Thursday, January 14, 2021

Car stolen in Rockville


City of Rockville police responded to a report of a stolen car in the Hungerford neighborhood early yesterday morning. A vehicle parked at a home in the 1000 block of Julian Place was reported stolen around 12:00 AM. Police data indicates property was stolen from the house itself, as well.

Wednesday, January 13, 2021

Fabletics coming to Montgomery Mall


Fabletics
will open its latest bricks-and-mortar location at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda this year. Known best for its famous co-founder Kate Hudson, the upscale activewear chain offers apparel and accessories for women and men. Each month, Hudson adds new outfits that are "Kate-approved."

Fabletics also has a VIP program with many perks and savings. But you must either make a purchase between the 1st and 5th day of the month when the newest products debut, or tell Fabletics you want to "skip" the month; otherwise, your credit card will be charged $49.95 on the 6th day of that month. The charge becomes a credit to your account that you can spend at any time in the future, and will cover any outfit priced up to $80 for that $49.95 charge.

This will be the first Fabletics store in the D.C. metro area. The chain has an existing location in Columbia, Maryland, but none in Virginia or D.C.

Photo courtesy Fabletics

Tuesday, January 12, 2021

TD Ameritrade closes Rockville branch


TD Ameritrade
has closed at 11560 Old Georgetown Road at Pike & Rose. The closure may seem surprising, as the stock market has been booming for years, and many amateur investors with cash joined the market when stocks briefly plunged at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. However, Charles Schwab is in the process of closing nearly 80% of TD Ameritrade branches nationwide. 


Charles Schwab found too much overlap with Schwab offices in most TD Ameritrade markets after acquiring the latter firm, it announced late last fall. Rockville and North Bethesda apparently fell into that category.



Monday, January 11, 2021

Rockville Planning Commission to consider annexing King Buick dealership to be redeveloped by EYA


The landowner of the King Buick GMC auto dealership property at 16200 Frederick Road is asking to have the land annexed into the City of Rockville, along with a portion of vacant land. If the proposal receives the necessary approvals, developer EYA intends to formally acquire and redevelop the site with 366 housing units in the form of townhomes and low-rise condo buildings. EYA is also proposing to provide an amenity related to the nearby King Farm farmstead site, such as parking.

Montgomery County's current zoning for the dealership property allows building heights of 45 feet, while Rockville's permits heights of 75 feet. An additional complication is that a Minor Master Plan Amendment process was previously initiated for the area by the Montgomery County Planning Board, which includes the dealership property. 

As drafted, the Montgomery County zoning change would permit heights of 80 feet, but could take up to 18 months to be approved. It's unclear what advantage there is to joining the City of Rockville other than that the project could begin sooner, as city staff estimate the land could be annexed by September 16 of this year. 

But if this is to occur before the County zoning change, the annexation would have to be signed off upon by the Montgomery County Council. That would mean the Council would cede the tax revenue from the future development to Rockville. City staff reports that Montgomery County planners were receptive to the idea of handing the plot over to Rockville.

The Rockville Planning Commission will consider the annexation plan and whether to schedule a public hearing to consider the petition at its January 13, 2021 virtual meeting at 7:00 PM. Planning staff is recommending approval of the public hearing.

Friday, January 8, 2021

Darcars opening new Rockville location


Darcars
is the mystery tenant moving into the new building by Roy Rogers at 712 Rockville Pike. Once again, the Pike is maintaining its suburban character as a commercial strip with car dealerships and retail stores, despite developer efforts last decade to upzone Rockville Pike into a high-density urban area. A similar urbanization plan for White Flint's part of the Pike, passed by the Montgomery County Council, has been an utter failure so far.





Thursday, January 7, 2021

Sign installed at Yi Fang Taiwan Fruit Tea in Rockville


The sign is up at Yi Fang Taiwan Fruit Tea at 777 Hungerford Drive in Rockville. This is near Flagship Car Wash north of the Rockville Town Center area.



Wednesday, January 6, 2021

Nick's Chophouse permanently closing in Rockville


Nick's Chophouse
has been temporarily closed at 700 King Farm Boulevard in Rockville. Now the entire contents of the restaurant will be auctioned off at the end of the month. Refrigerators, ovens, fryers, bar equipment, office equipment, TVs, booth and table seating, light fixtures and even the restaurant's security system are all up for grabs.