MCS Staff, Author at The MoCo Show

Giant in Orchard Center Opens Friday Morning; Calverton Shopping Center Location Closes Permanently Thursday Night

Published August 4, 2022 at 5:06PM | Updated August 6, 2022 at 7:46AM

Updated to reflect correct closing/opening dates for ShopRite and Aldi

Back in October we let you know that Giant Food signed on to open at the Orchard Center on Cherry Hill Rd in Calverton. The Landover-based grocery announced it signed a 20-year lease with MCB Real Estate for a 64,626-square-foot building to open a new grocery store location at the former ShopRite space at 12028 Cherry Hill Rd. ShopRite closed back in February of 2021 after Aldi opened in the shopping center in October of 2020. The grocery store has announced that it will open on Friday, August 5th at 6am. Nearby location at 11701 Beltsville Drive in the Calverton Shopping Center (located in Prince George’s County) will be closing permanently at midnight on Thursday, August 4th.

Events

Things to Do in Montgomery Parks August 4-7

By MCS Staff

Published August 4, 2022 at 10:10AM

Dancing Update: Due to weather, Salsa in the Park is canceled.

Come dancing with us at Salsa in the Park(opens in a new tab) at Wheaton Forest Local Park this Thursday, August 4, from 5 to 8 pm. There will be salsa lessons, live music, and food and beverage vendors onsite!

Gaithersburg

Olde Towne Park Plaza Upgrade Scheduled in Gaithersburg

By MCS Staff

Published August 4, 2022 at 8:54AM

The Plaza will undergo a lighting upgrade the week of August 8. The water feature will operate from 4 – 7 p.m. during installation. Olde Towne Plaza in Gaithersburg is getting an upgrade, with overhead lighting (catenary lights) being strung to add nighttime charm. The installation will begin on Monday, August 8, and is expected to take about a week, weather permitting. The Interactive Water Feature at Olde Towne Plaza will operate from 4 to 7 p.m. during the installation period, opening after the contractors have made the area safe. Note that the Water Feature is always closed on Mondays.

The Olde Towne Plaza is located in the original central business district of Gaithersburg, adjacent to the B&O Railroad Station and Freight Shed, both of which are included on the National Register of Historic Places. The City acquired the property from the railroad in 1984. Whether splashing in the interactive fountain and enjoying the exhibits in the Community Museum, or waiting for a MARC Train, the plaza honors the original historic functions of its location as a transportation hub & gathering place.

Gaithersburg

Gaithersburg’s Arcellx Signs Lease for 60,000 SF Space in King Farm

By MCS Staff

Published August 4, 2022 at 8:49AM

Gaithersburg-based Arcellx, a clinical-stage company which makes cell therapies for cancer and autoimmune diseases, will expand into Rockville after inking a deal to lease 60,000 SF at 800 King Farm Blvd., according to a Biz Journals report. It will be moving into “a roughly 215,000-square-foot office building that Miami-based Banyan Street Capital will convert into office and lab space for life sciences companies.” JLL Capital Markets announced in March that it arranged $38.5 million in acquisition financing for 805 King Farm Boulevard, a 240,000-square-foot office building known as District IV that is located within The District at King Farm in Rockville, MD.

Per the March press release: District IV is part of the recently rebranded District at King Farm, which is comprised of four assets totaling over 750,000 square feet of office and retail space. Banyan Street Capital had previously acquired a stake in 700, 702 and 800 King Farm Boulevard (District I, II, and III) in the summer of 2020. Banyan Street and BLT Green Hollow acquired 805 King Farm Boulevard in October 2021 through a deed-in-lieu proceeding following a purchase of the then existing loan from BBVA Compass. This acquisition marks the first deal closed in the newly formed BLT Green Hollow Fund.

Business

PNC To Close 127 In-Store Branches at Grocery Stores Across Five States, Including Maryland (Locations Not Yet Named)

By MCS Staff

Published August 4, 2022 at 8:12AM

PNC is closing “about 127 in-store branches at Giant Food and Stop & Shop supermarkets in Maryland, Virginia and the District as well as in New Jersey and Delaware”, according to a report by the Washington Business Journal. The Pittsburgh-based bank will close these branches in waves throughout 2023, according to the report, but has not mentioned which specific branches will be closing.

Late this past spring, PNC began the conversion of what will be 1,000 branches to an automated model. The conversion of all of these branches is expected to be completed by 2026. In September 2020, PNC Chairman and CEO William Demchak announced the bank was on track to close nearly 160 branches that year and another 120 in 2021 (109 ended up closing), as part of the bank’s strategy to lean harder on more prosperous digital sales. In April, Pittsburgh’s WPXI reported that PNC was on track to shutter more than 100 branches by the end of June 2022. In July, PNC reported a second quarter 2022 net income of $1.5 billion.

DC Sports

Familiar Names to Play in Maryland/Georgetown Alumni Basketball Game on Saturday

By MCS Staff

Published August 4, 2022 at 7:25AM

The Alumni Basketball League (ABL) will bring together fan favorites from the University of Maryland (The College Park Boys) and Georgetown University (DawgTalk), as the teams square off on Saturday, August 6th (8pm) at the XFINITY Center in College Park. Many familiar names like Melo Trimble, Chris Wright, Anthony Cowan Jr., Greg Monroe, James Gist, Henry Sims, Ikene Ebekwe, Byron Mouton and more (full rosters available below) will be participating in this game.

Maryland’s roster has been put together by Travis Garrison, the 2002 Maryland Gatorade Player of the Year who played four years for the Terps, joining the team right after their National Championship victory (2002-2006), before playing professionally in various leagues until 2017. Georgetown’s roster has been put together by Chris Wright, who played at Georgetown from 2007-2011. He has played, and continues to play, professionally in various league, spending part of 2013 with the Dallas Mavericks.

Potomac

Montgomery County Sisters Die In Fire While Vacationing in New York

By MCS Staff

Published August 4, 2022 at 7:02AM

Jillian Wiener, 21, and Lindsay Wiener, 19, both of Potomac, were killed in an early morning house fire in the Southampton hamlet of Noyac around 3:30am Wednesday morning. The sisters, who are both graduates of The Holton Arms School in Bethesda, were vacationing with family, according to Lt. Susan Ralph of the Southampton Town Police Department.

According to The East Hampton Star, The father, identified as Washington Hebrew Congregation President Lewis Wiener, awakened to the sound of glass breaking and alerted the family to get out. He and his wife escaped the home, but when they realized the children hadn’t exited the home, the father attempted to gain entry back in. The flames, however, prevented him from gaining access, Southhampton Town Police Lt. Susan Ralph told reporters in a news conference. The children, including the girl’s brother Zachary, 23, were sleeping on the second floor, and the parents were sleeping on the first floor. Zachary Wiener jumped from a second-floor window to escape the flames.

MoCo Government

Wednesday Night Democratic Primary Update Has David Blair Slightly Cutting Into Marc Elrich’s Lead

By MCS Staff

Published August 3, 2022 at 10:51PM | Updated August 4, 2022 at 5:42AM

As mail-in and provisional ballots continue to be counted in the Democratic primary for Montgomery County Executive, the latest update by the Maryland State Board of Elections (9:51pm, 8/3) shows that incumbent Marc Elrich (51,883, 39.28%) has maintained his lead over David Blair (51,729, 39.16%), going from a lead of 173 votes to 154 votes in Wednesday night’s update.

David Blair led by 1,191 votes when early voting and Election Day votes were tallied. Elrich took the lead early on during the canvassing of mail-in votes, but Blair closed the gap and eventually reclaimed the lead. Elrich regained the lead on the first day of August, increased it by 53 additional votes in Tuesday night‘s update, with David Blair cutting the lead by 19 in the Wednesday night update. Overall, Blair has received 22,375 mail-in/provisional ballot votes compared to 23,885 for Marc Elrich. Marc Elrich defeated David Blair by just 77 votes in the 2018 Democratic Primary.

Crime

Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges in Maryland for Carjacking and Brandishing a Firearm During a Crime of Violence (Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties)

By MCS Staff

Published August 3, 2022 at 6:12PM

Per the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Maryland: James Albert Borum, age 19, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty on July 29, 2022, to federal charges of carjacking and to brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department; Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department; Chief Robert J. Contee III of the Metropolitan Police Department; United States Attorney for the District of Columbia Matthew M. Graves; Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy; and Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy.

Business

Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation President & CEO Benjamin Wu Submits Resignation

By MCS Staff

Published August 3, 2022 at 5:36PM

The Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) Board of Directors today announced that MCEDC President & CEO Benjamin H. Wu has submitted his resignation effective August 15, 2022. Executive Vice President & COO Bill Tompkins will assume the position of President & CEO.

“We thank Ben for his service and his dedication and life-long commitment to Montgomery County. As we continue to position and elevate Montgomery County as one of the premier regions in the country in which to do business, our vision remains clear and focused. We are confident that Bill’s leadership, business acumen and reputation as a strong and well-respected collaborative business partner will help to ensure a smooth and seamless transition and advance the organization to the next level.”

Bethesda

Four Montgomery County Restaurants Listed in Eater DC’s ’15 Top-Tier Vegan Restaurants’

By MCS Staff

Published August 3, 2022 at 11:20AM

Eater DC released a list of ’15 Top-Tier Vegan Restaurants Around D.C.’ and four restaurants locate din Montgomery County have made the list. According to the article, “There are chic, upscale tasting menus; homey vegan comfort food spots with hefty, filling plates; and massive, consistent fast-casual chains.“, while also noting that quality vegan meals can be found at many restaurants that didn’t make the list. The four Montgomery County restaurants on the list can be seen below:

PLNT Burger (MoCo locations within Whole Foods in North Bethesda and Silver Spring):