Horizon Therapeutics plc announced in January that it signed a long-term, full-building lease with Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. to be the first tenant at the Alexandria Center® at Traville Gateway campus in Rockville, Maryland. The 192,000-square foot building with a five-level parking garage containing up to 562 spaces is currently being constructed for Research and Development use at 9810 Darnestown Rd next to the Travilah Square shopping center.
When completed, the state-of-the-art facility will serve as the company’s primary East Coast research and development and technical operations hub. Construction at the nearly 200,000-square-foot site is underway and Horizon expects to start work on interior improvements in 2023. Additional terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
“Maryland has one of the fastest growing biotechnology communities in the country with a world-class talent pool of scientists and researchers,” said Tim Walbert, chairman, president and chief executive officer, Horizon. “With this new facility we are more than quadrupling our current Marylandfootprint and creating a hub that will support job growth, drive our company’s continued efforts to develop new medicines for patients with rare, autoimmune and severe inflammatory diseases and meet the needs of our expanding pipeline. We look forward to expanding our presence in Maryland and appreciate the support from local, state and federal officials who recognize the economic and community value of the life science industry.”
“It is exciting news that Horizon Therapeutics has chosen Maryland for a significant expansion, which will enable the company to continue its important work in treating people impacted by rare, autoimmune and severe inflammatory diseases,” said Governor Larry Hogan. “It is a testament to our outstanding business climate and wealth of resources that we have seen so many life sciences companies expand and add thousands of new jobs in our state in recent years.”
A 200,000-square foot building with a five-level parking garage containing up to 562 spaces is currently being constructed for Research and Development use off at 9810 Darnestown Rd next to the Travilah Square shopping center.
Building A will be the first of three buildings planned for Parcel N (shown in the images below). Together, these buildings will form a research and development campus that coordinates effectively with the current life sciences campus.
Building A is currently being constructed on Darnestown Road on the northwestern portion of the property. As the first building to be constructed on Parcel N, Building A will be accessed by the existing Loop Driveway that links both Parcels M and N to Darnestown Road and Traville Gateway Drive to the north and east, respectively. This access configuration will ultimately allow for improved campus circulation when the northern portion of the Loop Driveway is eliminated and the intersection is provided to the Great Seneca Highway extension.
The building will have five floors above grade and a maximum building height of 100 feet. The interior of the building will be constructed with higher ceiling heights (when compared to conventional office uses) and other design elements to accommodate specialized equipment used by R&D tenants. The exterior of the building will feature materials and design elements that create visual interest, particularly on the building’s prominent western elevation facing Traville Gateway Drive and the north elevation facing Darnestown Road.
Per planning documents, a unified sequence of open spaces in front of the building will consist of a landscaped area and a formal plaza, which will also serve as a vehicular drop-off area. The site design will create a pleasant and safe pedestrian environment and will facilitate easy access between the parking garage and building.
Parking Garage P1, located to the south and west of Building A, will have five levels and will provide up to 562 parking spaces. The glass stairwell at the corner of the parking structure serves as a terminus of the open space in front of the building and will provide direct access into the building via internal sidewalks.
The Property is within walking distance of the Universities at Shady Grove (to the east), the Shady Gove Adventist Hospital (to the northeast) and several ARE research and development holdings along Medical Center Drive (to the north). Located to the east and southeast of the Property are residential neighborhoods that were developed under the MXN Zone, PD -3 (Planned Development) Zone, the R- 200/TDR and RT-10 Zones. The Travilah Road corridor contains several small commercial areas developed under the C-1, C-2 and C-4 Zones, as well as some special exceptions. (See Figure 1)
The Property currently consists of three office buildings (Buildings 1A, 1B, and 1C), one structured parking garage (Parking Garage 1), and two surface parking facilities on Parcel M. On Parcel N, the undeveloped portion of the Site, there are two surface parking facilities and a continuation of the Loop Driveway that provides access to both Parcels M and N. Both Parcels M and N contain environmental buffers and are improved with the Loop Driveway and SWM facilities. (Figures 2 & 3)
The founder of Sweet Frog, Derek Cha, is bringing his take on the Nashville-style hot chicken sandwich to MoCo.
The restaurant will be located in the Travilah Square Shopping Center (the shopping center is anchored by Trader Joe’s) in Rockville, between Pholuscious and Tropical Smoothie Cafe, in the 1,600 sf location that was home to El Mexicano at 10050 Darnestown Road, per H&R Retail.
In collaboration with partner, Mike Kim, the pair visited many successful Nashville-style chicken restaurants in LA, Nashville, and San Francisco, that inspired them develop their “secret chicken recipe to have the most juicy and crispy sandwich.”
Not a fan of too much spice? You’re able to choose the spice level of the fried chicken (Plain<Mild<Medium<Hot<Angry Hot). In addition to the hot chicken sandwiches, known as “Chicken Sando”, the small menu consists of chicken fingers, chicken & waffles, Korean Chicken Nuggets, loaded fries, and salad with chicken breast. Sides include cider slaw, waffle fries, and fried okra.
Hangry Joe’s currently has locations across Virginia, with the closest being in Fairfax if you’re interested in checking it out before it arrives.
No expected opening date has been provided.
Featured photo courtesy of Hangry Joe’s.
An update was provided by Wootton High School principal Kimberly Boldon on the situation that occurred at the school last week that involved police coming to the school to investigate.
The update came in a letter to the community, which can be seen below:
“Dear Thomas S. Wootton High School Community,
I am writing to provide an update to an incident that occurred at Wootton on Tuesday, November 2, involving members of our football team. When I wrote to you during the evening of Nov. 2, I reported that Montgomery County Police (MCPD) were called to the school to investigate a serious incident. The police, upon investigation, found no criminal activity, including no evidence of a sexual assault. As a result, I shared with you in the message that we would be conducting an MCPS based administrative investigation of the incident. We have concluded that investigation, and I want to share what we learned with you.
In review: On Tuesday, Nov. 2, a staff member located in the team locker room, observed an incident that he deemed serious and necessary to report to school administration. By established process and out of an abundance of caution, our administration called Montgomery County Police (MCPD) for support. The police investigated the incident before the team left the school and it was determined that the incident was not a sexual assault. Based upon the current information gathered by MCPD there is no further criminal investigation regarding this incident. As stipulated in the memorandum of understanding between MCPS and MCPD, the police turned over management of the incident to MCPS. In the following days, our school administration investigated the incident as a potential disciplinary matter, and it has been addressed in accordance with the Student Code of Conduct.
What worked well:
- MCPS staff present managed and de-escalated the situation.
- MCPS staff took the appropriate steps to inform school administration who immediately alerted MCPD partners.
- School administration and central office personnel from the Office of Teaching, Learning and Schools as well as the Department of School Safety and Emergency Management reported to the school immediately to provide support and guidance to all involved.
- The school prepared written communication to share with team families and the school community in accordance with usual established practice.
Moving Forward:
- We are reinforcing our expectations for student interactions in accordance with the Student Code of Conduct before, during and after practice with all students involved.
- MCPS will be reviewing how we manage parental involvement when there is a police investigation ongoing in a school building or facility.
- We will provide enhanced communication between families and the school during an investigation.
I want to assure you we took all of the required steps, in collaboration with MCPD and the MCPS Department of School Security and Emergency Management, to ensure our students’ safety and well-being.
Our students deserve to be recognized and celebrated for all the amazing things they do every day. I thank the entire Thomas S. Wootton High School community for your support of the students and the school.
Sincerely,
Kimberly Boldon
Principal”
A water main break late this morning has now closed Dufief Drive, near the area of Dufief Elementary School, between Darnestown Road and Brandyhall Lane.
WSSC Water crews are now on the scene of the 12” break, which was the cause of Dufief Elementary School closing at noon today.
Video of the water main break can be seen below.
Update – Dufief Dr BLOCKED Between Route 28 Darnestown Rd. and Brandyhall Lane, 12” water main break @WSSCWaterNews crew on scene, road closed https://t.co/vgWOKzizYH pic.twitter.com/DCSwVq4jJt
— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) October 14, 2021
Updated on 4/13 to reflect the restaurant is now open.
Back in November of 2019, we told you that Klay Healthy Indian Eats was coming to the Traville Village shopping center (9736 Traville Gateway Drive). Though some progress was made on the interior, not much was heard from the restaurant in over a year…until recently!
Our friends at a nearby restaurant in the shopping center told us that a pre-opening event was held at the restaurant and we have been told that Klay is expected to open very soon. As of 4/13, it is open. Klay will be the third Indian restaurant at that location taking over the spot that was formerly home to The Bukhara as late as 2019 and Aladdin Indian Kitchen a few years back.
Per the restaurant’s website, “Klay is a modern twist to Indian food with today’s healthy lifestyles in mind– mixed with rich authentic flavor. Klay is fast-casual, from a clay oven to your bowl- and fresh, organic ingredients to top it all off.”
When ordering, you start with a base, add your protein, and then select your toppings (see the image below)
Images courtesy of www.EatKlay.com
North Potomac House Fire Causes 1.2 Million in Damages
A fire at approximately 2:30am this morning caused approximately $1.2 million in damage on the 14100 block of Saddle River Drive in North Potomac, displacing two people. Both occupants were able to get out of the house without sustaining any injuries.
Approximately 50 firefighters were on the scene to prevent a “well-advanced” fire from spreading to each of the neighbors houses and encountered heavy fire conditions throughout the two-story house. The homes on each side did, however, suffer some heat damage.
The fire is believed to have started in the garage, based on a statement from a witness.
Photo and information courtesy of MCFRS PIO, Pete Piringer.
4/2 Update: Sadly, both occupants of the Toyota did not survive.
Detectives Investigate Fatal Collision in North Potomac
Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – Collision Reconstruction Unit (CRU) are investigating a fatal collision that occurred yesterday evening in North Potomac.
On Saturday, March 28, at approximately 8:29 p.m., 6thDistrict officers and Fire and Rescue personnel responded to Darnestown Road (MD Route 28) at Blackberry Drive for the report of a serious collision that had just occurred.
Preliminary investigation by detectives determined that a 2017 BMW i3 was traveling east on Darnestown Road approaching Blackberry Drive. A 2018 Toyota RAV4 was attempting to turn left from westbound Darnestown Road onto Blackberry Drive. For reasons still under investigation, the BMW i3 and the RAV4 collided on Darnestown Road.
The driver of the Toyota RAV4, identified as Pran Nath Sharma, of Blackberry Drive in North Potomac, was transported to a local hospital with serious injuries. The front-seat passenger in the RAV4, identified as Pamela Sharma, age 69, also of Blackberry Drive in North Potomac, was transported to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries. She succumbed to her injuries at the hospital.
The driver of the BMW i3, identified as Rebecca Thuc Hoang Vo, age 39, of Nashville, Tennessee, did not suffer any serious injuries during this collision.
This collision investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call the Collision Reconstruction Unit at 240-773-6620.
