MCS Staff, Author at The MoCo Show

Poke Bowl is Now Open in Plaza Del Mercado

Published May 17, 2023 at 5:29PM

In December we let you know that Maryland-based Poke Bowl, a restaurant serving poke bowls, bubble tea, a variety of appetizers, and more, is coming to 2229 Bel Pre Road in Plaza Del Mercado– replacing Smoothie King, between Pizza Stop and Aldi. The restaurant is now open. Store Hours:

Per Poke Bowl: The original poke bowl, invented in Hawaii, came to Hunt Valley, Maryland in 2016 to be the first Poke restaurant. In the next two years, seven stores have been opened in Maryland. The fresh and healthy foods were loved by the locals. This was thanks to our founder, John, who created unique sauces like Ginger Hawaii sauce, Sweet Chili Aloha and House sauce, that is mixed with sashimi to produce a fresh and appealing taste. These sauces are combined with green onions, sesame, minced ginger and fresh salad. In our Poke bowl, we hope people enjoy delicious and nourishing foods. The founder of poke bowl has 25 years of Japanese cuisine experience and 6 years of poke bowl experience. From here and onwards, our market is beginning to promote Poke cuisine across the United States. This convenient, healthy, and casual food will bring deep appeal to food lovers.

Bethesda

Montgomery Parks to Host a Virtual Meeting for the Future Bethesda Market Park

By MCS Staff

Published May 17, 2023 at 4:49PM

Montgomery Parks will hold an online meeting on June 14, 2023, from 7:00- 8:30 p.m. to unveil a recommended plan for the future Bethesda Market Park. This will be the third public meeting about the Bethesda Market Park project. In March, Parks staff held two in-person meetings to gather input from community members about what amenities they would like to see in the park. The public was also encouraged to submit ideas through an online survey.

Parks staff incorporated the ideas from the meetings and the survey in the proposed plan. “We received a lot of great suggestions via our engagement efforts, everything from a stage to a dog park, swings, game area and open spaces,” said Mike Riley, director of Montgomery Parks. “Community input is such an important part of the process because it helps us design better parks with amenities and features that serve a wide range of interests.”

Gaithersburg

Gaithersburg Planning Commission Recommends Approval for 380 Multifamily Residential Units Off Muddy Branch Rd

By MCS Staff

Published May 17, 2023 at 3:28PM

A Joint Public Hearing on the sketch plan application by Muddy Branch Investments, LLC, to redevelop the former Nike Missile Site, was held on Monday, March 20, 2023. The Planning Commission record closed at 5:00 p.m. on April 21, 2023 and they recommended approval of the sketch plan to the Mayor and City Council at their May 3, 2023 meeting. The Mayor and City Council record will close at 5:00 p.m. on May 19, 2023 and they are tentatively scheduled to conduct their policy discussion at their June 20, 2023 meeting. All meetings begin at 7:30 p.m. at City Hall, 31 S Summit Avenue, Gaithersburg, MD 20877 (virtual participation will also be available). Any questions or comments on the application should be directed to the Planning Department at [email protected] or 301-258-6330.

According to the applicant, Muddy Branch Investments, LLC, the sketch plan’s main purpose is to redevelop the former Nike missile site into a multifamily residential development that will complement and be compatible with the surrounding Lakelands Ridge, Timberbrook, and Shady Grove Village communities, as well as the Muddy Branch Square Shopping Center. The Application proposes a maximum of 380 multifamily dwelling units, located within four separate development blocks. Individual blocks have been allocated a maximum number of dwelling units out of the overall 380 unit cap. Although the 380 units proposed across the entire 13.71-acre site is significantly less dense (27.7 units per acre) than other recently-approved stand-alone multifamily developments, such as the Fishman Site (109 units on 0.99 acres, or 110.0 units per acre), Kentlands Apartments (365 units on 3.1 acres, or 117.7 units per acre), and Camden at Washingtonian (365 units on 5.86 acres, or 62.3 units per acre), the proposed density is comparable to and compatible with the surrounding Timberbrook Condos (168 units on 9.74 acres, or 17.2 units per acre) and Lakelands Ridge Condos (159 units on 9.39 acres, or 16.9 units per acre).

Gaithersburg

Contents of Lakeforest Mall to Be Auctioned in June

By MCS Staff

Published May 17, 2023 at 12:31PM

If you’ve ever wanted to own a piece of Lakeforest Mall, you will have your chance in late June as items from the mall will be available via auction, per Capital Auctions. The listing posts soon, so it is unclear what items will be available, but you may be able to purchase fixtures from stores, decorative pieces, and more. Interested parties will be able to preview the items on Wednesday, June 21st and pick up items they win via the auction between June 26 and June 30th. We’ll have additional information once the auction goes live.

Lakeforest Mall closed permanently to the public on March 31st, after almost 45 years. The mall first opened on September 12, 1978. At that time, the mall’s anchor stores were JCPenney, Sears, Woodward & Lothrop, and Hecht’s. The mall was one of the first in the United States to feature an indoor ice skating rink on the lower level, in the “H section”, along with being the biggest indoor shopping mall in the county at the time of grand opening. The ice skating rink was replaced by a NTI Theaters movie theater in 1984, later renamed Cineplex Odeon Lakeforest 5, then by a food court, which now occupies the space. The mall was built on top of Lake Walker, a park on the property prior. The mall opened with approximately 30-50 stores, with some of the first stores being relocated from the then nearby indoor Village Mall (now an outdoor strip mall called Montgomery Village Center since 1991) and absorbed onto the property.

Events

AAHP Community Day 2023 Takes Place May 20 in Germantown

By MCS Staff

Published May 17, 2023 at 12:05PM

African American Health Program will celebrate the 9th annual AAHP Community Day on Saturday, May 20, 2023, from 9 am to 2 pm at Montgomery College, BioScience Center, Germantown campus, 20200 Observation Drive, Germantown, MD.

This year’s event will include a walk/run/bike activity, which will begin at 7:45 am. AAHP Community Day 2023 will also include an interactive discussion with youth, parents, and the community on security, change, and wellness. In addition, there will be pertinent workshops, physical activities (e.g., Zumba, line dancing, etc.), fun activities for children and youth, a host of exhibitors, and something of interest for all ages. Additional information and tickets for the free event can be found here.

Ashton

41st Annual Strawberry Festival to Take Place in June

By MCS Staff

Published May 17, 2023 at 7:49AM

Another year, another Strawberry Festival! The 41st annual festival will take place at the Sandy Spring Museum (17901 Bentley Road) on June 3 and 4. “You might not think it’s possible but this year’s festival is going to be more fun than ever! That’s because it’s the 41st year and there are at least 41 great things to look forward to.”

What’s the Strawberry Festival? It’s a giant block party, picnic, neighborhood gathering, and community celebration all rolled into two days of outdoor, family-friendly fun. Live music from two stages, kids’ games, petting zoo, pony rides, food trucks, crafts sale, the world’s greatest strawberry shortcake and many more activities. You can even eat crickets (video below)!

Gaithersburg

City of Gaithersburg Accepting Applications For W. Edward Bohrer Memorial CHARACTER COUNTS! Scholarship Program

By MCS Staff

Published May 17, 2023 at 7:24AM

Scholarships are awarded each spring to deserving high school seniors based on the embodiment of the Six Pillars of Character, personal merit, financial need, and the student’s commitment to further education. Since the program’s inception in 1998, 95 students have received more than $170,000 to help with their continuing education costs.

Former Gaithersburg Mayor Ed Bohrer was enthusiastic about CHARACTER COUNTS! Representing the City, he joined staff in advocating for the program and sharing Gaithersburg’s experiences with other communities in Maryland. Sadly, Mayor Bohrer passed away in office in 1998. In tribute to his commitment to character education, the W. Edward Bohrer, Jr. Memorial CHARACTER COUNTS! Scholarship Program was established with the support of his family that year. The scholarships are awarded at the discretion of the City’s Educational Enrichment Committee.

Gaithersburg

Gaithersburg’s Walnut Hill Shopping Center Negotiating a Lease With a New Grocer

By MCS Staff

Published May 17, 2023 at 7:21AM

The Walnut Hill shopping center in Gaithersburg (16529 S Frederick Ave) is “at lease” with a new grocer to take over the 21,000 SF spot that has previously been home to Weis, Bottom Dollar, and Food Lion. We will let you know as soon as the lease is fully-negotiated between the grocer and soon-to-be renovated shopping center.

Additionally, the shopping center is negotiating with a pad site that will be built in the parking lot close to 355 on the south side of the shopping center, in front of New Fortune and H&R Block. While there is no confirmation on who the grocer and new pad site will be, there has been speculation that it will be Aldi and the city of Gaithersburg’s (and Montgomery County’s) second Sheetz location, according to The MoCo Source (see posts below). Featured photo courtesy of klnb.

Crime

Police Apprehend Suspect Who Sexually Assaulted and Robbed Woman on Tuesday Afternoon

By MCS Staff

Published May 16, 2023 at 6:28PM

Per Montgomery County Police: At approximately 2:54 pm on Tuesday afternoon, Montgomery County Police officers responded to the location for the report of an armed robbery and sexual assault of a woman that occurred on the Northwest Branch Trail in the 10700 block of Columbia Pike in Silver Spring.

The preliminary investigation has revealed that an adult male approached an adult female in the Northwest Brach Trail, displayed a weapon, sexually assaulted her, and stole her property. The male then left the scene.

Restaurants

Fruver is Now Open in Wheaton

By MCS Staff

Published May 16, 2023 at 6:02PM

Fruver, a smoothie, coffee, and snack shop, is now open 11255 Grandview Avenue in Wheaton. It has taken over the space that was previously home to Asesoria Americana and Taxline Services.

Fruver opened in late April and offers a variety of smoothies, smoothie bowls, fresh juices, coffee, and other snacks. The full menu can be seen below.

Business

Hampshire Tower Apartments Secure $370K Loan to Install 159 kW Solar Array

By MCS Staff

Published May 16, 2023 at 4:34PM

Hampshire Tower Apartments, a 216-unit affordable high-rise multifamily building located in Takoma Park, has secured a $370,000 Small Business Energy Savings Support (“SBESS”) loan by the Montgomery County Green Bank and City First Enterprises. “Hampshire Tower Apartments is making significant improvements to its energy footprint, and solar is one of the measures it is using to get there.”

The 159 kw solar array, installed by Solar Energy Services, will offset approximately $25,000 in energy costs per year and generate an additional $5,000 in SREC revenue for Hampshire Tower Apartments. Not only will the solar PV system mitigate 130 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year, it will also produce a positive net cash flow for the property that will help maintain the affordability of energy costs of residents for years to come.