Rockville

Per the City of Rockville: An ordinance that will require specific rental properties in the city to be tested for the presence of radon will go into effect Sept. 27.  Radon is an invisible, odorless, tasteless, radioactive gas found in soil and rock, formed by the natural decay of uranium. While no immediate symptoms signal its presence, exposure at high levels can cause cancer. Testing is the only way to know a home’s radon levels. The testing requirement will apply to all units in a rental facility in contact with the ground, including basement apartments and any dwelling unit with a basement, crawl spaces or units built on a slab in contact with the ground. Landlords will be required to conduct a radon test before leasing a qualifying dwelling unit.

The legislation also addresses instances when tenants can have their rental unit tested for radon. If the test results are above the 4 picocuries per liter standard, the tenant must report the test results to the landlord in writing. Landlords must initiate a follow-up radon test within 14 days to confirm radon levels. If confirmed, the landlord must take steps to reduce the radon level within safe parameters and provide tenants a copy of test results indicating levels have been reduced. A tenant has the right to terminate the lease without the loss of a security deposit if the landlord fails to mitigate the issue.

True Respite Brewing Company’s last day in operation is today, September 2, 2023. True Respite owners Brendan and Bailey O’Leary opened up shop at 7301 Calhoun Place Suite 600 in Rockville in 2018 and the brewery made a name for itself in the local beer community by winning multiple Maryland Craft Beer Awards and hosting community events. The taproom is open today from 12-9pm and Steeze Burger’s will be there beginning at 2pm. Featured image courtesy of True Respite on Facebook. 

We couldn’t possibly capture all that has occurred, all it has meant to us, and all those involved in a single social media post. But one thing is clear: none of this would have happened if it weren’t for the love and passion of every single person involved.

Per the Maryland Attorney General’s Office: Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown today announced that his Consumer Protection Division (CPD) has reached a settlement with 786 Property Management, Inc. t/a Real Property Management Capital (RPMC) and its owner, Suleman Hooda. RPMC is a Rockville-based property manager that the Office of Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division alleged was charging tenants illegal fees, was failing to properly maintain and return tenants’ security deposits, and was acting as an unlicensed debt collector. The company and its owner have signed an Assurance of Discontinuance agreeing to stop the practices the Office of the Attorney General alleged were illegal and to pay restitution and a penalty.

“When you are working hard to pay rent and put a roof over your head, every dollar matters.” said Attorney General Brown. “Marylanders need to know that my Consumer Protection Division is here to protect them and their hard-earned dollars, so I am very pleased that the money that was collected as fees and interest will be returned. Landlords must follow the laws put in place to protect tenants, especially those laws that limit the fees tenants can be charged.” Under today’s settlement, RPMC and Mr. Hooda have also agreed to an injunction that requires both to follow Maryland’s landlord and tenant and debt collection licensing laws. They also agreed to pay a penalty of $50,000, which will increase to $250,000 if they violate the agreement.

Five species are expected to be available. This list is subject to change and species preferences are not guaranteed:

Interested in planting more trees? The Rockville RainScapes Rebates offers rebates of up to $150 per native tree to single family residences, homeowners and condominium associations, and nonprofits in the City of Rockville. To learn more and apply, visit www.rockvillemd.gov/rainscapes.

Per the City of Rockville: The Chesapeake Bay Trust has awarded Rockville an Urban Trees Award Program grant of $199,930 to plant more than 1,000 trees and 500 shrubs in RedGate Park to reforest the area, as approved in the Mayor and Council’s RedGate Master Plan.  The city has until May 1, 2026, to use the funds.

At 131 acres, RedGate, located at 14500 Avery Road, is a former golf course converted to park use, and one of 67 parks in the City of Rockville. In 2018, following the course’s closure, the Mayor and Council voted unanimously to keep the open space as a park, with a lengthy period of community engagement to determine what facilities should be planned for the future.