Moribund Montgomery County asleep at the (medical device) switch again

Missed another one. And another one! Montgomery County officials have failed to attract the relocating corporate headquarters of two healthcare firms. International medical device company Medacta is moving its HQ from high-crime Chicago to high-energy Nashville. And dental equipment supply firm Dentsply Sirona is leaving its gleaming York, Pennsylvania headquarters behind for Charlotte, North Carolina.

This is only the latest win for both Tennessee and North Carolina. Charlotte snagged the HQs of Honeywell, BB&T and SunTrust in the last six months alone. And one of Tennessee's scores included Montgomery County's own Discovery Communications, which moved the vast majority of its Silver Spring jobs to beautiful Knoxville.

Medacta has chosen a site at 6640 Carothers Parkway in the Nashville suburb of Franklin, where it will not only locate its HQ, but also construct a research and development facility, the Williamson Herald reports. This is exactly the type of suburban office park site Montgomery County could have offered. Barring the fact that the Montgomery County Council is hostile to business, and just raised taxes yet again, why didn't the County make a bid for Medacta?

Dentsply Sirona will create 320 new jobs in Charlotte, the York Daily Record reports. Considering that biotech has been the only bright spot in Montgomery County's moribund economy for two decades, why is the County not even pursuing healthcare-related firms like DS and Medacta?

Gaithersburg construction update: Kentlands Market Square/Cinepolis (Video+Photos)

Here's a look at the current progress at the Kentlands Market Square shopping center, and future Cinepolis movie theater, in Gaithersburg. Among the businesses you can see under construction are Dog Haus Biergarten, Cinco de Mayo, MOD Pizza, Brews and Barrels and Goldfish Swim School.

Cinepolis was founded in 1947 in Mexico, and is today the largest movie theater chain in that country. It will be interesting to see what they have to offer in terms of interior design of the lobby and auditoriums, or if they have any unusual concession items. They do show some of the latter on their website, but some are only available at certain Cinepolis locations, so we'll have to see what's offered here.

Cinepolis

Cinepolis

Cinepolis

Cinepolis

MOD Pizza

Brews & Barrels

MOD Pizza

Cinco de Mayo

Dog Haus Biergarten

A Bethesda Lane-style
pedestrian street

Stringed lighting fixtures
already in place

Five Guys

A more small-town feel than
other Montgomery County developments

Goldfish Swim School

DMV Empanadas opens today in Gaithersburg

DMV Empanadas, located at 113 E. Diamond Avenue in Old Town Gaithersburg, will officially open today, May 29, 2019. The opening marks the evolution of the business from a vendor at local farmers markets to their first bricks-and-mortar restaurant.

Germantown sector plan on Planning Board agenda

The Montgomery County Planning Board will review the working draft of the Germantown Town Sector Zone sector plan at their June 6, 2019 meeting. If they approve the draft, a public hearing on the document will be scheduled. Planning staff are recommending approval of the draft.

Gaithersburg Water Park opening Saturday, Gaithersburg Memorial Day events

Memorial Day weekend will be busy in Gaithersburg. The city's Water Park at 512 South Frederick Avenue will officially open for the season tomorrow, May 25, 2019 at noon. But residents of the city can use the pool starting an hour earlier at 11:00 AM, according to a city press release.

Also this weekend, the Rotary Clubs of Gaithersburg and Montgomery Village will join forces today through Monday at Bohrer Park for a display of American flags. An official opening ceremony will be held tomorrow, Saturday, May 25, at 11:00 AM.

Photo courtesy City of Gaithersburg

MoCo Council hikes property taxes, slouches toward bankruptcy in disaster budget

Property tax bills will rise for almost all Montgomery County residents in the coming year, after the Montgomery County Council approved a disastrous $5.8 billion FY-20 budget Thursday. The vote virtually ensures future tax hikes will be necessary, as the Council also went on a spending spree despite starting off with a $208 million shortfall. Increases in spending on Montgomery County Public Schools, already proven to have no impact on student performance despite record-large MCPS budgets this decade, will be a major cause of tax hikes down the road. Once the MCPS budget is raised, state law requires the Council to maintain that level of spending going forward.

The fact that the Council had no qualms about spending even more than MCPS asked for despite that binding maintenance-of-effort state law raises questions of the councilmembers' fitness for office. Councilmembers approved the massive spending on MCPS while knowing that there are only two uncertain sources to pay the additional $16 million, and one of those is a one-time $5 million possible payment from the state for upgrading the County's long-failing 911 system. The other $11 million? LOL - they'll figure it out. And thanks to the law, we now have to give MCPS - the system that has declined in performance even as spending on it has surged - that amount every single year going forward. We already are in the red every single year as far out as the forecasts go as it is. Heckuva job, Brownie!

"The annual [property tax] bill for the average homeowner will increase," the Council's press release on the budget vote acknowledges - while not admitting the real-world dollar value of that increase, which is far more than the "average" cost cited often by the County. That tax hike comes after the Council and County Executive Marc Elrich promised voters they would not raise taxes. 

Bloated and filled with loot for the Montgomery County cartel, the budget maintains the corrupt Council's MO of "managing the decline," and continuing our slow slouch towards Gomorrah. The Council has failed to take a single action on our economic development crisis since taking office last December, forgoing for another year any sensible attempt to increase our revenue from commercial development or attracting major corporate headquarters - something Montgomery County hasn't been able to do for over twenty years. Instead, the County has sunk to rock bottom by every economic development benchmark, even behind tiny counties like Culpeper and Rappahannock. It's humiliating.

Considering the Council has raised property taxes every year except 2014, imagine what will happen when the national economy goes into a recession. We are now in the weakest position ever to confront such an economic challenge. Given the County's massive debt, the much-touted AAA bond rating will be in jeopardy as soon as bad times hit, and we are due for a bust cycle any month now. Remember: we have to maintain this level of MCPS spending and county employee pay hikes every year no matter how bad the revenue picture gets.

With that in mind, it's obvious that while our leaders may be tools, they aren't exactly the sharpest tools in the drawer. But that's the caliber of leadership you end up with when most voters don't bother to research the candidates before voting, and simply go by the party affiliation after the name. We can't go on like this.

Gaithersburg HDC reviews proposed office building

The Gaithersburg Historic District Commission conducted a courtesy review of a proposed office building at 102-104 S. Frederick Avenue in Gaithersburg at its meeting at City Hall last night. A two-story office building has been proposed for the combined properties, which are located in the Observatory Heights historic district area of the city. The federal-style building will have a brick exterior. The HDC's recommendations and comments will be forwarded to the Mayor & Council for their final review of the project.

Rear view

Gaithersburg Dave & Busters hiring ahead of July 2019 opening

The opening of the long-awaited Dave & Buster's at RIO Washingtonian Center is fast approaching in Gaithersburg. But first, the entertainment and dining establishment needs to staff up. Over 200 people, in fact.

Positions open include front and back-of-house, servers, bartenders, hosts, line cooks, game techs, and more. RIO will be the 129th Dave & Buster's location when it opens this summer.

Gaithersburg Mayor & Council to review plan for swim school at Market Square

The owner of Market Square shopping center is seeking a plan amendment that would allow a retail building at the property to be rezoned for private educational use. Once home to DressBarn, the proposal is to convert the space into an indoor swim school.

Gaithersburg's Mayor & Council will conduct a courtesy review of the proposed amendment at their meeting tonight at City Hall. They can then either declare the change to be of minor impact, and direct the city's Planning Commission to make a final decision on the amendment, or send the amendment to the commission for a full evaluation, public hearing and decision. In the latter case, the Mayor & Council would then vote whether or not approve the amendment, if it is approved by the commission.

Gulele Market opening in Gaithersburg

Gulele Market is coming to Gaithersburg. The Ethiopian supermarket will be in the Duvall Center shopping center, located at 211 N. Frederick Avenue. It will be in the vacant space next to the check cashing store.

David Blair launches MoCo public policy non-profit

Montgomery County businessman David Blair, who narrowly missed being elected County Executive last year, has returned to the political stage. He has just announced the launch of a non-profit public policy organization, The Council for Advocacy and Policy Solutions, of which he will serve as Chair.

Other notable members of CAPS' Advisory Board include Bethesda realtor Jane Fairweather, former chair of the Maryland Democratic Party Terry Lierman, Gov. Larry Hogan administration appointee Rose Li, former associate counsel to President Obama Jason Green and Badlands Playspace CEO Mikel Blair.

Blair says CAPS will fill the information void left by the disappearance of local newspapers by providing accurate information and data about the impact of public policies. It will advocate for new policies and initiatives, and launch private pilot programs. Blair announced the first such pilot today, a Seed Stage Incubator Program in partnership with the Greater Bethesda Chamber of Commerce.

“We have bright students, and brilliant faculty within Maryland’s business schools, and that’s something worth investing in and cultivating,” Blair said. “We’ll provide space for these early-stage businesses, connect students with established business leaders within the community to provide networking and mentorship, and facilitate introductions to angel investors.”

CAPS today also announced its first policy study, which will examine the best practices to recruit and retain teachers of color in Montgomery County Public Schools. The organization's website also hosts a beginner's guide to understanding the Montgomery County budget.

The launch of CAPS indicates Blair intends to remain engaged on County issues, specifically citing economic development, infrastructure and education as primary focuses. With the County economy and budget picture remaining bleak, Blair could be in a strong position to run for executive again in 2022.

Germantown Dunkin' Donuts opens

A new Dunkin' Donuts is now open in Germantown. The new store is located at 18006 Mateny Road. It also includes a Baskin Robbins, so make sure to get a scoop of Baseball Nut while you're there.

Photo courtesy DC Dunkin' Donuts

Quince Orchard Cluster Apts. proposes new community building in Gaithersburg

The Gaithersburg Planning Commission will review an application for a new community building at the Quince Orchard Cluster Apartments at 755 Quince Orchard Boulevard at City Hall tonight, May 15, 2019, at 7:30 PM. A proposed 7800 SF structure would be two-and-a-half stories tall, with a portico flanked by Tuscan columns. Thirty parking spaces will be removed to make room for the new amenity.

City staff are recommending approval of the application, with the understanding that the applicant will make minor changes to the lighting plan, parking space dimensions, ADA-access, and a retaining wall.

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church seeks to add electronic sign in Gaithersburg

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church at 16420 Westland Drive in Gaithersburg would like to replace its wooden signs with a new electronic sign out front. The church has filed a request with the City of Gaithersburg.

Staff reviewing the sign request have concluded the new electronic sign would be far less disruptive to driver sightlines than the existing wooden signs. They have recommended the Planning Commission approve the sign request, with the condition that the sign be reduced in size from 85 SF to 80 SF before the sign permit is issued.

The Commission will take up the sign request at its meeting Wednesday night at City Hall. GSLC is located at the intersection of Westland and MD 355.

Photo via City of Gaithersburg

Gaithersburg economic development committee to discuss future of Leidos/IBM property

The future of the Leidos property (formerly IBM) at 700 N. Frederick Avenue will be discussed at the next meeting of the Gaithersburg Economic Development and Business Committee this Friday, May 17, 2019 at 7:45 AM in the Gallery at City Hall. In contrast to Montgomery County's reckless efforts to turn office parks into residential housing, the city is examining a proposal to keep the property as commercial and office space.

In a proposal received earlier this year, the property owner would construct two new "flex buildings" that will total about 500,000 SF, with 40x40 column spacing. These structures, as it stands now, would be built on-spec (no identified tenants yet). Potential uses for the buildings are thought to include biotech manufacturing, "last mile logistics," or other warehouse and manufacturing uses. A small area at the property's northeast corner will be converted for retail pad sites.

Leidos is expected to vacate the property in mid-2020. The new buildings, if approved on-schedule, would deliver a year later in 2021.

Lanzhou Hand Pull Noodles now open in Gaithersburg

The newest Asian flavors in Gaithersburg can be found at Lanzhou Hand Pull Noodles, located at 3 Grand Corner Avenue at Rio/Washingtonian Center. Here, hand-pulled, knife-cut noodles are made to order. The long thin noodles end up in a spicy, Lamian-style soup. Lanzhou also serves your favorite traditional Chinese dishes, as well.

Photo courtesy Peterson Cos.

Latest tenant list for revamped Kentlands Market Square in Gaithersburg

Kentlands Market Square property owner Kimco has announced three more tenants who have just signed on at the renovating Gaithersburg development. Brews and Barrels, Berries & Bowls, and Goldfish Swim School are the latest additions.

They join new cineplex Cinepolis, Dog Haus Biergarten, Mod Pizza, BonChon, Cinco de Mayo, Tutti Frutti, and Foundry Fitness. All are expected to open over the next year.

One Washingtonian Center signs two new tenants in Gaithersburg

RSM US, LLP, an audit, tax and consulting services firm, and ManpowerGroup, a staffing and workforce development company, have signed leases for office space at One Washingtonian Center in Gaithersburg. The building's owner, KBS Real Estate Investment Trust III, announced the deals this morning.

“One Washingtonian Center offers its tenants countless opportunities for entertainment and shopping thanks to its access to the RIO shopping center next door, which is currently undergoing a $30 million renovation,” KBS Senior Vice-President of Acquisitions Stephen Close, said in a statement. “We see the appreciation that current tenants have for a location like this, and it’s a great fit for world-class companies such as RSM US, LLP and ManpowerGroup.”

KBS notes the convenience of the Class A building to I-370 - even referring to it as the "Outer Beltway - and I-270 as another advantage for tenants. Imagine how much it would increase the draw for much bigger corporate firms if Montgomery County would stop blocking the extension of I-370 across the Potomac River to Dulles International Airport. With ever-increasing traffic gridlock, record-high taxes, and no direct access to Dulles, Montgomery County has failed to attract a single major corporate headquarters in over two decades.

Patient First Germantown coming soon

Patient First is opening a new Germantown location. The urgent care clinic will be located at 21044 Frederick Road at the Milestone Shopping Center. That space became available after yet another victim of our anti-business Montgomery County Council, a Bob Evans restaurant, closed.

The moribund economy of MoCo has allowed Patient First to swoop in, and convert the restaurant building into a clinic. Patient First is scheduled to open before summer.

Gaithersburg senior housing project proposed

Developers SHA Capital Partners and Kisco Senior Living have proposed a new senior housing project at the corner of Sam Eig Highway and Washingtonian Boulevard in Gaithersburg. Under a project amendment, the building would be 80' tall with 310 units. Most will be for independent living, while others will be set aside for assisted living, memory units, and affordable units.

Outdoor amenities will include a "wellness courtyard," walking trails, bocce ball, a Tai-Chi lawn, a pavilion, a fire pit, outdoor dining with a bar, and garden areas. The inside will host a game room, two dining facilities and another bar, a fitness center, an aerobics room and an indoor pool. 218 parking spaces will be mostly in structured parking decks, with some surface parking.

The land where the development is proposed to be built was originally planned for 320000 SF of office space, which makes sense given its proximity to I-270. A public hearing on the project will be held at tonight's Mayor and Council meeting at City Hall, May 6, 2019 at 7:30 PM. 

MoCo Planning Board to discuss 6-month pilot allowing ebikes/scooters on trails

The Montgomery County Planning Board will discuss a proposed six-month pilot program that would allow e-bikes and electric scooters to operate on some County trails at their meeting this Thursday, May 9, 2019. Montgomery County is still working out an agreement with four dockless e-bike companies for the pilot. If approved by the board, the pilot could begin as early as this month.

Only bikes powered by rechargeable battery will be allowed on the trails during the pilot. The trails selected are the Matthew Henson Trail (Aspen Hill/Silver Spring), Sligo Creek Trail (only the Montgomery County section), Long Branch Trail, Rock Creek Trail, and the paved sections of the Northwest Branch Trail within Montgomery County. Signs will be posted at the selected trails, and public announcements will be made by County government agencies, at least two weeks prior to the start of the program, County officials say.

Paved surface trails where e-bikes
and e-scooters could be used during
the six-month pilot program

Planning staff says that the trails selected are more often used for longer distance trips through stream valleys. The Parks Department wants to evaluate the results and user feedback before allowing the electric bikes on busier trails like the Capital Crescent Trail in Bethesda. They'll be examining conflicts with other trail users, rules violations, safety, logistics, and personal vs. commercial use.

Gas scooters and electric hoverboards and skateboards will remain illegal on all County trails during the pilot. Bikes cannot have throttle assist mechanisms.

The groundwork for the pilot was laid by a related park directive approved two years ago by the board. Staff are recommending approval of the pilot program.

Gaithersburg Mayor & Council to hold public hearing on new Crown office building May 6

A new four-story office building has been proposed for Downtown Crown, on a pad site near the Harris Teeter grocery store at the Gaithersburg development. The city's mayor and council will hold a joint public hearing on the project this coming Monday night, May 6, 2019 at 7:30 PM at City Hall.

The proposed building would be constructed at 10002 Fields Road on a .84 acre lot. A 42335 SF development, it would include 8735 SF of ground floor retail. The site already includes a 2500 SF Pepco electrical switchyard.

City staff is not making a recommendation on approval of the project yet. They have identified a potential parking conflict with the amount of reserved spaces required for the nearby Ruth's Chris Steak House. Staff also advised requiring the developer to deliver the planned streetscape improvements, including specialty pavers, before allowing them to occupy the building.

Rio/Washingtonian Center boardwalk construction update (Photos)

A large area of the waterfront at Rio/Washingtonian Center remains closed off, as construction of a new boardwalk, stage and fire pit continues at the Peterson Cos. development in Gaithersburg. There will also be a green turf area outside Tara Thai. The new boardwalk section will be made from a higher quality wood, and will feature new seating areas. Let's hope they can git-r-done by Memorial Day weekend.

VA named State of the Year by corporate relocation mag, MoCo loser in Halo Labs HQ move

This is another humiliating week for the Montgomery County political cartel. Just as the latest statistics show office vacancies rising higher in Montgomery, Business Facilities magazine named Virginia "State of the Year" for corporate relocations and economic development. Amazon announced that the first several hundred employees are being hired for their HQ 2 in Crystal City, one of the deals that helped Virginia win the award. Virginia also won the contest for the first U.S. manufacturing facility for Canada's Flow Alkaline Spring Water, which will bring a $15.5 million investment in the state. And just yesterday, Halo Labs announced they are relocating their corporate headquarters from Philadelphia to Burlingame, California, skipping over moribund Montgomery County.

Once again, MoCo officials were caught asleep at the switch in the competition for Halo Labs. The company should have been a natural fit, as Montgomery County's biotech sector is the only bright spot in the County's moribund economy - Halo Labs is a life sciences instrumentation company. Their Horizon system allows subvisible particle analysis for pharmaceutical research. How Montgomery officials could have slept through such an opportunity is beyond imagination.

“Virginia snared more than $5.5 billion in capital investment for its top two projects, and its top five job-creation efforts netted nearly 28,000 new jobs in a diverse and well-executed growth strategy that has made VA a high-tech force to be reckoned with,” Business Facilities Editor-in-Chief Jack Rogers said Wednesday. Rogers declared that Virginia isn't just a top player in the tech sector, but is "dominating the field." Montgomery County hasn't even made it out of the locker room. They're too busy getting stuffed into a locker by Ralph Northam.

Virginia has shown it can not only soundly beat Montgomery County in the region's traditional sectors, but also quickly conquer new frontiers. In fact, it is already on the verge of erasing Montgomery's thin advantage in MoCo's only successful sector, biotech. Virginia "can walk and chew gum at the same time—which in this case means they’re upgrading traditional industries while accelerating emerging growth sectors,” Rogers said yesterday.

One of the least-discussed of Virginia's many advantages in attracting Amazon was its cutting-edge efforts in the exploding field of unmanned aerial vehicles, one of great interest to Amazon's CEO Jeff Bezos. Just days ago, it was announced that Virginia will be the first state in the nation where drones will deliver packages, as the FAA cleared Wing to operate a pilot program in Blacksburg.

No wonder Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan is spending his week tilting at presidential windmills, and signing hundreds of radical far-left socialist bills into law in Annapolis. He has no economic development news to tout. Montgomery's elected officials spent the week arguing about whether taxpayers should give County government employees a 6% or 9% raise, after raising Council salaries to $137,000 and promising you a 4.8% property tax hike to pay for all that - but continue to take no action on our economic development and traffic congestion crises. Heckuva job, Brownie!

Xfinity store coming to Rio/Washingtonian Center, AMC completing theater renovations

Xfinity will soon open a store at Rio/Washingtonian Center in Gaithersburg. Located at 31 Grand Corner Drive, the store may offer a convenient alternative to going to the cable company's nightmarish Motor Vehicle Administration-like customer service center in Rockville. With the long waits and crowded waiting room there, they should really open more of these around the county.

To convert the space, which used to house a children's clothing store, Xfinity is spending $305,000 to completely renovate it.

Speaking of expensive renovations at Rio, AMC Theatres is currently renovating the last of the auditoriums at its Dine-In cineplex there. This final auditorium by itself is getting $400,000 worth of renovations and updates, according to the City of Gaithersburg. Recliners and reserved seating, as well as the new lobby bar, are among the highlights of the complete renovation of the cineplex.