155 beds planned in six-story building
December 18, 2020 | 6:30 pm
December 19, 2020
Rendering via Montgomery County Planning
The Montgomery County Planning Board has approved the construction of an assisted living facility in Bethesda’s Westbard neighborhood.
The 155-bed facility would be one phase of a larger project that also calls for redeveloping the Westwood Shopping Center.
Previously, developer Kensington Senior Development LLC proposed and the Planning Board approved in 2019 410 apartments and 104 townhomes that would have included about 138,000 square feet of development.
Now, the developer has changed plans to include cutting 144 of the previously approved apartments and instead including a six-story assisted living facility.
The rental cost in the assisted living facility could start at around $5,000 a month, covering a room, meals and housekeeping, a project representative said during a meeting about the project in April.
School Notes: School board seeks comments on activities, food policies
Plus: MCPS has distributed more than 7 million free meals to children
December 17, 2020 | 3:00 pm
December 18, 2020
School board seeks comments on activities, food policies
The Montgomery County school board is soliciting public feedback on proposed changes to the policy that determines when students are eligible for extracurricular activities and a new policy about food services.
Proposed changes to the policy about extracurricular eligibility include removing the requirement to maintain a 2.0 grade-point average for activities other than sports, and making all students eligible for sports for their first year of high school.
School board members have said the goal is to ensure students have motivation to stay engaged with school.
70 units proposed on Chevy Chase Drive
December 18, 2020 | 12:08 am
December 18, 2020
Picture via Montgomery County Planning Board
The Montgomery County Planning Board gave unanimous approval to early plans for a development in Bethesda that would produce 70 new condominiums.
Winthrop Investment Group has proposed demolishing a single-family home used as an office and replacing it with a 70-foot-tall building at 4702 Chevy Chase Drive.
The building will include a fitness center, a “wellness area” and a rooftop deck, according to the development application.
A below-ground parking garage with 63 spaces for vehicles and 35 spaces for bikes are included in the project’s plan.
Attorney Pat Harris, with Lerch Early & Brewer and representing the developer, said that the building will look “different” than others in the neighborhood because it will be more modern. But, she said, “the way Bethesda is going” the neighborhood will be more modernized in the coming year
Proposal is $42 million less than current year
December 17, 2020 | 3:19 pm
December 18, 2020
MCPS Superintendent Jack Smith released his proposed operating budget for Fiscal Year 2022 in a pre-recorded video on Thursday.
screenshot via live stream
Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Jack Smith on Thursday released a proposed $2.7 billion operating budget for fiscal year 2022.
The proposed budget, which will go through a lengthy review process by both the school board and Montgomery County Council, is about $42.6 million (1.5%) less than the current budget.
It was not immediately clear when the last time MCPS’ budget request was not an increase from the prior year, but MCPS officials said it was likely in 2008, during the Great Recession.
Plaza Oaxaca to open in Rockville Town Square in February
‘Authentic Mexican cuisine’ cornerstone of new restaurant
December 18, 2020 | 3:28 pm
December 19, 2020
Screenshot from website
Plaza Oaxaca, a Mexican restaurant, is expected to open in February in Rockville Town Square.
In a press release on Friday morning, landlord Federal Realty Investment Trust announced the restaurant will open at 141 Gibbs St. and provide “authentic Mexican cuisine to Rockville through their traditional food.”
The restaurant plans to host live music and dance nights when it is safe to do so after the public health emergency ends.
The 4,500-square-foot restaurant is owned by Cecilia Pastor and Maria Barragan.