Gas pumps installed at Royal Farms in Montgomery Hills

Gas pumps have been installed at the future Royal Farms in Montgomery Hills. The convenience store and mega gas station continues to take shape at 9475 Georgia Avenue, very close to the Capital Beltway interchange. Not much progress has been made on the convenience store building, by contrast. The regional chain has not given a target opening date for this location yet, but I do not see any job listings for it on their website as of this writing, so we'd be lucky if this store opens by late 2025 based on the current state of construction.

Chick-fil-A at Downtown Silver Spring on Labor Day hours

The Chick-fil-A at 821 Ellsworth Drive at Downtown Silver Spring will be operating on special Labor Day hours today, September 1, 2025. No breakfast will be served today. It looks like dinner is out of the question, as well. Operating hours for today's holiday will be 10:30 AM to 4:00 PM.

Italian Kitchen closes in Silver Spring

Italian Kitchen at 8201 Fenton Street in downtown Silver Spring was closed during business hours last evening. The closure is permanent, according to Google. A family-owned restaurant, Italian Kitchen opened in 2015, exactly a decade ago. Signage is still up, and there is still furniture in the dining room, but most of the windows are covered.

Strong-arm robbery in downtown Silver Spring

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a strong-arm robbery in downtown Silver Spring Thursday night, August 28, 2025. The robbery was reported in the 8400 block of Colesville Road at 8:07 PM. It took place along the street.

Canada Dry bottling plant facade rehab ahead in Silver Spring

A facade rehabilitation project is imminent for the historic Canada Dry bottling plant at 1201 East-West Highway in downtown Silver Spring. The art moderne-style bottling plant opened in 1946, and ceased operations in 1995. It was then used as a warehouse by the beverage company until 2003, when part of the building was demolished. Today, the portion that remains is a protected historic structure, and is part of the Silverton condominiums. It has been largely hidden from the street by trees in recent years.

Silver Spring hotel converting to apartments

The shuttered Hotel Silver Spring at 8727 Colesville Road in downtown Silver Spring is getting new life as an apartment building. Preparations are being made to convert the hotel rooms into 227 studio, 1-bedroom, and 2-bedroom rental apartments. The parking garage will remain in place, but receive any necessary updates or renovations required for tenant use. Previously branded as a DoubleTree by Hilton hotel, the building is 13 stories tall and 190,000-square feet in size.

Qdoba opening in Olney

Qdoba Mexican Eats is expanding to Olney. It will be located at 3486 Olney-Laytonsville Road, at the Olney Shopping Center. That was previously home to Eco Cleaners. Qdoba has three existing locations in Montgomery County, in Rockville, Gaithersburg, and Silver Spring.