Yesterday we let you know of three pedestrians (two children and one adult) who suffered non-life-threatening injuries on Friday afternoon after being struck by a vehicle being driven on Gaither Rd and Piccard Dr in Rockville.
We have learned from the mother of the children involved that their nanny’s heroic effort is the reason the children did not sustain more serious injuries. We have been told that the driver of a truck was allegedly speeding and did not make a complete stop at while making a right turn, but did remain on the scene.
The nanny jumped in front of the stroller, keeping the children out of additional harms way. Unfortunately, she suffered four broken ribs and a broken bone in her elbow. The nanny is currently still in the hospital and still in a lot of pain.
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue and Montgomery County Police both responded to the scene. The incident occurred around 4PM and all three were transported to a nearby hospital, according to Chief Spokesperson for MCFRS’ Pete Piringer.
Back in March we let you know that Zofia’s Kitchen would be taking over the location that was home to Mahshad Modern Persian Kitchen in King Farm at 404 King Farm Blvd.
There wasn’t any progress after the Zofia’s Kitchen Instagram post announcing the location and a “space available” sign was put up a couple months back. We called Zofia’s Kitchen this morning, which now operates as Rogi, and were told that the deal fell through and that there are currently no plans to move into the area.
Fidelity Investments has taken over the neighboring locations that was previously home to Long & Foster. Construction has not yet started, but we anticipate an early 2022 opening.
Mahshad Modern Persian Kitchen closed in March after less than a year at the location.
Lidl Proposes Mixed-Use Project that Includes Grocery Store and 200 Units of Affordable Housing in Rockville
Lidl, a German international discount supermarket chain, has proposed a mixed-use project consisting of a 30,000-square-foot grocery store and up to 200 units of affordable multi-family housing at 15931 Frederick Road. The application for this proposal was received last month.
Lidl recently opened stores in Takoma Park and Glenmont and is working on a third Montgomery County store in Montgomery Village.
Per the City of Rockville:
The mixed-use development would be located at the southeast corner of the intersection of Frederick Road with King Farm Boulevard on the west and the Shady Grove Metro access road on the east, adjacent to the Shady Grove Metro Station parking lot.
The proposed development would introduce Rockville residents to Lidl, the world’s fifth-largest grocery store chain. Lidl is a German company with its U.S. headquarters in Arlington, Virginia. Lidl aims to deliver superior quality products, with a focus on organic produce and meats, at the lowest possible price. Its stores emphasize an efficient, modern layout.
For the residential component of the project, Lidl has partnered with Foundation Housing, an affordable housing developer based in Rockville, Maryland with a 30-year track record developing, owning and operating best-in-class affordable housing communities across the country.
Foundation Housing proposes an eight-story multi-family building with up to 200 one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom dwelling units. All units will be affordable, with approximately 20 units affordable to households with incomes at 30 percent of the area median income (“AMI”), 20 units affordable at 50 percent of AMI, and 160 units affordable at 60 percent of AMI. Residential parking will be provided in two levels of above-ground structured parking.
The proposed project would take advantage of the Subject Property’s location abutting the Shady Grove Metro Station by offering high-density, affordable housing with excellent transit access and by providing a grocery store to serve residents, employees, and passersby in the vicinity.
Site History and Existing Conditions
The Subject Property is bordered by Frederick Road to the west and the Shady Grove Metro access road to the north. To the east, it confronts the Shady Grove Metro Station parking lot across Somerville Drive, a two-lane local road. To the south, the Subject Property abuts properties developed with commercial uses.
The Subject Property is currently occupied by a single-story building set back off the road behind a large surface parking lot. Substantially all of the site is paved, with vegetation limited to perimeter landscaping, parking lot islands, and a landscaped area near the building entrance.
In 2012, the Subject Property was annexed into the City of Rockville at the property owner’s request.
The annexation agreement provided as follows:
• Property to be classified in the MXTC zone.
• Density limited to maximum 458,225 square feet of floor area for a period of five years.
• All uses permitted in the MXTC zone allowed, provided that any required site plan, site
plan amendment, or special exception is approved.
In 2016, Level 2 Site Plan STP2016-00267 was approved for the Subject Property. The site
plan anticipated a 405-unit multi-family building and associated parking garage, with 15% Moderately Price Dwelling Units (“MPDUs”) and potential ground floor retail. That project was not implemented, and the Subject Property is under contract for sale to Lidl.
Mahshad Modern Persian Kitchen in King Farm Has Closed
We spoke with ownership who confirmed to us that Mahshad Modern Persian Kitchen at 404 King Farm Blvd in Rockville has permanently closed.
Mashad opened for business this past June and served “healthy cuisine with a Persian twist”.
The menu featured specialty bowls, in a Chipotle-style assembly line format, with selections like filet mignon, ground beef kabob (kubideh), lamb chops, basmati rice, green frittata, eggplant caviar, and hummus.
