Inotiv to lease space in Rockville after acquiring Biolreliance genetic toxicology unit

Inotiv, an Indiana-based non-clinical contract research organization, has acquired the genetic toxicology unit of MilliporeSigma’s BioReliance portfolio. While MilliporeSigma 's parent Merck is headquartered in Germany, it has a Bioreliance facility at 14920 Broschart Road in Rockville. As a result, Inotiv announced plans today to lease space in Rockville near that Bioreliance facility "to help boost its new buy," Fierce Biotech's Ben Adams reported this morning.

Rockville police chief to address Asian community safety Thursday night

Rockville Police Chief Victor Brito will address the safety of the city's large Asian-American community in a virtual forum this Thursday night, July 15, 2021 at 7:00 PM. You can register online in advance to participate in the meeting, which will also include representatives of the Asian and Pacific Islander community. The forum is being organized by the City of Rockville's Asian Pacific American Task Force.

Rockville zoning change would allow self-storage use at office buildings in mixed-use employment zones

U-Haul, Inc. has filed a request with the City of Rockville for a zoning change that would permit a self-storage use on existing properties citywide that are currently zoned as MXE (mixed-use employment) zones. The applicant is seeking the change because it would like to install self-storage units in an office building it owns at 1355 Piccard Drive. Self-storage warehouses in MXE zones were eliminated as a permitted use in 2019 by the Mayor and Council, and became a conditional use, and only if the site adjoins property that allows heavy industrial uses.

A zoning text amendment (ZTA) proposed by U-Haul would allow the self-storage use under the following conditions

• Self-storage would be operated in conjunction with an existing permitted use in the MXE zone
• Access to the self-storage units is internal-only, from inside the building
• Self-storage use is located inside an existing office building

The Rockville Planning Commission will receive a briefing on the proposed ZTA at its July 14, 2021 virtual meeting. 

Planning staff have advised against adopting the ZTA. At U-Haul's Piccard Drive building in particular, staff suggests the area proposed for conversion to self-storage is large enough to make that the principal use, rather than a use "in conjunction with" an existing principal use. The change would also reduce the job-creating potential in existing office buildings, staff argues. Any existing, "underperforming" office building could add self-storage as its principal use under the ZTA as proposed, which staff indicates goes against the reasoning behind banning self-storage facilities in MXE zones in the first place.

The ZTA will come back before the Planning Commission on July 28. At that time, commissioners will have the opportunity to discuss and make a formal recommendation to the Mayor and Council on the ZTA.

Underground utility work on E. Middle Lane in Rockville (Photos)

A utility crew was working under the street on E. Middle Lane in Rockville Town Center late last night. The work took place near the driveway entrance to the Choice Hotels headquarters garage. A new apartment building is under construction on that block. At least one City of Rockville vehicle was on-site.

Rockville city drinking water again gets a passing grade in annual report

The latest annual report on the municipal water supply shows that Rockville's water once again meets or exceeds federal standards for safe drinking water. Rockville has its own water treatment plant on the Potomac River, and serves 13,000 customers in the city. "Thousands of daily, monthly, quarterly and annual laboratory tests help monitor our water quality and determine the correct type and level of treatment necessary to provide our customers with safe, reliable drinking water," Rockville's Director of Public Works Craig Simoneau wrote in an introductory letter to the new report.

Photo courtesy City of Rockville

Car stolen from Rockville apartment building

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a vehicle being stolen from an apartment building garage in Rockville yesterday. The vehicle was taken from the garage of a building in the 500 block of Hungerford Drive. It is believed the car was stolen sometime between 4:00 PM Sunday and 11:00 AM Monday, according to crime data.

Car stolen from home in Rockville

City of Rockville police responded to a report of a stolen car at a home in the Twinbrook area of Rockville yesterday afternoon. The vehicle was parked along the street in the 300 block of Nimitz Avenue, according to crime data. It is believed the car was stolen sometime between 9:30 PM Wednesday night and midday Thursday.