Ellsworth Place adding new indoor children's play area in Silver Spring

Silver Spring parents will soon have a new option for climate-controlled playgrounds. Ellsworth Place is constructing a new indoor children's play area. This will be perfect for the long cold winter and hot summer ahead, and a way to work off the energy generated by the many sweet treats one might consume at the mall before heading home. Ellsworth Place says the new playground should open next month.

Wheaton Plaza to celebrate Chinese New Year January 25, 2020

Wheaton Plaza is decked out with lanterns for the Chinese New Year, which falls on January 25 in 2020. Stop by that day to welcome the Year of the Rat, and meet Hua Mulan (not the Disney princess, but the historical figure). There will be Instagram-ready photo opportunities with dragon and Chinese fan props, free candy and more giveaways.

The event will be held from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM on Saturday, January 25, 2020 in the Upper Level Center Court area. You can RSVP online now.

But, wait, there's more!

Vovinam of Maryland will hold a martial arts exhibition from 1:30-2:30 PM following the Hua Mulan appearance.

Hollywood East Cafe will host a Lion Dance parade from 3:00-3:30 PM, starting at the restaurant, but ending at the same Upper Level Center Court as the earlier event.

To get ready for the big day, MAC Cosmetics at Macy's and Sephora (inside JCPenney) are featuring special Chinese New Year cosmetics on Thursday, January 16 and Friday, January 17.

Fresh coat of paint brightening up Downtown Silver Spring

An extensive makeover continues at Downtown Silver Spring. The Peterson Cos. property is now brightening things up with vibrant, sharp colors. Signs warn of Wet Paint, but the new shades pop, especially at night. The new colors remind me of parts of Peterson's other big MoCo property, Rio Lakefront in Gaithersburg, which just underwent its own multimillion-dollar renovation. I recommend celebrating the new look with a scrumptious CAVA meatball!

Sneak peek at The Eleanor in Silver Spring (Photos)

The Eleanor, a bowling lounge and restaurant, isn't scheduled to open for about another month at Downtown Silver Spring. But this morning, I have a sneak peek of the interior for you, including the huge bar that is taking shape, lighting fixtures, some furniture, and artwork. The Eleanor has an existing location in the District.

STOP THAT!

Montgomery County has issued a Stop Work Order at the site of the future Cabana Hookah Lounge at 8227 Georgia Avenue in downtown Silver Spring. The violation listed is of Montgomery County Code Section 8-28, which pertains to an Occupancy and Use Permit. Hopefully this can be resolved quickly, as many in the neighborhood are anxiously awaiting the opening of the lounge.

Fenton Apartments open in Silver Spring

The Fenton Apartments have opened at 8240 Fenton Street in downtown Silver Spring. Building management Edgewood Management is currently touting a $1649 rent for a 1-bedroom unit at the building. 1 and 2-bedroom units are available, and are income-restricted. A sign out front touts the bioretention features of the planter boxes that are part of the landscaping around the complex.

Hogan express lanes compromise may be a bust for Beltway drivers

Gov. Larry Hogan's compromise agreement on his Express Lanes proposal, which earned a needed second vote from Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot to move the project forward, may still provide traffic relief along I-270. But it could wind up being a bust for drivers on the Capital Beltway.

The compromise essentially puts the Express Lanes plan back to where it was hung up a few months ago. Hogan had agreed to postpone the Express Lanes on the Beltway, and focus on I-270 first. There would be no improvement for Beltway drivers under that scenario.

Then Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam stepped forward with a proposal to assist in expansion of the over-capacity American Legion Bridge in exchange for allowing Virginia's Express Lanes to cross the bridge and run into Maryland. Recognizing that this would only work if the Beltway Express Lanes continued around the interstate, and the reality that the project was more feasible if companies could bid on Beltway Express Lanes that went at least to I-95, Hogan then revived the Beltway portion of the project.

Franchot, under pressure from his constituents and preparing to launch a gubernatorial campaign, immediately withdrew his support again. Hogan then capitulated on the Beltway portion beyond the I-270 spur to regain Franchot's vote. But that compromise is a Beltway backfire, and Hogan appeared to realize he will be long out of office by the time that is apparent.

The reality is, unless voters "get dangerous" as former Gov. Bob Ehrlich exhorted them to years ago, there may not be a single vote for Express Lanes on the Beltway on the Board of Public Works. There very well could be a Democratic governor, a Democratic comptroller, and there certainly will be a Democratic treasurer.

So, Beltway Express Lanes past the I-270 interchange are almost certainly dead.

But the compromise plan will likely make traffic on the Beltway even worse, not better.

First, Northam ingeniously made his problem our problem. Extending Express Lanes over the bridge means that he moves the current choke point where drivers enter and exit those lanes onto the Maryland side of the river. His problem is now solved, and we got played like a violin.

Second, Beltway Express Lanes will now terminate in the vicinity of the existing logjam between River Road and I-270 on the Beltway. This jam is caused not only by lack of capacity, but also by the drivers trying to change lanes to either access I-270 or to continue east on the Beltway. There's also a third factor, which is drivers entering from River Road who then need to merge into the far left lanes to access I-270.

So now you will have cars that want to stay on the Beltway pouring out of the Express Lanes exit in that area - and with the lanes in the center, they will have to merge across several lanes to do so.

Apparently no one bothered to study the reality of the situation on the ground there before making this decision. And the local media was too busy filing some of the most embarrassingly-biased praise reports about the Maryland General Assembly ever published to notice what a just-plain-dumb Express Lanes package was put through by the Board of Public Works.

Northam won. Upcounty drivers may benefit if the lanes really go to Frederick - and especially if they are continuing to Virginia southbound - and that's a very good thing. But Beltway drivers are likely to find this Express Lanes compromise a bust. And we still need a new Potomac River crossing.

There will be no real traffic relief until voters start playing hardball at the ballot box, and elect new leaders who will play hardball in Rockville and Annapolis.