25' luminous kinetic art installation coming to Downtown Silver Spring (Photos)

Downtown Silver Spring is about to add one of the most unique - if not the most unique - displays of art in Montgomery County. By height alone, at 25' tall, it will stand out at the corner of heavily-traveled Georgia Avenue and Colesville Road. But the FoldHaus-designed piece will also light up spectacularly, and those lights will be animated - as will be the flowers themselves.

Luminescent, animated "flowers" under
construction at artists' workshop

The movements of the flowers will be governed by the weather. Official, real-time weather data from the National Weather Service will determine whether the flower petals are open or closed. This adds a hometown element to the installation, as the NWS is headquartered in downtown Silver Spring. The installation, just one part of a multimillion dollar renovation of the Peterson Cos. property, will officially open to the public on April 15, 2021.

Photos courtesy Peterson Cos.

Glenmont Metro Center Phase 2.1 moving forward

Gaithersburg-based Buchanan Partners is gearing up for the next phase of its redevelopment of the Privacy World property by the Glenmont Metro station. A virtual meeting for Glenmont Metro Center Phase 2.1 was held last night, and featured the first renderings of a new apartment building that will be located on Glenallen Avenue.

Between the new building and one that is already under construction to its east will be a park. Buchanan hopes to break ground on the new building within the next 18 months.

Proposed park concept

Renderings courtesy Buchanan Partners and Lessard Design International

Flip'd by IHOP coming to Downtown Silver Spring

IHOP is coming to Downtown Silver Spring with a new fast-casual concept called Flip'd by IHOP. The new restaurant model features only a kitchen and a front counter for ordering, pickup and delivery. While the concept was devised by the chain two years ago, the timing is perfect here, as takeout and delivery are where most of the pandemic-era dining profits are to be made.

Flip'd by IHOP's menu will include - of course - their famous pancakes, but also a Build Your Own Pancake Bar custom ordering option, pancake bowls with toppings, egg combos and egg sandwiches, breakfast bowls and burritos, burgers, chicken sandwiches, salads, wraps, baked goods, fresh-squeezed orange juice, and signature coffees, including Nitro and specialty espressos. 

Ordering can be done online, or at a kiosk in the front of the restaurant. The chain says it wants to offer a fast way to get IHOP breakfast items to compete with frozen and fast food breakfast products.“Today, millions of Americans are settling for sub-par breakfast foods that are either microwaved or have been sitting under a heat lamp because they’re forced to grab something while at their usual coffee spot,” IHOP President Jay Johns says. 

Flip'd by IHOP will be located between Panera Bread and Red Lobster at Downtown Silver Spring. Also coming to the Peterson Cos. property is a new Sleep Number store, at the corner of Georgia Avenue and Ellsworth Drive.

Wheaton Gateway sketch plan submitted to Montgomery County

The Montgomery County Housing Opportunities Commission, Willco and the Duffie Companies have submitted the sketch plan for their Wheaton Gateway development proposal to Montgomery County. A tentative public hearing date for the sketch plan before the County Planning Board has been scheduled for June 3, 2021.

Jollibee sets opening date at Wheaton Plaza...again

Let's try this again! Jollibee at Wheaton Plaza is one of the most highly-anticipated openings of 2021, and many were disappointed when its debut was postponed a few weeks back. The good news is that mall operator Westfield has just announced a new opening date, Thursday, April 8, 2021.

Pickpocket strikes at Silver Spring grocery store

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a pickpocket picking pockets at a Silver Spring grocery store yesterday afternoon. The incident took place at a supermarket in the 12000 block of Cherry Hill Road in the Calverton-White Oak area around 5:00 PM, according to crime data. There is an Aldi store on that block..

Wheaton Plaza photo ops for spring (Photos)

While we can't be sure what the world has in store for us this spring, Westfield is providing an environment of optimism at Wheaton Plaza. Check out these new photo backdrops the next time you're at the mall. They'll be perfect for your next Instagram post. Be on the lookout for the Easter Bunny while you're at it. And don't forget that the AMC Wheaton 9 movie theater is reopening today at the mall!