Author: MCS Staff

Gaithersburg

Sheetz Submits Final Site Plan For First MoCo Location

By MCS Staff

Royal Farms has opened, Wawa is on the way, and many have been waiting for the trifecta to be complete with the Sheetz announcement. Good news for the lovers of the convenience store/gast station, as Sheetz, Inc., has submitted Final Site Plan application, SP-9217-2022, requesting approval for a 6,139 square foot convenience retail store with drive-through and automobile filling station at 751 Progress Way, located off of N. Frederick Rd (355) in Gaithersburg.

Sheetz will be part of the new Progress Labs development, which is very visible from the corner of Montgomery Village Avenue and 355. Progress Labs at Progress Way in Gaithersburg, MD is a two-building approximately 495,000 SF development situated on 44 acres with I-270 visibility and access off of exit 11 Montgomery Village Avenue. Construction commenced at Progress Labs at 700 N. Frederick Avenue in Gaithersburg, MD back in October, and according to the video below (posted by Progress Labs on Monday, July 18th), is scheduled to be delivered in Q4 of 2022.

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Gaithersburg

Renderings of Potential Development at Belward Farm

By MCS Staff

Back in May, Trammell Crow Company (TCC), a global commercial real estate developer, unveiled plans to develop The Labs at Belward, a world-class life science campus, in the “Shady Grove area of Montgomery County, Md” (Muddy Branch Rd/Great Seneca Hwy/Darnestown Rd). The Labs at Belward, located at the Belward Campus of The Johns Hopkins University, will initially include 757,000 square feet of trophy lab and research and discovery space across three buildings. The project has the potential to grow to approximately 1.6 million square feet across seven buildings. Construction of the initial 757,000 square feet will begin June 2023 and is slated to be completed in early 2025.

A Belward Campus Concept Plan application was submitted to the Montgomery County Planning Board by Lerch Early Brewer, on behalf of the Trammell Crow Company, on March 7, 2022. It included a few renderings of what the completed project could look like if the previously mentioned potential of 1.6 million square feet across seven buildings is reached. The project, which is designed to achieve LEED Gold standard, will be supported by secured structured parking and will also feature an expansive six-acre public park that will include an amphitheater, recreational fields, and two retail pavilions totaling approximately 6,000 square feet. The plan also includes activating large wooded buffer areas, installing several miles of bike and walking trails, and preserving the site’s significant natural elements. Renderings, courtesy of Montgomery Planning, can be seen below.

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MoCo Government

Marc Elrich Increases Lead Over David Blair in Tuesday Night’s Democratic Primary Update

By MCS Staff

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 (9:17pm, 8/2) shows that incumbent Marc Elrich (50,765, 39.30%) has increased his lead over David Blair (50,592, 39.17%) to 173 votes.

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, and increased it by 53 additional votes in Tuesday night‘s update. Overall, Blair has received 21,238 mail-in/provisional ballot votes compared to 22,737 for Marc Elrich. Marc Elrich defeated David Blair by just 77 votes in the 2018 Democratic Primary.

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Maryland

Attorney General Frosh Announces the Formation of a Nationwide Anti-Robocall Litigation Task Force

By MCS Staff

Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh today announced that Maryland is joining a nationwide Anti-Robocall Litigation Task Force of 50 states to investigate and take legal action against the telecommunications companies responsible for bringing foreign robocalls into the United States. The bipartisan Task Force has one goal: to cut down on illegal robocalls.

“Robocalls are more than an annoyance, they are often schemes by fraudsters and scammers with the purpose of stealing billions of dollars from unsuspecting Americans,” said Attorney General Frosh. According to the National Consumer Law Center and Electronic Privacy Information Center, over 33 million scam robocalls are made to Americans every day. These scam calls include Social Security Administration fraud against seniors, Amazon scams against consumers, and many other scams targeting all consumers, including some of the most vulnerable. In 2021, scammers took $29.8 billion dollars through fraudulent calls, most of which originated overseas.

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Rockville

CVS in Twinbrook Center to Close Permanently at the End of The Month

By MCS Staff

CVS will close its location at the Twinbrook Center (2210 Veirs Mill Rd. in Rockville), according to signage posted inside the store (photo below sent in by Tom Carlson). The store’s closing date is August 29th. The store initially opened back in 1957 as a Drug Fair before becoming a  People’s Drug, the company purchased by CVS back in 1990, decades later.

Late last year CVS announced that it would be closing approximately 900 stores over the next 3 years due to “changes in population, consumer buying patterns and future health needs.” A CVS location on Veirs Mill Rd. closed last November. However, new CVS locations in MoCo were planned for Clarksburg (across the outlets, already opened), Westside at Shady Grove,  and Gaithersburg (Kentlands).

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Rockville

Rockville Mayor and Council Proclaim September as National Recovery Month

By MCS Staff

In their ongoing fight to bring awareness to the national impact of opioid addiction and signal hope for recovery, Rockville’s Mayor and Council proclaimed September as National Recovery Month at their Monday, Aug. 1 meeting. Lights at City Hall, the Rockville City Police Department headquarters and other city and county facilities will once again shine purple throughout the month. The city will hold several events throughout September as part of Rockville Goes Purple, the city’s continuing campaign to highlight the nationwide impact and dangers of opioid addiction.

The theme of the campaign is “Opioids: Let’s Talk About It,” which encourages dialogue about, and openness around, the problems of opioid addiction, and awareness about the dangers of stigmatizing addiction. According to the Opioid Operational Command Center and Maryland Department of Health’s 2021 Second Quarter Report, 1,217 people died from opioid-related overdoses in the state through the second calendar quarter of 2021, a 1.1% increase compared to the first six months of 2020. Opioids were involved in 89.6% of all unintentional intoxication fatalities over that period. The Rockville City Police Department responded to 35 reports of heroin or opioid overdoses in 2021, a 52% increase from 2020, and three reports of heroin or opioid possession, a 66% decrease. There was one report of opioid sales.

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MoCo Government

First Ever Civilian Assistant Police Chief No Longer Employed by Montgomery County

By MCS Staff

Carmen Facciolo, who was appointed as Montgomery County’s first civilian assistant police chief in June 2021, is no longer employed by the Montgomery County government, according to a report by WTOP.  Facciolo was suspended by the Montgomery County Police Department back in June of this year.  At the time, Chief Marcus Jones issued a department-wide email acknowledging the suspension, saying “Effective immediately, all duties and authority vested in the Chief of the Community Resources Bureau are vested in Captain Marc Erme. This will remain in place until further notice.”  No statement was released by MCPD or Montgomery County on why Facciolo was originally suspended, citing that it was a “personnel matter.”

From a June 2021 article: “Assistant Chief Facciolo joins the Montgomery County Police Department from the Bronx District Attorney’s Office where he served as a Deputy Chief overseeing the Strategic Enforcement and Intergovernmental Relations Division. In this role, Assistant Chief Facciolo directed all intelligence and crime strategies efforts, technical investigations including crime scene, photo, cell-site analysis, and digital forensics, forensic science services, strategic technology, the planning and analysis unit, and the alternatives to incarceration bureau.  Assistant Chief Facciolo served as District Attorney Clark’s liaison to federal, state, and local law enforcement, forensics, and intelligence agencies, and managed her relationships with federal and state elected officials, local legislators, The Hill, and stakeholder organizations.  Lastly, Assistant Chief Facciolo coordinated the county’s response to major law enforcement incidents, the opioid epidemic and mental health and crisis intervention services.

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Montgomery Parks

Montgomery Parks Seeks Public Input for New South Silver Spring Park in Downtown Silver Spring

By MCS Staff

Montgomery Parks(opens in a new tab) invites the public to provide input for the first phase of a new, one-acre park in downtown Silver Spring. South Silver Spring Park(opens in a new tab), located at 1110 East-West Highway (the former site of National Tire and Battery) will provide multiple spaces for active recreation, play, and socializing. The park’s first phase is expected to open in 2023.

Montgomery Parks purchased the site of the park at the end of 2021 with the goal of demolishing the existing building and developing the first phase of the park. To provide input on the park’s proposed amenities, please go to the Open Town Hall survey(opens in a new tab).

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Education

Maryland Has the 3rd Best Early Education System in America, According to Study

By MCS Staff

With pre-K enrollment dropping by nearly 300,000 students last year, which hurt educational progress and increased inequality, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2022’s States with the Best & Worst Early Education Systems. Maryland came in at 3rd on the list, behind only Arkansas and Nebraska.

In order to determine the best early education systems in America, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 12 key metrics. The data set ranges from share of school districts that offer a state pre-K program to number of pre-K quality benchmarks met and total reported spending per child enrolled in pre-K.

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Restaurants

Woodside Deli in Rockville Has Closed Permanently

By MCS Staff

Woodside Deli, located at 4 N Washington Street in Rockville, has closed permanently after nearly 12 years in Rockville. The restaurant closed late last week, with signage removed from the building over the weekend. The Silver Spring location closed in 2019 after operating for more than 70 years. While there is a Woodside Deli in Germantown, we have been told that the location is no longer connected to the original Woodside Deli. Full statement from the owners available below:

“Dear Woodside Deli Rockville family and friends,

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MoCo Government

Marc Elrich Back In The Lead in Latest Democratic Primary Update

By MCS Staff

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 (9:08pm, 8/1) shows that incumbent Marc Elrich (49,804, 39.29%) has regained the lead over David Blair (49,684, 39.20%) by 120 votes.

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 has now taken the lead on the first day of August. Overall, Blair has received 20,330 mail-in/provisional ballot votes compared to 21,776 for Marc Elrich. Marc Elrich defeated David Blair by just 77 votes in the 2018 Democratic Primary.

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