MoCoSnow

After a string of pleasant days, including highs in the upper 60s today (Monday, October 17), temperatures are expected to take a bit of a nosedive mid-week with high expected to be in the mid to upper 50s.

Monday is expected to reach 67° with clouds and a slight chance of rain. Tuesday will get to about 55° with a breeze that’ll make it feel even cooler and more like November . Wednesday will be about the same as Tuesday without the breeze, but will still feel cool with highs around 56°. Thursday will be mostly sunny with temperatures getting up to about 59°. Friday looks to be pleasant with sunny skies and temps in the mid 60s. As of now, the weekend is also looking nice with sunny skies and temperatures around 70° on Saturday and mid 60s on Sunday.


Restaurants

Last December we let you know that The Creek Lodge Bar & Grill would be replacing Urban BBQ at 5566 Norbeck Rd in the Rock Creek Village Center. Back in May, permanent signage went up and the restaurant has looked ready to go for a couple weeks. The restaurant officially opens today, Monday, October 17th.

Soft opening hours: Monday to Thursday: 3PM – 10PM, Friday to Sunday: 12PM – 11PM. Happy Hour: Sunday to Friday: 4pm-6:30pm.


Aspen Hill

Pacific Dental Services (PDS) has announced the grand opening of its 900th supported practice, and third Maryland location, in Aspen Hill. Aspen Hill Modern Dentistry is located at 13745 Connecticut Ave in the Aspen Hill Shopping Center. PDS previously opened a Montgomery County location in Silver Spring in 2020 (Dentists of Silver Spring at 1286 East-West Hwy)  and will be opening its upcoming Olney location in the Shoppes of Olney in the coming months.

Per the press release: “Surpassing 900 supported practices nationwide is not only an extraordinary achievement for Pacific Dental Services, but a testament to our solid foundation upon which dentists can grow successful businesses,” said Stephen E. Thorne IV, the Founder and CEO of PDS. “We’re honored that so many dentists have trusted us to provide the support services to their clinical practices that enable outstanding patient care. I look forward to our sustained growth as we continue our efforts in helping clinicians create healthier, happier patients across the nation.”


Montgomery Parks

Join Montgomery Parks for a virtual community meeting about a new future park that is being developed in the Lyttonsville area. Parks staff will present preliminary concepts based on feedback from the first community meeting. The meeting will take place on Zoom on Tuesday, October 25, 2022, from 7 – 8:30 p.m. To join the meeting, visit MoCoParks.org/LyttonsvilleTownHall or join by phone at 301-715-8592, webinar ID: 869 4809 5561

This project develops a facility plan for a new neighborhood park in Lyttonsville at 2205 Kansas Avenue in Silver Spring, Maryland. The intent of the project is to create a neighborhood green and a rest stop with amenities along the Capital Crescent Trail while providing environmental benefits, accessibility, and social connections. The 0.84-acre parcel is adjacent to the existing Georgetown Branch and the CSX/WMATA right-of-way at the end of Talbot Avenue between Kansas Avenue and Michigan Avenue. The parcel fronts the future Capital Crescent Trail and Purple Line light rail on the north side and is approximately ¼ mile from the future Purple Line Lyttonsville Station. The land is to be transferred to The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) upon completion of the Purple Line as part of the Capital Crescent Trail greenway corridor. The site which was formerly forested has been cleared and is currently used as a construction staging area.


Maryland

Earlier this week, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) met with Ukrainian soldier Oleksandr Chaika, who is receiving care at the Medical Center Orthotics and Prosthetics (MCOP) in Silver Spring. Oleksandr, a Ukrainian athlete, choreographer, acrobatics coach, and teacher joined the Ukrainian military shortly after Putin announced his war on Ukraine. Oleksandr was deployed to the Luhansk region where he lost his leg to an explosive. With assistance from Senator Van Hollen’s office to arrive in the United States, Oleksandr has now received a prosthetic leg as part of MCOP’s Operation Renew to serve Ukrainian military personnel. On Tuesday, Senators Van Hollen and Duckworth toured MCOP, met with Oleksandr, and highlighted the continued need for U.S. support for the people of Ukraine.

“The people of Ukraine have inspired the world in their valiant defense against Putin’s unprovoked war. We are moved by their courage, and it was an honor to join Oleksandr to express our gratitude for his service and the service of so many Ukrainian men and women who are fighting in the name of freedom, democracy, and the sovereignty of their nation. I was proud to help facilitate Oleksandr’s journey to the United States, and I’m glad to see him receive such dedicated care here in Maryland from the team at Medical Center Orthotics and Prosthetics, who also have provided care to many of our wounded warriors at Walter Reed. As we emphasized to Oleksandr, the Ukrainian people have our full support, and we will continue fighting to provide the resources they need to stand firm against Russia’s aggression,” said Senator Van Hollen. 


MoCo Government

The Montgomery County Council is immediately seeking new temporary acting members of the Montgomery County Planning Board with expertise in land use, planning, economic development, transportation, and environmental and park issues. Montgomery County residents who are interested in filling these temporary positions must apply to the Council no later than Oct. 18 at 5 p.m. The Council is scheduled to vote on designating the temporary members on Oct. 25. No more than three members of the Planning Board may be from the same political party, and each member must be a resident and registered voter of Montgomery County when appointed. This position can be filled by a Democrat, Republican, a voter who is unaffiliated with a party, or a voter who is a member of another party officially recognized by the Board of Elections.

The annual compensation for Planning Board commissioners is currently $30,000, and the chair currently earns $215,727. The Planning Board serves as the Council’s principal adviser on land use planning and community planning. Planning Board members also serve as commissioners of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. The Planning Board’s responsibilities with regard to planning include preparation and amendment of the County General Plan; preparation and amendment of master plans and functional plans; formulation of subdivision regulations; preparation of or recommendations on text amendments to the County Zoning Code; implementation of the subdivision process by reviewing and approving all preliminary plans, site plans and other plans for development; offering or providing advice on the planning implications of capital facilities and programs of the County government, Montgomery College, WSSC Water, and Montgomery County Public Schools; commenting under, its mandatory referral authority, about plans for public facilities of local, state and federal agencies; and approving of the work program and the annual operating budget for the Planning Department and the Commission’s bi-county offices.


East County

Sweet Block at 24 Vital Way in Silver Spring (Colesville) has announced it will hold its grand opening on Monday, October 17. Sweet Block will offer tropical desserts along with traditional treats only found in the streets of various Latin countries. The “one stop dessert shop” will feature Latin food, art, and culture from countries such as Mexico, Colombia, El Salvador, Brazil, Puerto Rico, and Peru. Some of the menu items include Mangonadas, Esquites (corn in a cup), in-house ice cream, carved/prepared fruits, and juices/smoothies.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CjwExlersLm/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link


Damascus

Updated to reflect total of eight people transported to hospital due to the crash

Ridge Road in Damascus is currently closed just north of High Corner Street following a serious crash involving two vehicles that took down a utility pole. The roadway will remain closed even after emergency crash response clears for utility pole replacement.


Germantown

A representative from Lotte Plaza Market in Germantown Plaza (13069 Wisteria Drive) confirmed that the grocery store will be closing permanently by the end of the year. Montgomery County locations in Gaithersburg, Rockville, and Silver Spring will remain open.

Lotte Plaza Market is a grocery store that specializes in Asian groceries. Per its website, Lotte started with a single store on Veirs Mill Road in1989 and now has a dozen locations throughout Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey, and Florida. “Our goal is to open 50 Lotte Plaza Market locations by 2030.”


Potomac

Chopt is opening a new location in Cabin John Village (Potomac), in the space next to Boulangerie Christophe, according to the Edens website. We stopped by this morning and there is plenty left to go, so we expect an early to mid 2023 opening for the salad chain. This will be Montgomery County’s fifth Chopt restaurant, with locations currently open in Gaithersburg, Rockville, and two in Bethesda.

Chopt joins a bevy of restaurants and retailers that have recently opened or are coming soon to Cabin John Village. Recently Open: The Pretzel Bakery opened in April. Authentic French bakery, Boulangerie Christophe, opened in May. Stretch Zone opened in July. The Scoop ice cream shop opened in August. Cabin John Village, formerly known as the Cabin John shopping center and mall, is  named for the adjacent creek and regional park. It has been a pillar of the Potomac community since 1967 and was acquired by EDENS in 2016. Per EDENS: “EDENS has transformed the traditional shopping center experience into a welcoming communal environment that naturally fosters meaningful social interaction. Complementary retail options include a curated mix of home goods, dining, health and wellness and more outdoor greenspace welcomes the opportunity for community events.” 


Olney

Scratch Kitchen opened at 18062 Georgia Ave in Olney in August, initially opening for breakfast and lunch. The restaurant is now open for dinner service with updated hours of 7am-7pm Tuesday through Saturday and Sundays 7am-3pm. The new dinner menu consists of entrees like short ribs, mojo chicken, stuffed chicken breast, mofongo, lemon-butter salmon, and more (photos of the restaurant and some of the menu items available below).

More on Scratch Kitchen Olney:At the start of 2022, owner Bernie Rousseau decided she would lease the space formerly occupied by CB Acai for her daughter, who shared Bernie’s passion of cooking, to operate starting April– when the restaurant initially hoped to open. Tragedy struck, as Bernie’s daughter passed away on February 1st– the same day Bernie got the keys to the new location.


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