Author: MCS Staff

Gaithersburg

Exterior Construction Complete at CVS Kentlands

By MCS Staff

Exterior construction appears to be complete at the upcoming CVS location in the Kentlands. The fencing that surrounded the construction site for the last few months has been removed, but there is still work left to do on the surrounding parking lot and interior of the store (photos below). While an opening date has not been provided, it’s very possible that CVS could open in the next couple months.

We first reported that CVS would be taking over the old Tommy Joe’s/Boulevard Tavern/Brasserie Beck/O’Donnell’s location in the Kentlands back in 2019, and it took a while for demolition/construction to get started, but things have moved quickly in recent months.

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Gaithersburg

Progress at Shake Shack Kentlands

By MCS Staff

Following months of delays due to flooding at the site, construction has continued at the upcoming Shake Shack location in Gaithersburg’s Kentlands neighborhood. As shown in the featured photo, the frame of the building has gone up and it should construction of the building should move quickly from here, weather permitting. While an opening timeframe hasn’t been provided, we’d expect the restaurant to open in the first half of 2023.

Background: On July 8, 2021, Shake Shack was granted approval for the construction of a 4,700 square foot building with outdoor seating as the second of three commercial infill sites totaling 16,000 square feet along Kentlands Square Place. The burger chain was granted its license to sell beer and wine on the premises during its Alcohol Beverage Services (ABS) hearing on January 6th of 2022, and prepared to break ground in February. Construction began in March, but stalled after flooding that occurred over the summer.

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MCPS

MCPS Celebrates Largest School Bus Electrification Project in the United States

By MCS Staff

School District on Track to Have 326 Electric School Buses in Three Years and an Entirely Electric School Bus Fleet in 10 Years

Per MCPS: Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), one of the nation’s largest school districts, and Highland Electric Fleets (Highland), the leading provider of school bus fleet electrification-as-a-service in North America, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the country’s single largest deployment of electric school buses at Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda.

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MoCo

2022 Humane Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Award Presented to Montgomery County Animal Services Officer Dany Flores-Lopez

By MCS Staff

Dany Flores-Lopez, an animal services officer with the Montgomery County Office of Animal Services (OAS), has been named the 2022 Humane Law Enforcement Officer of the Year by the National Animal Care and Control Association (NACA). The award is presented to an individual whose exceptional performance and work in the field of humane law enforcement has demonstrated a strong commitment to the safety and welfare of the animals in their community.

NACA has been presenting national awards for 25 years to individuals who have been directly involved in the animal care and control profession for a minimum of five years and are individual NACA members.Officer Flores-Lopez began his career with animals as a kennel attendant at the Montgomery County Humane Society before working as an animal control officer with the City of Gaithersburg. He was hired by the County in 2013. “I fell in love with animal care at a young age, but to be able to grow up and achieve my dream job is indescribable,” said Officer Flores-Lopez.

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MoCo Government

Community Invited to Join Event on Fetal and Infant Mortality on Oct. 27 at 7 p.m. Hosted By Councilmember Andrew Friedson

By MCS Staff

Montgomery County Council press release: On Thursday, Oct. 27 at 7 p.m. Councilmember Andrew Friedson will co-host a virtual event titled “Why Everyone Should Be Concerned About Fetal and Infant Mortality,” with speakers and panelists from the Montgomery County Fetal and Infant Mortality Review Board Community Action Team, Montgomery County (MD) Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Aaliyah in Action, and the African American Health Program. Sign up at http://bit.ly/FIMPanel

Each year, approximately 100 pregnant people in Montgomery County experience a pregnancy loss or death of their infant. The rate for Black women, 6.2 per 1,000 live births, is double the rate for white or Hispanic women. These tragic losses happen across the socioeconomic spectrum to those who are privately insured as well as those who receive Medicaid for their health care.

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Maryland

Top 5 Most Popular Halloween Candy in Maryland

By MCS Staff

Top Agency, a branding, marketing, and public relations company, analyzed digital commerce trends during October 2021 and 2022 to determine the most popular Halloween candy in the United States. While everyone has their own preference when it comes to Halloween Candy, the top 5 in Maryland (according to the data) can be seen below:

5. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup

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Gaithersburg

Progress at Sweetgreen in Gaithersburg

By MCS Staff

Last October we let you know that Sweetgreen would be taking over the Verizon Wireless storefront, located next to Downtown Crown Beer & Wine, in Gaithersburg’s Downtown Crown development. Verizon has since moved within Crown, and signage for Sweetgreen went up in August. Earlier today we stopped by and were told by workers that construction will be complete in “a couple months”, giving the fast-casual restaurant an expected early 2023 opening. We were also told permanent signage is going up very soon.

Sweetgreen currently has three MoCo locations, in Bethesda, Downtown Silver Spring, and Pike & Rose. Crown has been without a fast-casual salad restaurant since Chopt closed in early 2020 and has since moved that location to the Kentlands neighborhood.

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North Bethesda

Police Investigate Shots Fired at Pike & Rose

By MCS Staff

Montgomery County Police are investigating a report of shots fired that occurred Sunday night in the Pike & Rose area of North Bethesda.  According to MCPD,  “At approximately 9:16 p.m., on Sunday, October 23, 2022, Montgomery County Police responded to the 11500 block of Old Georgetown Rd for a report of shots fired. No injuries were reported and there are no suspects in custody. This is an active and ongoing investigation.”

SHOTS FIRED AT PIKE & ROSE: ~9:10PM Sunday in the area of Grand Park Ave & Old G'Town Rd. Dispute/minor altercation resulted in shots being fired; at least 1 bullet found inside Sports & Social Bethesda (sports bar) in addition to evidence outside. As of now, nobody found shot…

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Gaithersburg

Courtesy Review of Plan That Would Bring 180 New Units to City by Gaithersburg’s Historic District Commission Takes Place October 26

By MCS Staff

The City of Gaithersburg’s Historic District Commission (HDC) is scheduled to provide a non-binding courtesy review of the Park and Brookes Avenues Concept Site Plan (CSP-9149-2021) at its October 26 meeting. The Planning Commission is expected to review the Concept Site Plan after the HDC courtesy review. MBW and Haris Design and Construction Co. submitted Concept Site Plan application (SP-9149-2021) on December 16, 2021, to demolish the buildings located at 9, 11, and 15 Park Avenue and 201 Brookes Avenue in anticipation of redevelopment into a pair of multifamily buildings totaling 180 units with 2,217 square feet of ground-floor commercial space. The building at the intersection of Park and Brookes Avenues will stand four (4) stories tall, and the building to the south along Park Avenue will stand five (5) stories tall. A City-owned alley extends between the two (2) buildings.

Status: Before any demolition permit is issued, the HDC reviews each structure or building fifty (50) years old or older to consider a building’s potential historic or architectural significance for historic designation either individually or as part of an historic district, under the criteria specified in Sec. 24-226 of the City Code. The HDC initially reviewed SP-9149-2021 at its June 22, 2022, meeting. The application was deferred to its next meeting so the HDC could receive more historical information on the properties. At its July 27 meeting, the HDC determined there was reasonable probability 9, 11, 13, and 15 Park Avenue and 201 Brookes Avenue could be locally designated as an historic district, or, in the alternative, 9 and 15 Park Avenue and 201 Brookes Avenue could be locally designated as individual sites. The HDC directed Staff to prepare a petition resolution to the Mayor and City Council, and the HDC approved the resolution at its August 24 meeting. At its October 3 meeting, the City Council voted not to accept the HDC’s petition to designate the properties as historic. The HDC is scheduled to provide a non-binding courtesy review of the Park and Brookes Avenues Concept Site Plan (CSP-9149-2021) at its October 26 meetingAs currently designed, the project also will require a height waiver from the City Council.

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Beyond MoCo

Beyond MoCo: “Harry Potter- A Forbidden Experience” is Coming to Leesburg Starting October 29th

By MCS Staff

“Harry Potter- A Forbidden Experience”, a nighttime woodland trail experience filled with magical creatures and wizarding wonders from the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts films, is coming later this month, October 29th, to Leesburg, VA (Morven Park, 41580 Sunday Morning Lane). The walking trail takes approximately 45-70 minutes, while the experience itself takes about 60-90 minutes for all ages, with tickets ranging from $25-$75 depending on age and session date/time.

“Explore after dark the sounds, lights, and special effects that bring the magic of the Wizarding World to life. Guests will also be able to enjoy a wide range of delicious food and drinks at the village! Set in a beautiful woodland, this nighttime trail experience has been created by award-winning theatrical designers and experiential creators.”

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