District Falafel to open restaurant at Westlake Crossing in Bethesda

 

Another popular food truck is getting a bricks-and-mortar location in Bethesda. District Falafel will soon open a restaurant at the Westlake Crossing shopping center at 7101 Democracy Boulevard, next to Westfield Montgomery Mall. Best known for its fresh-made falafel, their menu also features hummus, gyros, and wraps made with falafel, lamb, or chicken. District Falafel will be located in the space formerly home to The Wok Chinese Kitchen, between Apex Optical and Shuvam Beer & Wine.

Maryland governor candidate Wes Moore to appear in Montgomery County August 1

Wes Moore, the Democratic Party nominee for Maryland governor, will appear at a rally in Silver Spring Monday night, August 1, 2022 at 6:00 PM. The rally will be held at Veterans Plaza at 1 Veterans Place in downtown Silver Spring. Also scheduled to appear, are U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen, and Democratic Maryland Comptroller candidate Brooke Lierman. The event is scheduled to run from 6:00 to 8:00 PM.

Èkó House grand opening weekend in Rockville

Èkó House, the new pan-African restaurant at 150 Gibbs Street at Rockville Town Square, will host a grand opening celebration this weekend. A ribbon-cutting will be held this afternoon at 5:00 PM. Guests at the ribbon-cutting will include Will Jawando, Montgomery County Council Member; Marji Graf, President & CEO, Rockville Chamber of Commerce; Ricky Barker, Director, Community Planning and Development Services; and Cindy Rivarde, Director, Rockville Economic Development Inc., among others.  

The main event will be Saturday night, July 30, 2022 with live performances by Afropop star Simi, Isaac Gerald, and the Ayo Band between 7:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m. Tickets start at $75 and can be purchased in advance online.  “As one of the few Nigerian restaurants in the DMV, we are excited to share the richness of Nigeria’s culture and cuisine with the Rockville community,” Yomi Ajao, co-founder, Èkó House said in a statement. “We want the community and the greater region to experience Èkó (Lagos), here in Rockville, Maryland. Rockville Town Square offers an array of culinary offerings, and we are thrilled that Èkó House is now an option.”  

Historic Chinese supermarket building demolished in Rockville (Photos)

Wow, that was fast. The historic building most recently home to Meixin Supermarket is literally just a pile of rubble now at 460 Hungerford Drive in Rockville. While the building did not receive historic designation from the City of Rockville after a contentious review, it was designed by famed and award-winning local architect John "Jack" Sullivan. The site will now become the location of a Chase bank branch with drive-thru.

HalfSmoke opens at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda (Photos + Menu)

HalfSmoke has opened in the Dining Terrace food court at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. Despite being announced long after the planned Rockville Town Square location of HalfSmoke, the mall kiosk has opened before the Rockville restaurant - so Rockvillans can now head over to the mall to see what the HalfSmoke hype has been about. The menu here features their popular sausages and fried chicken, wood-grilled wings, side items like crab fries and loaded tater tots, and a short but sweet lineup of desserts. Milkshakes are joined by a selection of adult beverages - beer, wine and a surprisingly-varied cocktail list.  

“We are excited to be entering the Bethesda market in an area that affords excellent shopping, good restaurant options, a movie theater and ample parking,” Andre McCain, owner of HalfSmoke, said in a statement Wednesday.  “We’re confident that our new HalfSmoke location will become a go-to dining choice for those visiting and experiencing all the Mall has to offer. It is our second venture this year at the Westfield Montgomery Mall, as we opened sister breakfast concept, Butter Me Up, which offers all day breakfast, artisan coffee, fresh juices, and breakfast inspired cocktails.”

David Blair maintains lead in latest Montgomery County Executive election results

Businessman David Blair is still in first place in the 2022 Democratic Montgomery County Executive primary race, after another day of vote canvassing at the Germantown campus of Montgomery College. When the Montgomery County Board of Elections released the latest totals at 11:00 PM last night, Blair was up to 44,722 votes (39.33%), and runner-up Marc Elrich still a close second at 44,577 votes (39.21%). Believe it or not, no votes will be counted today! Canvassing of mail-in ballots will resume Friday at 10:00 AM at the college.

New apartment building proposed by Twinbrook Metro station in Rockville

Development firm Hines, in partnership with WMATA, is proposing a new mixed-use development adjacent to the Twinbrook Metro station in Rockville, which would require approval of an amendment to the existing Twinbrook Commons project plan. The development would be built on an assembled lot of 1800 and 1818 Chapman Avenue and a portion of WMATA property at 1700 Chapman Avenue. A one-story auto repair business at the corner of Chapman and Thompson Avenues will remain in place, and is not part of the project sites being assembled.

The 120'-tall building proposed would include 437 apartments, 5,075 square feet of ground floor retail/restaurant space, a 7,800 SF courtyard and green roof, and a 437-space parking garage. 15% of the apartments would be moderately-priced dwelling units. Hines will work with the City to coordinate design of the public space on the property with a proposed future park and plaza to be constructed by the municipality. City staff noted that there is a lack of parkland in that area today. Unfortunately, the developer has not provided any renderings of the proposed architecture of the development.

New bus circulation routes proposed;
future building shown in gray

A new access point into the Metro station bus loop would be constructed off of Thompson Avenue as part of the project. Current city parking standards require 600 parking spaces for a project of this scope. The applicants are seeking a waiver that would allow them to provide only 437. City planning staff are recommending the waiver be granted, citing the location's proximity to Metro, multiple bus routes and Metro parking garage among the justifications.

One Twinbrook resident who lives on the other side of the Metro/CSX railroad tracks wrote to city staff in opposition to the parking waiver. He said overflow parking from the increasing number of multifamily developments with such waivers will spill over onto residential streets in Twinbrook. "I purchased my house in 1989 with my entire life savings as my down payment," he wrote. "I am convinced that my neighbors did the same thing. We should not be disrespected by the City by ignoring our concerns which directly negatively affect our daily lives." He also noted that there is already insufficient space for the existing bus routes that service the Metro station there, questioning how WMATA can afford to give any away.

There is currently insufficient
sewer capacity for the proposed
development, including this line
shown in orange far from the 
building site in Twinbrook

Another concern expressed by City officials, is sewer capacity.  On July 18, the city's Chief of Engineering, John Scabis, wrote that the Department of Public Works "has determined that portions of the City existing sewer system do not have adequate capacity to serve your proposed development." Scabis outlined several mitigation solutions that Hines will be required to fund and facilitate to receive approval for the project. The existing deficiencies extend to the sewer system in the Twinbrook neighborhood on the other side of the tracks, adding to resident concerns beyond the parking matter.

The sites proposed for assembly are currently home to two industrial buildings. You may recall that they were reviewed for historic designation last year, before the green light was given for their demolition. The project will be reviewed by the Planning Commission at its meeting tonight, July 27, 2022 at 7:00 PM. Staff are recommending approval of the amendment to the Twinbrook Commons project plan.