An increase in shoplifting at Giant Food stores in Montgomery County has prompted the regional grocer to enhance security protocols in some of its stores.

“Giant Food has initiated new policies at select stores that are experiencing high shrink to mitigate the unprecedented levels of product theft that have become unsustainable for our business,” Giant Food spokesperson Jon Arons said in an email to MoCo360. “The retail theft we are experiencing across our market area is a problem that affects everyone. It limits product availability, creates a less convenient shopping experience, and, most critically, puts our associates and customers in harm’s way.”

Shoplifting in county retail stores has been on the rise over the past few years, county police spokesperson Casandra Tressler said. “Any reported thefts are investigated,” she said.

On June 25, a clerk at a Giant Food store on Arlington Road in Bethesda was punched in the face when a robbery suspect allegedly tried unsuccessfully to return stolen goods for cash. Montgomery County police are searching for the man who allegedly took off with an undisclosed amount of cash, according to a July 3 statement.

Between 2021 and 2022, shoplifting in retail stores, which includes grocery stores, increased by nearly 28%, from 2,425 to 3,100 reported cases, according to the county police department’s 2022 Annual Report on Crime and Safety.

From 2022-2023, all shoplifting incidents increased by nearly 41%, Tressler said. Police did not provide the overall number of reported cases for 2023. 

The number of reported grocery store thefts between 2022 and 2023 grew by about 48%, according to data provided by police. There were 427 reported thefts in 2022 and 630 in 2023. Reported cases for 2024 are on pace to exceed the number reported in 2023, according to police.

Giant Food, Safeway and Whole Foods Market are among the grocers with stores throughout the county. When contacted by MoCo360, Safeway officials declined to provide information about theft in their stores and security measures they may have taken. Whole Foods Market did not return a MoCo360 request for comment.

‘It’s scary’

“It’s scary. No place is safe anymore, everywhere you go,” said an eight-year employee of the Colesville Giant Food at 13490 New Hampshire Ave. in Silver Spring. The customer service agent asked to remain anonymous. “The theft is very bad lately.”

She said employees are instructed not to follow the shoplifters. Instead, they are told to log information about a suspect, including a physical description, in a designated journal at the customer service desk. She said the store also has a part-time security guard that floats between stores.

“We have a security camera, so we know when they are coming,” she said.

A spokesperson for the union that represents Giant Food employees said the union is concerned about workers’ safety and worries that Giant Food, and other grocery stores represented by the union, are not reporting the full volume of theft to police.

“Anecdotally, we are concerned that they are not reporting it,” said Jonathan Williams of United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) Local 400. “There is talk from some of the companies about how we need stricter laws and harsher punishments. But if you’re not calling the cops in the first place, what’s the good of stricter punishment?”

Security in stores

Williams said meetings with shop stewards in recent months revealed that grocery store employees are being asked to work security duties. “Sometimes something as simple as standing at the front of the door,” he said.

Some employees have reported being threatened with weapons and being verbally abused, Williams said. The union represents members in Maryland; Virginia; Washington, D.C.; West Virginia; Ohio; Kentucky; and Tennessee.

Three weeks ago, the union launched an online reporting campaign that allows store employees to note when they have been asked to work as security. Before the Fourth of July holiday weekend, Williams said about five incidents had been reported.

“We think those numbers grossly underrepresent the reality,” he said.

When asked by MoCo360, Giant Food did not directly respond to the union’s allegation that it asks its employees to work security duties.

Some Giant Food stores in the county already have security officers in their stores. A spokesperson from Giant Food said the company uses Myles Davis Protection Services for its Montgomery County stores.

“The solution isn’t always obvious, but starting with security in the store seems like a no-brainer,” Williams said.

A full-time security guard at the Giant Food at 12028 Cherry Hill Road in Silver Spring, who identified himself as Officer Crutchfield, said the physical presence of a security officer in the store is a deterrent and helps prevent theft.

“My job is to provide customer service and protection to customers, and provide documentation to police when needed,” Crutchfield said.

At the Giant Food at 2900 West University Blvd. in Wheaton, the security officer is armed. The store also has closed one of its two entrances.

A customer service representative at the store, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said management installed an armed guard at the Wheaton store a little over a year ago. Previously, the security officer wasn’t armed, the clerk said.

She is optimistic the presence of an armed guard is deterring would-be thieves, noting the store has eliminated the morning security shift.

“It used to be we had security officers for an a.m. shift and a p.m. shift,” she said. “But about a month ago, we went to just p.m.”

Arons did not respond directly when asked by MoCo360 whether placing armed guards in stores was common and when additional security measures were implemented.  

“We continuously assess all our stores and take appropriate actions based on the current situation. The unfortunate reality is that retail crime and related violence are on the rise. Although we do not disclose specific store details, we face increasingly high levels of unsustainable theft,” he said. “Our top priority is the safety of our associates and customers. Our training emphasizes the importance of using sound judgment and avoiding situations that could endanger our team or customers while protecting our products.”

At the Giant Food in Leisure World of Maryland in Silver Spring, the self-checkout clerk said theft was such a problem that the store removed the five-cent plastic bags from the self-checkout area.

Customers were required to scan their groceries, set them aside, and then seek out the self-checkout clerk to purchase the number of bags needed.

On June 21, a customer lambasted a manager, complaining that he was being punished for someone else’s crime. Within five days, the bags had returned to the self-checkout area. Staff at the customer service desk said the bags had returned after customers complained about the inconvenience of the new bagging system.

“We need to be able to run our stores safely and profitably, and we take these responsibilities seriously. The tactics we deploy are only one of the solutions to our problem,” Arons said.

The post ‘Unprecedented’ theft prompts new security measures in local Giant Food stores appeared first on MoCo360.

Rockville officials agreed Monday to formally study the closed RedGate Golf Course as a future site for a veterans home and other “passive” parkland uses, while getting community input on a final plan.

A decision was also made to close the doors on studying the 144-acre parcel for almost all other commercial, industrial and residential purposes — including a bus depot. A possible exception could be a group home for people with mental and physical impairments, an idea Councilwoman Beryl Feinberg would like to see studied.

Across the board, there was strong consensus that RedGate is the last remaining large parcel of land within the city, and parkland in some form would be the best use for the majority of the property.

“This is the last large bit of parkland in this area, and I think we owe it to the people to keep it,” Mayor Bridget Donnell Newton said.

The Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs, aided by state and local advocates, has been pursuing the possibility of building a second state facility on the site since the golf course abruptly closed in late 2018. Initial plans call for a 120-bed facility with about 175 employees, including doctors, nurses, and administrators.

Billy Casper Golf, the management company which had run the course since 2012, abruptly ended its lease three years early. Sales and revenues had fallen over the years while Billy Casper let the course fall into disrepair.

Councilman Mark Pierzchala tried on Monday to persuade city officials to limit the scope of the study to a VA home, primary parkland, and possibly one or two other uses, but the majority of the council opted for a more expansive approach.

An agreement was made to study the land within the confined parameters of a state Department of Veterans Affairs home, parkland and recreational uses, the arts and any other needs the city might determine.

Pierzchala said he fears an open-ended study might turn political, as it did last year leading into the 2019 mayor and council elections, when plans for RedGate were shelved.

“I would rather limit the box right now — not in respect to what kind of parkland, but in certain other respects,” he said. “I personally would like to close that out right now.”

The mayor and council agreed to fast-track the study. The goal is 12 months. Rockville’s next election is in 2023.

“I would err on the side of wanting to hear from the experts. There may be things we haven’t even thought of,” Feinberg said. “I fear if we’re limiting, we’re maybe defining the box when maybe this time, we have to let the experts try and give us opportunities and options we’ve just never ever thought of.”

Donnell Newton said she agreed with Pierzchala, especially on using resources to study options that might not happen, but sided with the majority of council members to keep options open, considering the strong interest in having a park there.

“We want to make sure we have all the information,” first-term Councilman David Myles, who ran on a slate with Pierzchala, said. “It would take a whole lot to stop something after it’s already there, as opposed to having the information to make the most informed decision from the start. This is the last parcel of contiguous space of this magnitude and I would certainly want to get it right, so I support the wider scope.”

Another large concern among the group was the potential cost of infrastructure improvements and public utilities.

Veterans homes are funded and constructed through partnerships between the state and the federal governments. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs contributes two-thirds of the costs, Maryland Veterans Affairs Secretary George Owings has said.

The state is responsible for a third of the funding and securing the land for the project. It also operates the facility once construction is complete.

But under the federal government plan, land can only be donated. The question of who pays for road improvements and utilities for the site remains unknown.

The mayor and council are looking for the county to help support the project on some level, but specifics were not discussed.

First-term Councilwoman Monique Ashton, who ran on a slate with Donnell Newton, emphasized the importance of having a full understanding of the infrastructure needs for any potential use.

“We haven’t figured out how we’re going to pay for it and get it in there,” Ashton said. “I think we should limit [the VA home] to one of the options, but [have] the majority of the options be focused on parkland.”

Ashton suggested dedicating a page on the city’s website to promote transparency for the project. Others suggested having many community forums.

City Manager Rob DiSpirito said he would prepare a draft “scope” summary immediately for the mayor and council to consider. The staff could quickly move forward with requests for proposals for land-use consultants to study the property, he said.

DiSpirito said the city anticipates paying for the study using existing revenues. City officials estimate the cost to be about $300,000.

“Significant” parkland, an amphitheater, an arboretum, and walking trails are among some of the uses the city will consider.

Newton said she defines significant as: “Every last inch [of land] that’s not necessary for the other uses this body might agree to do.”

The post Rockville to consider veterans home, parkland as uses for former golf course appeared first on MoCo360.

Update: Walter Johnson defeated Urbana 42-10 and will play at Quince Orchard High School on Friday.

For the first time in their history, the Walter Johnson Wildcats have reached the state football playoffs.

Walter Johnson (7-2) will host Urbana High School (6-3) on Friday at 7 p.m. Walter Johnson is seeded 4^th in the 4A West Region. Urbana is seeded 5^th.

Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda is 63 years old. The football program started a year after the school opened, according to Athletic Director Thomas W. Rogers.

Rogers said the state football playoffs began in 1974.

Walter Johnson is in the Maryland 4A division, for the largest public high schools.

Walter Johnson coach Larry Hurd Jr., in his second season, credits the players’ strong work ethic and their buy-in to a family culture fostered by his coaching staff.

“There’s a lot of things that occur when success happens,” Hurd said Wednesday. “Everybody wants to look at the results and say they’ve had a great year, they’re 7 and 2, but there’s so much work that’s gone on in the back scenes.”

He said his players are talented and can play well, but he feels the Wildcats have something that other teams don’t.

“They’ve all bought into a family atmosphere,” Hurd said. “Family means something different to us. There’s a lot of teams that say in their huddle ‘1,2,3, family!’ Well, family has a meaning for us, and each letter of the word has a particular meaning. It means ‘Forget About Me, I Love You.’”

Hurd said his father Larry Hurd Sr., is the team’s defensive coordinator and his mother, Patricia Hurd, is the Wildcats’ director of football operations.

“We’re gonna do whatever it is that we gotta to do to make sure that our team is successful,” Hurd said. “We’re not very concerned with individual statistics.”

While statistics may not be at Hurd’s forefront, the Wildcats have bragging rights.

Senior Josh Forburger has thrown for more than 1,800 yards, the most in the county, and has 17 touchdown passes, according to the MoCo Football website.

The Wildcats also excel on the ground, Hurd said. Running back Aaron Jones, a junior, has rushed for more than 1,000 yards and 11 touchdowns, according to the MoCo Football website.  He’s done so with a hearing impairment that requires a cochlear implant device.

“When you combine these good football players with a program where they feel they can be successful, they really believe in themselves,” Hurd said. “They’ve shown that. To be 7-2 in the 4A West of Montgomery County, one of the hotbeds of football, that’s quite an achievement.”

Maryland’s 4A West division includes 11 Montgomery County public high schools.

The top-ranked team in 4A West is Quince Orchard (9-0).

Winners from the 4A West, 4A South, 4A North and 4A East games on Friday will advance to the second round the following weekend.

The 4A championship game is scheduled for Dec. 6 at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis.

Walter Johnson senior Sharif Munn, a right tackle, said he feels the team’s success is due to the coaching staff and the attitude of the players.

“It’s the coaching staff and the players,” Munn said. “It’s everybody’s effort level and being positive. We all work together. We’re all one as a team.”

Hurd said the Wildcats are prepared to take on Urbana and he’s not considering who they would play next if they win.

“When you are in the state playoffs, you don’t look ahead or you will find yourself out of the playoffs,” said Hurd, who helped lead his high school football team to victory in the 1991 MPSSAA state championship as a quarterback for Quince Orchard. “It’s survive and advance. Move to the next week. The only team we’re interested in is Urbana.”

The post Walter Johnson in Football Playoffs for First Time appeared first on MoCo360.

Hundreds of Rockville mail-in election ballots were delivered to the Ingleside at King Farm retirement community late Monday night after residents complained they still had not received them, two weeks before the Nov. 5 election.

According to Rockville City Clerk Sara Taylor-Ferrell, election officials deliver ballots to tenants in retirement communities and “nursing homes” without exact street addresses or mailboxes. The staff at those group residences arranges a time for ballots to be delivered, she said.

“We’ve been sending out notices to the coordinator — no response,” Taylor-Ferrell said of the Ingleside staff. “So we went physically there to do that because there was no response from the coordinator.”

Ingleside Executive Director Michelle Kraus confirmed the receipt and distribution of the ballots, but did not address Taylor-Ferrell’s characterization that Ingleside’s inaction caused the delay.

An Ingleside resident at 701 King Farm Blvd., where 335 ballots were delivered Monday, said the majority of residences, including his, have mailboxes on the building’s first floor.

Jacques Gelin, 87, a former Justice Department attorney, said he found his ballot a little after 5 a.m. Tuesday, when he went to retrieve his newspaper.

“I got it on the shelf immediately outside the front door,” Gelin said. “I did call the front desk and she said they came early.”

The exception are the residents on the 7th floor, Gelin said, who don’t have mailboxes.

Taylor-Ferrell confirmed that more than 38,000 ballots have been mailed out for the general election. She said the mailings began “on or before” Oct. 7, and ballots were received before Oct. 11.

Rockville Mayor Bridget Donnell Newton contacted the city’s election staff Sunday after numerous people pulled her aside at church to express concern because they hadn’t yet received ballots.

“It’s two weeks before the election, and I received my ballot Oct. 7,” Newton said.

Election officials appeared to be aware of a problem, according to Newton, but when the mayor asked in a follow-up email whether the ballots had been mailed, she did not receive a response.

Newton, who is running for re-election, called the situation a “huge irregularity.”

“It calls into question the process,” Newton said of the delay and ballot distribution method.

Rockville City Councilwoman Virginia Onley who is challenging Newton for mayor, did not want to speculate about what happened.

“It’s important that we get to the bottom of why residents at Ingleside did not get their ballots,” Onley wrote in an email late Monday night. “We need to work with the Election Board and city staff, so that all residents get their ballots and their voices are heard in this election and future elections. … I want to praise the residents of Ingleside for being vocal.”

According to the Rockville city code on election procedures, mail-in ballots for the general election must be mailed or distributed between 30 and 25 days before the election.

This year, that means ballots for the Nov. 5 general election should have been distributed by or on Oct. 11.

However, Taylor-Ferrell said there is an exception for certain “nursing home” tenants.

“Once the ballots went from the mailing house, we were sent additional [ballots] for all the nursing homes and they were distributed within the last week,” Taylor-Ferrell said Monday.

She said visits are scheduled with the staff at a facility, so members of the board of supervisors of elections can distribute ballots to residents without a specific mailing address or mailbox.

“They make sure they are distributed to that registered voter on the list,” Taylor-Ferrell said.

It is unclear whether the city staff, the Ingleside staff or a combination of both delivered ballots to voters. Someone distributed hundreds of ballots to the front doors of tenant residences — some who have mailboxes — Monday night and possibly through the morning Tuesday.

There is no information about the procedure on the Rockville elections website, but Taylor-Ferrell said the delivery practice was approved in 2011.

“This procedure is not mandatory and there is no deadline for distribution of ballots — only to make sure that the ballots are delivered in a timely manner,” Taylor-Ferrell wrote in an email Tuesday. “The Board of Supervisors of Elections adopted the procedures from the State of Maryland Licensed Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities: Absentee Ballot and Voter Registration Procedures. The city of Rockville incorporated this practice during the 2011 municipal election. The board found that this practice was well received in the community and voter participation.”

Taylor-Ferrell said Rockville’s remaining nursing home and retirement communities have received their ballots.

Those facilities include Brightview Falls Grove, Brightview West End on North Washington Street, Brightview Potomac Woods, Collingswood, Potomac Valley, the Village at Rockville and Sunrise of Rockville.

The post Hundreds of Ballots Delivered to Rockville Retirement Community Weeks after Others Were Mailed appeared first on MoCo360.

This story was updated at 1:20 p.m. Sept. 24, 2019, to clarify a quote by Mark Pierzchala about diversity.

Montgomery County leaders, former County Council candidates, and a wide-reaching progressive organization are throwing their support behind a Rockville mayoral candidate in an untraditional way.

Rockville Councilwoman Virginia Onley is taking on incumbent Mayor Bridget Donnell Newton in the Nov. 5 nonpartisan city election. They each have a slate of candidates running with them for City Council. This year’s race is for mayor and four council seats.

Onley’s campaign support includes a sitting at-large County Council member, three state legislators and Progressive Maryland, her campaign manager, Michelle Whittaker, said.

Historically, endorsements and support for Rockville mayoral candidates have remained local, according to Newton and three-term city Councilman Mark Pierzchala, who ran unsuccessfully against Newton for mayor in 2013.

“This is a change in Rockville’s elections,” said Newton, who is not seeking endorsements outside the city. “It’s imperative that we retain local control on the issues and answers in our city.”

At-Large County Council Member Will Jawando and former District 3 council candidate Ben Shnider will host house parties for Onley, Whittaker said. Shnider lost with 47 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary to Sydney Katz.

Newton said Onley has already had two house parties outside Rockville — in Chevy Chase and Frederick County.

State Sen. Susan Lee (D-Dist. 16) and first-term Dels. Gabriel Acevero (D-Dist. 39), who represents Gaithersburg, Germantown and Clarksburg, and Jheanelle Wilkins (D-Dist. 20), who represents Takoma Park, are supporting Onley.

Whittaker’s sister — former at-large County Council candidate Brandy Brooks, who placed seventh among 33 candidates in the 2018 election — will also advocate for Onley, the city’s first African American mayoral candidate.

The campaign styles represent a contrast between the two candidates, who also have different campaign priorities.

In an interview Friday, Onley said that if elected, she will make affordable housing in the city her top priority.

Whittaker said Onley’s support is part of a movement to address a growing diverse population and progressive values, such as affordable housing, immigration and the minimum wage.

Newton said her campaign will focus on a vision for Rockville’s future, including continuing to provide excellent services to residents and visitors, protecting the character of Rockville’s neighborhoods while managing its growth, and welcoming all people.

Newton said she supports a continuum of housing across all sectors “to continue to support the kind of city Rockville is.”

“We need workforce housing and mixed-income housing,” Newton said. “It does not have to be just one type or all in the same place. Mixed-income housing works best.”

Other goals Newton’s has talked about include adding more green space to the city, making progress on the rehabilitation of King Farm Farmstead and fostering the city’s partnership with Montgomery County Public Schools.

Pierzchala, a city council candidate on Onley’s “Team Rockville” slate, said affordable housing is also a top priority.

“Bridget Newton has always found a way not to support it,” Pierzchala said.

Pierzchala also said he and Onley support increasing the number of City Council members.

“It makes it easier to be inclusive,” he said. “It is impossible to represent all the diversity in the city with just five people.”

Pierzchala, Newton’s biggest antagonist, however, agrees with the mayor on keeping support local.

“I explicitly didn’t reach out,” he said of endorsements. “It’s a Democratic dominated county. I just wouldn’t get their endorsements.  They will always want something anyway.”

Onley said Progressive Maryland has also endorsed another candidate on her slate — James Hedrick, a finance specialist at the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

The rest of Onley’s “Team Rockville” slate are Cynthia Cotte Griffiths, executive director of a free legal services clinic for immigrants, and David Myles, a doctor and Navy veteran.

Those running with Newton as part of the “Rockville Forward” team are incumbent Councilwoman Beryl Feinberg; Monique Ashton, a public relations executive and coordinator of the Richard Montgomery High School Cluster; Suzan Pitman, formerly the president of the East Rockville Civic Association; and Kuan Lee, an attorney and board member of the Rockville Sister Cities Corp.

Other candidates, not part of either slate, are:

• Richard Gottfried, a certified public accountant

• Charles Littlefield, a senior finance manager at the international nonprofit Plan International USA, which advocates for children’s rights and gender equality

• Donald A. Masters, a home and building inspector

• Brigitta Mullican, a retired federal government employee and member of several Rockville volunteer boards

• Matthew Perkins, a criminologist at the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, a community nonprofit

As of Sept. 20, there are 3,594 more registered Rockville voters than there were in 2015, when the city held its last election. Currently, 44,343 people are registered to vote, according to Rockville City Clerk Sara Taylor-Ferrell.

The last time the city saw such an uptick in registered voters is 2013, when the city voted to move from two-year to four-year terms. Newton said the majority of Rockville supports off-year elections to keep the city nonpartisan.

For the last three elections — 2011, 2013 and 2015 — Rockville voters consistently turned out at a rate of 16 percent.

Newton said she has raised about $5,000 for the election. Onley has raised $10,500, according to Whittaker.

Neither candidate said they would accept campaign contributions from real estate developers or entities doing business with the city. The first pre-election campaign finance report is due Oct. 7.

Three candidate forums are scheduled:

• The League of Women Voters will host a debate from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Rockville Senior Center at 1150 Carnation Drive.

• The Rockville Chamber of Commerce will host a forum from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Oct. 2 at Thomas Farm Community Center at 700 Fallsgrove Drive.

• The Twinbrook Community Association will host a forum from 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 15 at the Twinbrook Community Recreation Center at 12920 Twinbrook Parkway.

Rockville 11, which is channel 11 on county cable systems, will broadcast the forums live.

Voters may either mail in their ballots or drop them off at City Hall, or they may vote at City Hall on Election Day.

The post County Leaders, Progressive Group Support Onley in Rockville Mayor Race appeared first on MoCo360.

Activists held county officials’ feet to the fire at a “climate emergency” town hall meeting Saturday in Silver Spring.

Hundreds showed up to ask what has been done since the County Council passed a 2017 climate emergency resolution with goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent in 2027 and 100 percent by 2035.

“Nothing,” said keynote speaker Danielle Meitiv, a climate scientist and 2018 County Council candidate. “Climate groups in the county have given the government a score of 32 out of 100 for inaction on this issue so far.”

A climate report scorecard was issued by a consortium of climate organizations in the county, including 350MoCo, Faith Alliance Climate Solutions, Green Democrats, Montgomery Greens and The Climate Mobilization Montgomery County.

The event was led by Takoma Park Mobilization. More than 30 advocacy groups were sponsors.

Officials were measured on action in the following categories: building, energy generation, infrastructure and planning, and transportation.

County officials were quick to say they are on board to advance the cause, but they can’t do it alone. A broader reach to the county’s diverse constituency was necessary.

“We need you all to create a movement,” County Executive Marc Elrich said. “Change doesn’t come from where we sit.”

Elrich said he said he is thinking about how to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The county has made smaller impacts, too, including the formation of work groups this summer.

“I am going to introduce legislation requiring all new houses and townhouses by a certain date to have solar roofs,” Elrich said. “That’s a big way to make a dent in getting things done by 2027. I’m looking at 2021 or 2022 as a deadline for starting that.”

He said the county has entered into a pilot program with Montgomery County Public Schools testing the use of electric-powered school buses, but the school system has shown reluctance toward the program.

The county has also switched 40 of its approximately 1,300 fleet car inventory to electric vehicles, Elrich said.

Other legislation expected to be introduced this fall will include creating a task force to study building energy performance standards, said Adriana Hochberg, an assistant chief administrative officer, environmental policy adviser and climate change coordinator for the county.

“More than 50 percent of greenhouse gas emissions come from county buildings,” she said.

“Deep energy retrofits” for existing buildings above a certain size is an example of something the task force could study, Hochberg said.

Creating more efficient uses of energy through the building envelope, lighting and windows are other examples.

Hochberg said financial incentives through Montgomery County’s Green Bank program and technical assistance could also be offered.

Panelist Naeem Alam countered that the costs associated with retrofitting could cause gentrification.

“No one wants to pay higher rent,” Alam said.

Elrich was asked if he would support having all new buildings in the county by 2027 become “net zero energy,” meaning energy used by the building is equal to the amount of renewable energy created on the site or by other renewable energy sources offsite.

“I would like to get there and a building code to make that possible,” Elrich said.

Council member Tom Hucker, who represents the 5th District, said the issue finally has the necessary traction to move forward, but elected officials need help from the community.

Audience members and panelists called for an information campaign for residents.

“As they say, if people lead, leaders will follow,” Hucker said. “Now we are going to try and do everything we can to meet the challenge and get to the very ambitious goals we set, but we can’t do it by ourselves. We need your help.”

Elrich seconded the call.

“The problem is turning perception and reality into everybody’s perception and reality.”

The post Climate Change Activists Accuse Montgomery County of ‘Inaction’ appeared first on MoCo360.

Concern among adults over contracting measles is surging in Montgomery County following reports of outbreaks of the virus in Maryland and areas of New York with large Orthodox Jewish communities, according to health professionals.

County health officials and physicians report a steady flow of inquiries from patients asking about the viability of the measles immunization, which some received decades ago.

Maryland has reported five cases of measles this year – all from the Pikesville area north of Baltimore, county health officials said.

“There has been a heightened suspicion with clinicians monitoring fevers and rashes, particularly in young folks,” county Health Officer Travis Gayles said. “Providers have called in to our office for further guidance.”

Recently county officials hosted a vaccine clinic at a Silver Spring synagogue where more than 276 people – primarily adults – were vaccinated.

“Due to the increased risk of cases in the state and New York, and guidance from the state health department, we held a [measles] vaccine clinic at the Young Israel Shomrai Emunah Synagogue,” Gayles said.

Rabbi Dovid Rosenbaum of the Young Israel synagogue said the vaccines were largely a precaution.

“The reason we had that clinic is because there were cases of measles in other orthodox communities,” Rosenbaum said. “We have a lot of travel between orthodox communities. We get together for holidays all the time. . . The vast, vast majority of our community follows regular vaccine schedules.”

The Centers for Disease Control reports 880 individual cases of the measles have been confirmed in 24 states as of May 17. The highly contagious virus can lead to serious health complications, such as pneumonia, brain damage, deafness and death.

“This is the greatest number of cases reported in the U.S. since 1994 and since measles was declared eliminated in 2000,” the CDC reported on its website.

The largest onset of recent measles cases originated in Orthodox Jewish communities, health providers said.

A Silver Spring physician said her office has been receiving phone calls since two weeks before Passover.

“We are getting many, many calls,” Dr. Ruth Kevess-Cohen of Cameron Medical Group said. “We have lots of patients who belong to this [Jewish Orthodox] community. They are worried they would be exposed.”

Some Orthodox Jews may be considered at greater risk because of cultural identities that insulate their community from modern secular society, including making them more susceptible to anti-vaccine propaganda, according to some doctors and scholars.

Health officials believe the return of the virus stems from people who have traveled abroad to areas where there are large measles outbreaks.

Kevess-Cohen said her practice is administering 10 measles vaccinations a week, but it’s not just her Jewish Orthodox patients that are expressing concern.

“[Other patients] heard measles is coming back and is in the area,” she said.

“Patients are calling in asking about their status,” Kevess-Cohen said. “It depends on a person’s age.”

Kevess-Cohen and other doctors said people born in 1957 or after should consider having a blood test to determine if they are immune to the measles.

“Persons born before 1957 are considered to be immune to measles, in general,” Kevess-Cohen said. “Back then measles were extremely common. There was no vaccine available. Most people either had a clinical case that was obvious or had a mild case and developed antibodies. That’s kind of the rule of thumb from CDC.”

Ira Berger, a physician with Rockville Internal Medical Group, said his practice has received at least 200 inquiries in the last two months following the New York outbreak.

“You should have had two shots as a child,” Berger said.

Berger said if a person has documentation that they’ve had at least two of the live vaccines, they are likely immune to the disease. But a “killed” vaccine that was distributed in the 1960s was not as effective.

“If you received a measles vaccine in the 1960s, you may not need to be revaccinated,” a CDC spokesperson said. “People who have documentation of receiving LIVE measles vaccine in the 1960s do not need to be revaccinated. People who were vaccinated prior to 1968 with either inactivated (killed) measles vaccine or measles vaccine of unknown type should be revaccinated with at least one dose of live attenuated measles vaccine. This recommendation is intended to protect those who may have received killed measles vaccine, which was available in 1963-1967 and was not effective.”

A member of the Montgomery County Medical Society, a professional organization,  said she believes the concerns have plateaued.

“In Montgomery County, the risk is low,” said Carolyn O’Conor, a doctor at Comprehensive Primary Care in Rockville. “We have a high vaccination rate. Eighty-eight percent of the cases nationally have occurred in very specific areas, none of which are Montgomery County. The cases in Maryland have [also] been concentrated in certain ZIP codes.

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Plans to transform a dated Shady Grove office park into a thriving, North Rockville community hub have been set in motion.

The Grove – Rockville, a mixed-use development on 31 acres at the crossroads of Shady Grove, Gaither and Choke Cherry roads, will bring hundreds of townhouses, more than 1,000 multi-family dwelling units and a combined 560,000 square feet of commercial and retail space.

The $650 million project, expected to be done in three phases, received approval from the Rockville City Council earlier this week.

Mayor Bridget Newton said the project will also be required to align with the newly resurrected Corridor Cities Transitway, a 15-mile bus rapid transit route from Clarksburg to Rockville that has been on the drawing boards for decades. The commuter line would end at the Shady Grove Metrorail station, about a mile from the new development.

“My understanding is that under [County Executive Marc] Elrich, the alignment to the Corridor Cities Transitway has been changed to Shady Grove Road to revitalize the area,” Newton said.

If the developer, Bethesda-based Lantian Development, receives all necessary approvals by city officials, construction could begin in a year, Rockville planning official Jim Wasilak said.

The project’s design includes east and west sections.

The east section will front Shady Grove Road and include 1,036 to 1,336 apartments, 390,000 square feet of commercial buildings and 170,000 square feet for shops and restaurants.

A hotel and active adult facilities or a nursing home for seniors are under consideration for some of the space, according to a city planning memo.

The west section will include 330 townhouse units with garages facing alleys that are adjacent to the neighboring King Farm community.

The first phase of construction includes retail, including a grocery store, multiple-family residential units and some townhomes. The second phase includes commercial construction, the last phase of the multi-family units and townhomes. The third phase will complete construction of the townhomes.

Two entrances to the development are planned for Choke Cherry and Gaither roads near the Shady Grove Road interchange with Interstate 270.

In all, 6.2 acres will be devoted to open space with opportunities for recreation, including a network of sidewalks and trails.

A main street will run through the middle of the pedestrian-oriented development and a central focus will be a large green field, aptly named “Central Green.”

Two children’s play areas and 173 trees are also slated for the site, which is now home to seven office buildings and large surface parking lots.

Gaithersburg High School, about two miles to the north, would be the designated school cluster for the community.

After a 4-0 vote Monday night, the mayor and council joined the developer and audience members in a round of applause.

“Once again we would remiss if we didn’t thank you for your partnership,” Newton told the developer. “I know it’s also been a long process, but you have listened, you have worked with us, our staff and the community in King Farm and Ingleside, and we do appreciate that.”

Lantian CEO Bob Elliott said, “We hope to make something great for Rockville.”

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An advisory group  comprised largely of owners of commercial and residential property in Rockville’s Town Center is being formed to help revitalize the city’s downtown after a number of shops and restaurants have closed in recent years.

The work group, spearheaded by Rockville Economic Development Inc., is expected to be part of a larger discussion scheduled Monday night when Rockville’s mayor and council gets an update on a revitalization plan developed last fall.

City officials held emergency meetings last fall in an attempt to quell community concerns after a grocery store and several restaurants abruptly closed in Town Center, a district that includes apartments, shops, restaurants and offices.

Since the 11-point revitalization plan was established, two more retailers — Little Dipper Hot Pot-Rockville on Gibbs Street and Liquid Blue Boutique on Maryland Avenue — have closed in Town Square.

Federal Realty Investment Trust, The Foulger-Pratt Companies, Duball LLC and Rockville-based Capital Bank have been named to the work group, according to Rockville’s mayor.

“We are all in this together and we have to work together on how to keep Town Center vibrant,” Mayor Bridget Donnell-Newton said.

REDI’s executive director Cynthia Stewart is heading up the work group, Newton said.

Rockville’s chief of long-range planning, David Levy, has been named as assistant director of planning and business improvement, a position created under the revitalization plan.

Levy will work directly with City Manager Robert DiSpirito to focus on business revitalization, according to city documents prepared for Monday’s meeting.

City staff has also recommended discussing a formal update to the Rockville Town Center Master Plan and reviewing existing development density limits and zoning ordinances that affect building height and parking limits.

The Urban Land Institute has been commissioned to provide recommendations for land use and economic development in Town Center. The Department of Recreation and Parks has also hired a consultant to update the city’s plan for culture and arts.

Improving access to Town Center will also be discussed Monday. Fifteen-thousand students at nearby Montgomery College are among the prime targets to drive business to the downtown.

Other recommendations include making improvements to the Rockville Metrorail Station, including adding Bus Rapid Transit and improving or rebuilding an existing pedestrian bridge.

While staff recommended creating a merchant-resident task force as part of the original 11-point plan, city officials are unsure how to proceed.

City staff has also asked officials to address plans to create and implement an economic development strategy that would draw one or more large-scale events to Town Center.

While city officials outlined a short-term plan to potentially adjust parking rates and meter times in Town Center, which for years has been seen as a deterrent to business, no changes have occurred since the November meeting.

Another short-term goal — to improve signs along Rockville Pike to attract more visitors to downtown Rockville — has not been addressed.

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The developer that brought Rockville The Upton apartments and Cambria Hotel is starting work on an 18-story building that will feature multi-family and senior living housing, ground-level retail and parking in downtown Rockville.

The mixed-use project will have 250 market rate multi-family residential units, 150 senior affordable residential units, 19,000 square feet of retail space and 600 parking spaces.

The project, Rockville Town Center Phase II, is expected to be completed sometime in the third quarter of 2021, Duball LLC President Marc Dubick said.

The building will be on a 1.5 acre site at the corner of East Middle Lane and Monroe Street, directly across the street from The Upton, which fronts Helen Heneghan Way. The site is a parking lot used by Regal Cinemas moviegoers.

Development for the building will begin almost immediately. The groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for April 29, Rockville Mayor Bridget Newton-Donnell said.

“It will be nice to see a crane in Rockville and we look forward to having more residents,” Newton said.

Duball is partnering with Daiwa House Group and the Housing Opportunities Commission of Montgomery County. Duball will own the multi-family units and the retail space, while Daiwa House and HOC will own the senior living units, Dubick said.

In a news release, HOC said they will move senior residents from Town Center Apartments, which need to be upgraded, to the newly constructed senior units when the project is complete. Dubick said there are 112 senior residents in the Town Center Apartments.

Dubick said the project will complete the Town Center core and compliment the developer’s first Town Center project. Newton said The Upton is 100 percent leased.

The project has a budget of about $150 million, according to a news release issued last week by Duball. M&T Bank is providing construction financing for the project – $61.4 million for the market rate multifamily and retail components and $24 million for the senior housing component.

“We have had a long, successful relationship with the City of Rockville and look forward to this exciting project as the community continues to grow and thrive,” Dubick said. “We are pleased to develop this project in concert with Daiwa House Group and expect this to be the first of many projects in the partnership.”

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