville water main break closes several campus buildings

A water main break this morning at the Rockville campus of Montgomery College has shuttered several buildings, and forced the cancellation of some classes today. The Counseling and Advising (CB), Music (MU), South Campus Instruction Building (SCIB), Parilla Performing Arts Center (PAC), and Art (ART) buildings are closed. All classes and activities in those buildings are canceled today, the college has announced.

Parking Lot 11 is also closed, which should make parking even more difficult in other lots later this morning.

Thursday, January 24, 2019

You could be the next member of the Rockville City Council

Tired of shouting at the TV during Rockville Mayor and Council meetings? Now you can trade your recliner for a seat on the Rockville City Council. The Mayor and Council are now accepting applications from Rockville citizens interested in filling the just-vacated seat of Councilmember Julie Palakovich Carr, who was elected to the Maryland General Assembly last November.

If chosen by the Mayor and Council, you would serve out the remainder of Palakovich Carr's term until this November. You would then have the advantage of incumbency running in the November 5, 2019 Mayor and Council election.

It's easy to apply, by following the steps on the official city webpage for candidates interested in serving on the Council. The Mayor and Council will then hold candidate interviews on Saturday, March 2; and Tuesday, March 5. The interviews will be conducted in the Mayor and Council chambers at City Hall, 111 Maryland Ave, and will be broadcast live on Channel 11 and the internet.

Here's your chance to take on the criminal Montgomery County cartel, with actual power as an elected official. The deadline to apply is 5:00 PM on Friday, February 22, 2019.

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

Rockville public hearing on school overcrowding sets up dramatic vote next week

Rockville's Mayor and Council are no closer to a consensus on changing the city's Adequate Public Facilities Standards test for school overcrowding despite postponing the matter until after the holidays. Mayor Bridget Donnell Newton expressed disappointment that the extra time was consumed with "more finger-pointing," rather than solving the dilemma. The dilemma is shaping up as a vote on Wegmans as much as about schools, which is also the way it was framed prior to the holidays.

"I don't want this to be a 'Wegmans or schools' issue," developer B.F. Saul's Todd Pearson told the Mayor and Council at a packed meeting that continued past 11:00 PM last night. But Pearson added that he had "serious concerns" as to whether or not B.F. Saul could meet the requirements of its lease with the grocery giant if elected officials punt the decision past next Monday night. In December, Pearson had warned that Wegmans might back out of the deal if their timeline for the Twinbrook Quarter development is not met. Wegmans is currently expected to be the retail anchor of that development at the northeast corner of Rockville Pike and Halpine Road.

Councilmember Virginia Onley noted that Wegmans had already ended negotiations with Lerner at their former White Flint Mall site when that property became entangled in a prolonged court battle. The news of the store's lease at Twinbrook Quarter has been the main generator of excitement about the development among the public. But based on resident and civic association testimony last night, the public also largely opposes the proposed allowance of 150% of capacity school overcrowding.

"I'm not wedded to 150%," Councilmember Mark Pierzchala said after all testimony had been heard, expressing a willingness to "go lower" to reach a deal. Pierzchala was the one who proposed the changes now on the table last year. The changes were put forward after Pierzchala realized that existing 120% overcrowding standards would trigger a development moratorium, freezing the Twinbrook Quarter project until Montgomery County Public Schools provide new capacity (although some residents have pointed out that this was known over a year ago). Resident Brigitta Mullican suggested that the city entirely drop any school test from the APFS, arguing that MCPS has total control over the matter and the city has none.

With no new compromise proposals yet emerging, a dramatic showdown is set for next Monday night at 7:00 PM, when the Mayor and Council are scheduled to vote on the matter. The drama will not only be from the potential for an elected official to be blamed for losing Wegmans or worsening school overcrowding, but also from the fact that the body is short a member. The recent resignation of Councilember Julie Palakovich Carr, who was elected to the General Assembly last November, leaves an even number of voters on the Council. Newton and Councilmember Beryl Feinberg could counterbalance the "Team Rockville" votes of Onley and Pierzchala, resulting in deadlock.

Newton held out some hope for a mutually-beneficial compromise to be worked out in the next five days. "It's not a one-person decision. It's not a two-person decision. It's a city decision," she said.