Armed carjacking in Montgomery County parking garage in downtown Silver Spring

Montgomery County police responded to the report of an armed carjacking in downtown Silver Spring Sunday night just after 11:00 PM. The carjacking took place inside a Montgomery County public parking garage in the 900 block of Wayne Avenue.

Car stolen in Aspen Hill

A car was reported stolen to Montgomery County police in Aspen Hill on Saturday. The vehicle taken was parked on the street in the 13100 block of Dauphine Street, in the Harmony Hills neighborhood. It was apparently stolen sometime over the night between Friday evening and Saturday morning.

Silver Spring construction update: Elizabeth House III (Photos)

The Elizabeth House III project at Elizabeth Square, at 1424 Fenwick Lane in downtown Silver Spring, is beginning to climb near street level. A 267-unit residential building, it will also include the public South County Regional Recreation and Aquatic Center, which will feature an olympic size pool, diving boards, and basketball courts. The latter adds to the engineering complexity of the lower level of the project.

Montgomery County's Housing Opportunities Commission is the developer of the building. Costello Construction is the contractor, and the architecture was designed by KGD Architecture.

Carjacking in downtown Silver Spring

A carjacking was reported to Montgomery County police in downtown Silver Spring Monday afternoon. The strong-arm carjacking took place in the parking lot of a residential building in the 8500 block of 16th Street around 3:45 PM, a brazen crime in broad daylight.

Coming Soon signage for Spice Street up in Silver Spring

The first signs of the future arrival of Spice Street in the ground floor of the Solaire 8250 Georgia Avenue apartment tower in Silver Spring have been spotted. Coming soon signage has been posted inside the papered-over windows of the restaurant's space. Spice Street is an Indian restaurant, and is expected to open this year at the property.

Strong-arm robbery, car stolen in Silver Spring

A strong-arm robbery was reported to Montgomery County police on Sunday in Silver Spring. The robbery occurred in the 700 block of Pershing Drive around 9:22 PM. On the previous day, a car was stolen from the 8500 block of Fenton Street. The vehicle was parked on the street at the time.

Downtown Silver Spring getting a refreshed logo

A new logo for Downtown Silver Spring is starting to pop up around the property. Here you can see it on a curbside pickup sign. It's also on the website for the Peterson Cos.-owned retail property. See the old logo at bottom for comparison. Which one do you prefer?

Wheaton Streetery for outdoor dining starts today

Sections of Price Avenue and Elkins Street will be closed beginning today so that restaurants on those streets in Wheaton can have added space to accommodate outside dining. See the map here for the specific locations. Tables will be set up in the roadway. Diners can use them for carry-out purposes, but unlike the Bethesda Streetery, Montgomery County says some restaurants will actually have servers providing sit-down service at the Wheaton Streetery.

Restaurants will also have the option of hosting diners indoors again beginning today at 5:00 PM. But for those not quite ready to make that leap yet, the Wheaton Streetery will provide more room for al fresco dining. Tip: Don't forget the sunscreen if your table is not in a shaded area!

Wheaton Plaza to reopen Tuesday, June 23

Westfield Wheaton Plaza is ready to come out of Covid hibernation. They will be reopening on Tuesday, June 23, 2020.

Montgomery County's Phase 2 reopening that begins Friday at 5:00 PM requires masks to be worn, and social distancing observed, in stores. There may be restrictions on how many customers may be in a store at one time if it gets crowded.

Malls in Montgomery County will be "open for shopping, not for socializing," County Executive Marc Elrich said yesterday. "The food courts will not be opening," Elrich said. "We are not going to allow people to gather in the mall."

Lindsay Ford finds storage space at Wheaton Plaza

Wheaton Plaza has been impacted for weeks by the coronavirus pandemic shutdown, which required indoor malls to close. Only some businesses at the retail center have been able to operate. The nearby Lindsay Ford dealership has found a good use for the empty parking areas, by storing Ford vans near JCPenney.

Copper Canyon Grill reopens at Downtown Silver Spring

Copper Canyon Grill has reopened at 928 Ellsworth Drive at Downtown Silver Spring. They are operating limited hours on a new schedule: Wednesday-Sunday 12:00-8:00 PM. Patio dining is available, as well as curbside pickup/takeout. I recommend the Rattlesnake Pasta.

First look: Wheaton Town Square and MNCPPC headquarters (Video+Photos)

The new Montgomery County government office building that will include the headquarters of the Montgomery County Planning Department and Planning Board is nearing delivery at Public Parking Lot 13 in the Wheaton Triangle. Also nearly finished is the new Town Square with stage and amphitheater directly across Reedie Drive. There are pedestrian walkways to the adjoining Metro station and to Georgia Avenue from the Town Square.

Panoramic view near the upper row "seats" at the new
Wheaton Town Square amphitheater (stage is at left
in the distance - look for the sail-shaped canopy)

You can also see the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission sign has been attached over the lobby entrance. Rules for the splash pad on the plaza outside are posted, but good luck stopping the kids from drinking the recirculated water! The Town Square stage features a sail-style canopy, very reminiscent of the one completed last year at Rio Lakefront in Gaithersburg.

Contractor Clark Construction reports that there have been no additional coronavirus cases among workers on the project over the last two weeks; 30 workers tested positive for Covid-19 previously at the site. Additional parking capacity is being restored to Lot 13 as work wraps up. Wi-Fi and security systems are being installed in the office building. 800 workstations and an 8th-floor Data Center have already been installed. Completion of the project is anticipated by June 30.