(~145a) 15200blk Dufief Dr, off Darnestown Rd, SFH, kitchen fire @mcfrs PE731, PE732, PE708, PE703, PE722, T731, PAT708, RS703, M731, BC703, BC705, RS729, AT703, A732, ALS708 & others responded, all occupants got out, fire extinguished, no injuries , 1 family displaced pic.twitter.com/Hgs97dc2Xm

— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) March 13, 2023


On Feb. 3, DuFief Elementary School in North Potomac welcomed Montgomery County Chief of Police Marcus Jones to speak to students on community leadership. The school is celebrating Black History Month by looking at ways to serve the community through leadership.

Along with the parent community and the DuFief Diversity Committee, the month will include guest speakers, including Robert Frost Middle School students and students from the Thomas S. Wootton High School Minority Scholars Program. Featured photo: Montgomery County Police Chief Marcus Jones speaks to students at DuFief Elementary School.


In December, we let you know that Dunkin’ is continuing its massive expansion across the country and in MoCo, with an upcoming location coming to the Traville Village Center in Rockville. We have since learned that it will be taking over 1,500 SF in the back half of the building that was previously home to Capital One Bank building at 9761 Traville Gateway Drive (rendering available below). The location will also have a drive-thru. 1,700 SF on the front side of the building is still available to lease.

Since Inspire Brands acquired Dunkin’ and Baskin Robbins in late 2020 for $11.3 billion, the company has been opening in former bank locations that allow for easy installation of a drive-thru window. Dunkin has also aimed for non-traditional development that includes opening in airports and on college campuses, including the University of Maryland.


Planners release report on current conditions, community input for master plan focused on communities along I-270 Corridor

The Montgomery County Planning Department presented the Great Seneca Plan: Connecting Life and ScienceExisting Conditions Report to the Planning Board Thursday, January 19. The Great Seneca Plan is a comprehensive update to the 2010 master plan for communities in the heart of the I-270 Corridor that border the cities of Gaithersburg​ and Rockville, and includes the Universities at Shady Grove, Adventist Healthcare Shady Grove, and surrounding areas. The Existing Conditions Report evaluates the status of the plan area and provides critical community input and data that inform the Great Seneca Plan going forward. The final plan will make recommendations for land use, zoning, urban design, transportation, environment, and community facilities, as well as incorporate countywide initiatives and policies.


Playful Pack is opening one of two upcoming Montgomery County locations in the Travilah Square shopping center. Playful Pack is a daycare and boarding facility for dogs. Its other MoCo location is coming soon to Germantown. It will be taking over the location that is currently vacant, but was previously home to Kimo Sushi and Victoria Nail Salon, on Darnestown Rd. across the side of 7-Eleven and across the side of Trader Joe’s. The doggy daycare has locations in Northern Virginia and Annapolis. Playful Pack offers the following services and features, including:

Per Playful Pack: We are proud to maintain a cage-free atmosphere here at Playful Pack to mimic a dog’s natural environment and meet our PACKmates’ physical and mental needs. Each weekday, we plan a variety of exciting activities that rotate throughout the month, including bacon bubbles, gourmet treats, tunnels of fun, snuffle mats, frozen Kongs, and more. We even host birthday “pawties” on our PACKmates’ special days!


Travilah Square Shopping Center, located at the busy intersection of Darnestown Road and Travilah Road in Rockville, was acquired by Finmarc Management Inc. One of the first moves made was to demolish the existing office building and Burger King and replace it with a new building containing a 12,500 square foot Trader Joe’s grocery store, along with a second, smaller retail space (upcoming tenant below). The late 1980’s look of the center was dated and Finmarc brought on MV+A  to revitalize the center and give it a new, clean, vibrant appearance. The new building blends with the shopping center utilizing the same patterned brick and steel trim to create a permanent, “timeless” appearance. A landscape plaza fronts the Trader Joe’s, and a curved brick and steel pergola shades this new outdoor amenity for the shopping center. Some other changes made and places coming soon below:

 


Since Inspire Brands acquired Dunkin’ and Baskin Robbins in late 2020 for $11.3 billion, the company has been opening in former bank locations that allow for easy installation of a drive-thru window. Dunkin’ has also aimed for non-traditional development that includes opening in airports and on college campuses, including the University of Maryland, but the three newest Dunkin’ coffee/donut shops that are coming to MoCo will all be in locations that were formally banks.

One of the latest upcoming Dunkin’ locations is currently under construction at the Layhill Center (14328 Layhill Rd) in Silver Spring. The new location, which will have a drive-thru, will be located next to Sole D’Italia, in the space that was formerly home to Truist and BB&T Bank. Dunkin’ also has an upcoming location coming to the Traville Village Center in Rockville. It will be taking over the former Capital One Bank building at 9761 Traville Gateway Dr. We expect more news coming out of the shopping center regarding the former Nantucket’s Reef location very soon. Dunkin’ is also working on an upcoming location coming to the Goshen Crossing Shopping Center in Gaithersburg/Montgomery Village. It will be taking over the former Capital One Bank building at 20000 Goshen Rd.


Dunkin’ is continuing its massive expansion across the country and in MoCo, with an upcoming location coming to the Traville Village Center in Rockville. It will be taking over the former Capital One Bank building at 9761 Traville Gateway Dr. We expect more news coming out of the shopping center regarding the former Nantucket’s Reef location very soon.

Since Inspire Brands acquired Dunkin’ and Baskin Robbins in late 2020 for $11.3 billion, the company has been opening in former bank locations that allow for easy installation of a drive-thru window. Dunkin has also aimed for non-traditional development that includes opening in airports and on college campuses, including the University of Maryland.


Anytime Fitness has closed its Rockville location (9725 Traville Gateway) permanently, according to a representative from the Germantown location. We were told the 24-hour gym closed its doors in late November after over a decade in the location.

Anytime Fitness has additional Montgomery County locations in Germantown (18319 Leaman Farm Dr.) and Kensington (4265 Howard Ave). There is no word on a replacement in the Traville Gateway shopping center. Featured photo courtesy of Google Maps.


Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded to a report of a fire in the basement of a home on the 14000 block of Saddle River Drive near Paramus Drive off of Dufief Mill Rd in North Potomac on Saturday morning, according to MCFRS Public Information Officer Pete Piringer.

Units arrived to find a malfunctioning washing machine, but not a fire, that was caused by a broken water pipe and minor flooding conditions, according to an update by Piringer. There were no injuries. Featured photo courtesy of Google Maps.


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