"Ice" Skating Rink Opens

While my family was skating at the new >Rockville Town Square Ice Rink, every passerby stopped at the railing, stared at the white surface then reached a hand forward to touch it. The rink isn’t frozen water, it’s synthetic. One of my sons commented that I was calling it synthetic but really it’s plastic. It is plastic.

I had been told that a soapy substance is sprayed into the air so that it settles onto the “ice”, which is a highly slippery substance. At first I was disappointed because you can’t glide very far. Eventually I figured out how to move so that it appeared as if I was ice skating. You put more pressure on the ball of the foot and keep the skates straight. Since you can’t cross your legs to turn corners, you wind up going in straight paths. When I saw one parent looking very professional skating around at an impressive high speed, I thought perhaps I just needed to practice more. When he took a hard, loud fall, I thought otherwise. The surface does trip you up occasionally.

The rink is perfect for little toddlers who don’t know how to skate because it’s not slippery. They can keep their balance and walk around, so you don’t need to constantly bend over to hold them up. People who hadn’t skated in over 20 years were moving around without a fear of falling. If the last time you skated you were seven, you can do this. You have to constantly work to keep moving, which is great exercise. The surface isn’t cold when the kids fall and clothes don’t get wet.

People waited at the fence to ask about the experience. The shredded ice looks real and small handfuls were passed around. One boy on a skateboard rode across the rink until he was told to leave. Being in Rockville Town Square with the tree and Menorah lit creates a festive atmosphere, so it’s fun to be in the center of it all skating.

I couldn’t do a triple salchow on the synthetic surface, but I couldn’t do one on a regular rink either. If you really want to ice skate, you should visit Cabin John. If you want to experience something new while enjoying time together with family and friends, you should give it a try. As I told my son, “An hour ago you couldn’t say that you had skated on plastic, now you can.”

Until Sunday, January 4, 2009, the rink will be open Monday through Friday, noon- 10 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m.; and Sunday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. and the parking garages are free in Town Center. Beginning Monday, January 5th through March 2009, the regular operating hours will be Monday through Friday, 3-10 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m.; and Sunday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Tickets are $8 for adults and $6 for children. Skate rentals are $2. Tickets and skate rentals are available at the Skate Shack at 100 Gibbs Street, between Acqua Nails and Town Square Jewelers (where Moe’s Southwest Grill used to be).

POTD: Happy Holidays — See You In The New Year

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Happiest of holidays to our wonderful readers. We will see you again in the New Year. Unless we surprise you in the meantime.

Last Minute Gift Giving

Still have someone begging you, “Come on, what do you want for the holidays?” Or do you have a nagging sense that you still need to get someone a gift? No, this isn’t another plug for “Buy Rockville”, although I have been doing my share patronizing our new merchants. This is about a great way to help some of our neighbors - the Rockville Holiday Drive, brought to you by the City of Rockville Department of Recreation.>

I saw it in the Winter Rec Guide (p. 25). You can donate from $25 (activity #2660) to $200 (activity # 26661) to give a gift to a less-fortunate child or to an “sponsor” an entire family.

I learned from the nice woman who answered the phone there this morning that all gifts have been purchased for this year, so any donations from here on out will go towards next year’s gifts. She told me that participation for this season’s drive had been very generous. I suspect many donations were made before the new economic reality hit home for many of us, so I wonder about next year.

Last night at a family sit-down dinner (a rare event, and very much enjoyed, even though it was an odd asortment of leftovers), my son mentioned he still needed to get me something. I told him about the Holiday Drive, and the deal was done. I went on-line this morning, clicked on “rock enroll”, signed in, and got myself that present! Pretty cool. If you still need to do some shopping, I hope you consider the Holiday Drive.

Next Rockville Roundtable Is January 15!

Who is that? Why that’s our very own Council Member >Piotr Gajewski, who was one of the attendees at the most recent Rockville Roundtable, which was at Giuseppe’s.

The next Rockville Roundtable is Thursday, January 15, 2009, from 12:30 to 2:00 pm. We’ll meet at the brand-new Noodles & Co. in Town Square. (That’s right at Gibbs and Middle Lane.)

What is this “Rockville Roundtable?” Why, it’s simple. Just an informal lunch. We get together, with no agenda, no speakers, no podium, nothing fancy (and no dress code — you should see how I show up). Just lunch together, Dutch. We usually have a mix of familiar as well as new friends. I hope one of them will be you!

Sometimes we talk about important things, other times it’s trivia. Mostly, it’s somewhere in-between.

Everyone is welcome. It helps if you RSVP by sending me a note ahead of time, but that’s not necessary. If you wake up on Wednesday and have the urge to join us, don’t let not having RSVP’d stop you! Just come!

Hope to see you there.

Contributor Opinion By Carl Henn: Car Free Contract For Beall's Grant II The Way To Go

>The following Contributor Opinion is by Carl Henn:

The recent decision by the City Council not to support the Beall’s Grant II project isn’t the end of the story. Regardless of how it turns out there will be consequences. Montgomery Housing Partnership may cut the size of the project significantly to meet neighborhood concerns. While this would reduce the impact of the project on the neighborhood, it would also decrease the number of people that it can serve while nearly everyone concedes that we have a tremendous need for affordable housing. Or perhaps MHP and the neighborhood won’t be able to find a workable compromise. This could result in an even worse outcome. If MHP finds that they can build more affordable housing for the same money elsewhere, they may sell the lot and the Rockville site will be built for the standard commercial market. The neighborhood impacts may be nearly the same as the current proposal, but without creating significant additional affordable housing. A commercial development wouldn’t require council approval, so would be less constrained by neighborhood interests.

Both sides have reason to compromise. What they need is better ideas on how to compromise. I believe that Car-Free by Contract housing, supported by investment in transportation alternatives such as car sharing, bicycles, grocery delivery, and transit can make this alternative work. Instead of building a 212 car parking garage and a 17 space surface lot, they could build a 200 bicycle parking garage and a 17 space surface lot with 10 shared cars provided and a free bike with each apartment.

The concept of Car-Free by Contract is that the project is given permission to build far less parking than is usually required in exchange for implementing a plan to ensure that the parking isn’t needed. Residents sign a contract agreeing not to own or use a car while living there. The contract establishes that they will be evicted if they are found to be keeping a car, with loss of security deposit.

Car free living isn’t for everyone and doesn’t work everywhere. But this is a circumstance and place where it can work. Beall’s Grant II will be primarily affordable housing. So many people are waiting for affordable housing that finding 100 households willing and able to get by without a car is very workable. Moreover, Beall’s Grant is within walking distance of Metro, several bus routes and plenty of stores.

The advantages for the neighborhood and city include far less traffic and a smaller building footprint. It is also likely that by selecting people who are able to live without cars that the number of additional students brought into Beall Elementary will be reduced. The arrangement is inherently more environmentally sustainable – car free living uses less energy. But it also opens up new opportunities. The smaller footprint can allow space for a community garden. The money saved by not building parking can instead pay for more advanced environmental features.

Let’s consider the math: Structured parking costs around $20,000 per space. Eliminating the 212 space garage saves $4,240,000. Providing a basic but fully outfitted bike (lights, fenders, panniers, helmet, lock) should cost around $500 each. One hundred would total $50,000. You can fit 12 bikes in the space of one car parking space. If it cost the same as structured car parking, we could provide 200 bike parking spaces for $333,333.

Providing a car sharing service is central to making this concept work. By providing a fleet of cars to share, people can have the use of a car for occasional use, but can share the expense with their neighbors. A fleet of ten cars for 100 households would provide a car when needed at only a tenth of the cost of maintaining a car for each household. Even if brand new cars were purchased for cash up front, this would cost far less then the money saved by not building a 212 car garage. Ten cars at $20,000 each is $200,000. My newest car cost me $5,000 – we don’t need to buy all new for this concept to work. Car sharing is already working in our area through Zipcar, or a non profit co-op can be created to manage it, ranging from a large successful venture in Vancouver to a small community startup.

This still leaves plenty of money left over to provide solar water heating for the complex. A laundromat/car wash in Massachusetts built in solar water heating for $55,000. A similar approach would keep the energy costs lower for this apartment throughout its life.

The cost of the car sharing, bicycles, bike parking and solar water heating comes up to $3.6 million less than the cost of the car parking that they forgo.

In Vienna, a Car-Free by Contract apartment building arrangement allowed an apartment complex of 244 units to provide only 20 parking spaces.

Making this work at the Beall’s Grant II site would solve a vexing problem. Beyond that it points the way to a more sustainable future. While this approach has worked elsewhere, this isn’t an off the shelf, cookie cutter model. This process, even after the fundamental agreement is reached, will take a lot of thought. Is it better for car sharing to happen through Zipcar, an MHP program or some other approach? How can bike lessons be provided to residents, and how will that be arranged? Can free deliveries from PeaPod or their competitors be arranged if a given number of residents agree to a particular delivery schedule? What exact language should be used in the Car-Free contract?

Pulling this together is an exciting and worthy challenge. The active engagement of the neighborhood, MHP and the City will be needed. The seven month delay necessitated by the Council’s decision not to move forward at this time provides the time needed to completely revise the proposed development. Car-free by Contract housing is the tool that can break our current deadlock and create a positive outcome for everyone involved.

Rockville Central runs occasional, edited opinion pieces by contributors as well as other guest columns. Their views are not necessarily those of Rockville Central. We encourage you to join the growing list of contributors! To submit your piece for consideration, contact us.

Rockville Central Radio Today: What's Up The Pike; Staying Healthy In Holidays

We have an astounding show lined for today’s edition of >Rockville Central Radio! We go live at noon.

This week’s show is going to feature Dan Reed who writes Just Up The Pike, one of our favorite Silver Spring blogs (and an inspiration for this one).

We’ll also have Melissa Bosslet from EB Nutrition as a guest talking about staying healthy during the holidays. She writes a great blog that you should check out.

And as always, we will have Ruth Hanessian from Animal Exchange — we plan on talking about foraging in the winter.

How to listen? Just go here on your computer. Or, feel free to just call into our listener line at 646-200-3332. While you’re on the phone, you can hear the whole show. AND . . . you can ask questions too.

In fact, we encourage it. So call in at 646-200-3332!

Just go here to listen every Friday at noon.

POTD: Ding Dong

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I have always been fascinated with this nautical decoration on a neighbor’s house. It is mounted a bit high to be used easily. But it is so cool!

Events in Rockville 12/18/08 - 12/31/08

>Picks of the Week

Sunday Before Christmas Double Shot
at the F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre

Rockville Concert Band’s Holiday Concert
Sunday, December 21, 2008 3 PM - 4 PM
Mayor Susan Hoffman will be making her debut performance reading “A Night Before Christmas” with her very own 50-year-old Band playing every well-know secular piece of Christmas music. “Sleigh Ride”, “Home for Christmas”, “Silver Bells”, etc. Plus one of the best kept secrets - a “visitor from the North”. The Rockville Concert Band under the direction of the delightful Vince Patterson is completely volunteer. Musicians practice every Tuesday all-year-round. Arrive 20 minutes early because this annual free concert “sells out” and you won’t get a seat. No ticketes required.
Picture from the Rockville Concert Band website - look at the headgear!

Rockville Chorus Holiday Concert
Sunday, December 21, 2008 at 7:30 PM
Followed by a cookie reception! Free, no tickets required.
From Chorus member Daryl Newhouse on Facebook: “For this concert, Rockville Chorus Director, Bryan Seith, has chosen a variety of holiday and classical selections that will appeal to all ages and musical tastes. Highlights of this performance will be selections from Vivaldi’s sacred work MAGNIFICAT. This well- known choral masterpiece, composed by Antonio Vivaldi, details the accounts of Mary’s song of praise as written in the Gospel of Luke. Salamone Rossi’s HALELUYA. HALELI NAFSHI is another offering for this holiday concert. THE SHEPHERDS’ CHORUS from AMAHL AND THE NIGHT VISITORS by Gain Carlo Menotti as well as Charles Ives’ A CHRISTMAS CAROL are some of the other more traditional pieces to be performed. On a lighter note, humorous pieces which put a different spin on traditional carols by the infamous P.D.Q. Bach including THROW THE YULE LOG ON, UNCLE JOHN, O LITTLE TOWN OF HACKENSACK and GOOD KING KONG LOOKED OUT, will surely amuse the audience.” There’s only ONE Hackensack, right? There could only be one. It sounds hilarious!

Events in Rockville
This community event listing is a partnership between Rockville Central and Rockville Living. If you would like your community event to be listed, you must submit your request through Rockville Living using this form. Your event will be considered for publication in Rockville Central’s events listing and Rockville Living’s Calendar. We need your help collecting and posting events — that is how this resource will get better and better. Please become a regular contributor by requesting a username so that you can enter the information directly to the database. We publish event listings occurring in & around our coverage area (map) on Thursdays. The inclusion of events is at our discretion.

Thursday, December 18

RVFD Santa Run to New Mark Commons & Rose Hill at Rockville Volunteer Fire Dept, Station 3 The Santa truck is scheduled to be in the New Mark Commons and Rose Hill neighborhoods this evening.

Holiday Tree Decorating Challenge at Rockville Town Square Plaza Visit any Rockville Town Square retailer to cast your vote from Saturday, December 13th at 5pm through Friday, December 19th at 8pm. The winning group will be announced at the Holiday Cheer Event on December 20th and receive a $1,000 donation from Rockville Town Square. All of the trees will be donated to families in need through the Montgomery County Housing Opportunities Commission.Vote for groups from these participating area high schools:- Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School- Col. Zadok Magruder High School- Richard Montgomery High School- Seneca Valley High School- Sherwood High School- Thomas S. Wootton High School- Walt Whitman High School- Walter Johnson High School- Wheaton High SchoolOnly one vote per day, so be sure to visitRockville Town Square often! more info

10:00 am Conversation Club at Twinbrook Library Join us for a weekly session of informal English conversation practice. New members are welcome, no need to register. more info

6:00 pm Spanish Conversation Club at Rockville Public Library Practice and improve your Spanish through conversation. Every Thursday, 6:00-7:30. more info

Friday, December 19

RVFD Santa Run to Woodley Gardens at Rockville Volunteer Fire Dept, Station 3 The Santa truck is scheduled to be in the Woodley Gardens neighborhood this evening. Holiday Tree Decorating Challenge at Rockville Town Square Plaza Visit any Rockville Town Square retailer to cast your vote from Saturday, December 13th at 5pm through Friday, December 19th at 8pm. The winning group will be announced at the Holiday Cheer Event on December 20th and receive a $1,000 donation from Rockville Town Square. All of the trees will be donated to families in need through the Montgomer
y County Housing Opportunities Commission.Vote for groups from these participating area high schools:- Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School- Col. Zadok Magruder High School- Richard Montgomery High School- Seneca Valley High School- Sherwood High School- Thomas S. Wootton High School- Walt Whitman High School- Walter Johnson High School- Wheaton High School. Only one vote per day, so be sure to visitRockville Town Square often! more info

10:00 am English Conversation Club at Rockville Public Library The English Conversation Club, for new speakers of English, meets every Tuesday and Friday at 10 a.m.(in meeting room #1 on Tuesday and meeting room #2 on Friday) of the Rockville Library. No registration is required. more info

6:30 pm-9:30 pm Martinis & Matisse at VisArts at Rockville Music, art and martinis! Jive with live music by DimeStore and their Retro Funk sounds. Be inspired by our exhibition: “Turning the Page”. Visit our resident artists’ studios. Decorate a martini glass to take home. Tickets $10 at the door. Cash bar. Visit our website for more information, www.visartscenter.org. more info

Saturday, December 20

RVFD Santa Run to Twinbrook at Rockville Volunteer Fire Dept, Station 3 The Santa truck is scheduled to be in the Twinbrook neighborhood, Baltimore Rd to Edmonston, this evening. 11:00 amFamily Storytime at Twinbrook Library Join us for a storytime designed for families with young children. All ages welcome. more info

2:00 pm Rock Band Play and Practice at Rockville Public Library For teens: Take your inner musician plus friends to the library for Rock Band Play and Practice. Experience the fun of playing Rock Band-choose guitar, drums, or vocals and become a Rock legend! Light refreshments served. more info

2:00 pm-4:00 pm Holiday Cheer Event at Rockville Town Square Plaza Enjoy holiday music and refreshments aswe name the winning school group and bring Holiday Cheer to families in need! All trees will be donated to families in need. Montgomery County Housing Opportunities Commissionwill deliver trees to families along with aholiday dinner basket. more info

4:30 pm-6:00 pm Potomac Valley Youth Orchestra Winter Concerts at F. Scott Fitzgerald Theater Join the Potomac Valley Youth Orchestra on Saturday, Dec 20 for performances by fine young musicians.At 4:30 the Flute/Clarinet Choirs and the Preparatory/Concert Orchestras perform Mozart’s Divertimento #2 in D Major, Bach Inventions, and many Christmas favorites.At 7pm the Philharmonia, Symphony Orchestra and Wind Ensemble perform Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody #2, Wagner’s Overture to Rienzi, Grieg’s Norwegian Dance #2, selections from Chicago, and more!Tickets: Adults $12.50 1 concert or $20 both, Child age 5-18 $5 1 concert or $8 both more info

7:00 pm-9:00 pm Potomac Valley Youth Orchestra Winter Concerts at F. Scott Fitzgerald Theater Join the Potomac Valley Youth Orchestra on Saturday, Dec 20 for performances by fine young musicians.At 4:30 the Flute/Clarinet Choirs and the Preparatory/Concert Orchestras perform Mozart’s Divertimento #2 in D Major, Bach Inventions, and many Christmas favorites.At 7pm the Philharmonia, Symphony Orchestra and Wind Ensemble perform Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody #2, Wagner’s Overture to Rienzi, Grieg’s Norwegian Dance #2, selections from Chicago, and more!Tickets: Adults $12.50 1 concert or $20 both, Child age 5-18 $5 1 concert or $8 both more info

8:00 pm Encore Performance of Handel’s Messiah by National Philharmonic Chorale at Strathmore Celebrate the holidays as the National Philharmonic Chorale presents an encore presentation of Handel’s Messiah with a fabulous cast of soloists as they raise their voices in such favorites as “The Trumpet Shall Sound,” “And the Glory of the Lord,” and, of course, the “Hallelujah Chorus.”Stan Engebretson, conductorDanielle Talamantes, sopranoElizabeth Bishop, mezzo-sopranoRobert Petillo, tenorJason Stearns, bassTo purchase tickets, visit www.nationalphilharmonic.org or call 301-581-5100. Kids ages 7-17 are free. For Kids Free tickets, come in person or call the Strathmore Ticket Office directly at (301) 581-5100. A free pre-concert lecture will be offered at 7 pm in the Education Center.Parking is FREE. more info

9:00 pm Live Music Saturday Night: Sherwood Blues at The Potomac Grill more info

Sunday, December 21

RVFD Santa Run to Fallsgrove & Traville at Rockville Volunteer Fire Dept, Station 3 The Santa truck is scheduled to be in the Fallsgrove / Traville neighborhoods this evening.

11:30 am-1:00 pm Sugar Plum Extravaganza at American Dance Institute The Sugar Plum Extravaganza will offer an interactive introduction to the “Nutcracker”story through dancing, crafts and a “kingdom of sweets,” for children ages three through eight. Kids will practice “Nutcracker” plies and pirouettes onstage, where American Dance Institute instructors and students will lead a story dance. The Extravaganza will also feature arts and crafts inspired by the famous ballet, photos taken with the Sugar Plum and tasty treats from the “Kingdom of Sweets.” more info

1:00 pm-4:00 pm Holiday Open House at Glenview Mansion Enjoy the beauty of Glenview Mansion as it is once again transformed with decorations by area organizations to make your spirits bright! Music will fill the air each Sunday with entertainment by area artists.
Sparkle, Jazz & Joy
1:15 p.m. - The Encore Singers
2:15 p.m. - Watkins Mill High School Chamber Singers
3:15 p.m. - The Walter Johnson Jazz Combo
All Events are Free and Open to the Public.Make the holiday season brighter for others by bringing gift cards from local merchants or monetary donations to support the City of Rockville’s Holiday Drive.

3:00 pm-4:00 pm Rockville Concert Band Holiday Concert at F. Scott Fitzgerald Theater This wonderful annual event features seasonal music and a special visitor from the North Pole.Free, no tickets required more info

7:30 pm Rockville Chorus presents Holiday Concert at F. Scott Fitzgerald Theater The Rockville Chorus will delight with seasonal music for your enjoyment.Free, no tickets
required more info

Monday, December 22

6:00 pm RVFD Dreidel Run at Rockville Volunteer Fire Dept, Station 3 Here’s the schedule for the Dreidel truck:
6 pm: leaving Fire Station on 355 in Rockvillecoming down Shady Grove Road.
1st stop: Fallsgrove: Corner of Fallsgrove Blvd. & Shady Grove Dr. [approx. 6:15 pm]
2nd stop: Chanukah Wonderland: 9735 Traville Gateway Dr. Traville Village Shopping Center [approx. 6:45 pm]
3rd stop: Washingtonian Woods: the pool on Midsummer Drive [approx. 7:10 pm]
4th stop: Lakelands: Lakelands Park [approx. 7:20 pm]
Followed by the Lighting of the outdoor Chabad Menorah at 7:30 pm, taking place at Chabad 11520 Darnestown Rd. Gaithersburg.Rabbi Chesky Tenenbaum Chabad Lubavitch of Upper Montgomery County 11520 Darnestown Rd.Gaithersburg, MD 20878Phone:(301)926-3632 x102

6:30 pm Conversation Club at Twinbrook Library Join us as we meet to practice our English language in an informal setting. No need to register, new members are welcome. more info

7:30 pm Washington Symphonic Brass Holiday Celebration at Strathmore National Philharmonic Music Director & Conductor Piotr Gajewski conducts the critically-acclaimed 17-member Washington Symphonic Brass as they ring in the holidays with majestic arrangements of your holiday favorites, including Greensleeves, Twelve Days of Christmas, selections from Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, and a very special Hanukkah Medley.Kids ages 7-17 are free. Please call the Strathmore Ticket Office directly at (301) 581-5100 to purchase Kids free tickets. Kids free tickets are not available for online purchase. more info

Tuesday, December 23

RVFD Santa Run to Derwood at Rockville Volunteer Fire Dept, Station 3 The Santa truck is scheduled to be in the Derwood neighborhood this evening.

10:00 am English Conversation Club at Rockville Public Library The English Conversation Club, for new speakers of English, meets every Tuesday and Friday at 10 a.m.(in meeting room #1 on Tuesday and meeting room #2 on Friday) of the Rockville Library. No registration is required. more info

10:30 am Preschool Storytime at Twinbrook Library Stories, songs, fingerplays, chants, and a short simple craft. more info

Wednesday, December 24

7:00 pm Christmas Eve Service at Rockville Christian Church Join us on Christmas Eve for our “Lessons and Carols” celebration with handbells, choir, Christmas carols, special soloists and, of course, the reading of the Christmas story.

Thursday, December 25 - Merry Christmas!

10:00 am English Conversation Club at Rockville Public Library The English Conversation Club, for new speakers of English, meets every Tuesday and Friday at 10 a.m.(in meeting room #1 on Tuesday and meeting room #2 on Friday) of the Rockville Library. No registration is required. more info

Saturday, December 27

9:00 pm Live Music Saturday Night: Uncut at The Potomac Grill

Sunday, December 28

12:30 pm-2:30 pm PAW (Partnership for Animal Welfare) Adoption Event at Petsmart PAW (Partnership for Animal Welfare) will be having an adoption event (dogs only) at the Rockville Petsmart. (301) 770-1343. Come to the show and see our rescue dogs. If you are interested in any dog at the show, a PAW volunteer will be there to assist you. You may also call the PAW line at (301) 572-4729 for show information or visit our web site to see what dogs are available for adoption. Send email to: [email protected]more info

Monday, December 29

6:30 pm Conversation Club at Twinbrook Library Join us as we meet to practice our English language in an informal setting. No need to register, new members are welcome. more info

Tuesday, December 30

9:00 am-3:00 pm Winter Nature Fun (Day Camp) at Croydon Creek Nature Center Spend the day at the Nature Center and have some winter fun making birdfeeders, learning about animal tracks, hiking in the forest preserve and catching up with Croydon Creek’s critters. Dress for the weather and bring a lunch. Ages 7-12. Pre-registration required. Register by 12/15. more info

10:00 am English Conversation Club at Rockville Public Library The English Conversation Club, for new speakers of English, meets every Tuesday and Friday at 10 a.m.(in meeting room #1 on Tuesday and meeting room #2 on Friday) of the Rockville Library. No registration is required. more info

10:30 am Preschool Storytime at Twinbrook Library Stories, songs, fingerplays, chants, and a short simple craft. more info

Wednesday, December 31

New year’s Eve Dinner & Live Music w/Sherwood Blues at The Potomac Grill Spend the End of the Year with us at The Potomac Grill. We will have a Special Menu, All Inclusive, $38.00, Live Music of ‘Sherwood Blues Band, Champagne Toast at Midnight, and More

If you attend an event, we invite you to write a Contributor Review. Just send it in and we will consider it. Rules: Event is in Rockville; fairly recent; article is your work; you are not offering it for publication elsewhere. Try to keep it under 500 words; we will edit for length. Include a photo if you have one!

POTD: Disco

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I love gazing balls . . . and I absolutely love this disco gazing ball!

City Passes New Zoning Law

>In all the hubbub of yesterday’s news, we failed to mention the other important thing that took place at Monday’s meeting of the Mayor and Council. Our Fair City’s governing body capped a multi-year, multi-task-force effort to redraft Rockville’s zoning ordinance, the first time since 1976 it has been revisited comprehensively.

The City has issued a helpful press release, which we lazily reproduce below:

The Mayor and Council adopted on Dec. 15 a revised zoning ordinance and a comprehensive rezoning to implement the new zones. The new ordinance and map are effective Monday, March 16. The adoption concludes more than three years of work by citizens, City staff, the Planning Commission and the Mayor and Council to comprehensively review and revise Rockville’s zoning policies.

The three months before the ordinance effective date allows the City to revise its application form and procedures, as well as portions of the City Code that reference the zoning ordinance. It also allows time to publish the revised zoning maps and meet other administrative requirements.

The development moratorium that has been in effect since September 2007 will remain in place until the new ordinance and map go into effect. This moratorium limits the types of development applications that may be accepted for processing under the current zoning requirements. Those applications that are allowed to move forward will be processed under the current zoning ordinance provisions.

The new zoning ordinance includes a number of significant changes from the current code. Among these are the following:

• Mixed-use zones will replace most of the current nonresidential (commercial and industrial) zones.
• A new Park Zone will be applied to most City-owned parks.
• In the single-family residential zones, home height is limited to a maximum of 40 feet to the roof peak.
• Properties that become nonconforming under the new ordinance are generally allowed to remain, even if damaged through an event outside the control of the owner.
• Planned Developments that have been approved are placed in Planned Development zones so they will continue to be administered as originally approved.
• Off-street parking standards in commercial areas set maximum limits on the number of spaces.
• New procedures for reviewing development proposals have been established.

Additional information, including a full copy the zoning ordinance and map and a description of the revision process, is available here.

POTD: A Real Bow!

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Now that’s more like it.

Free Parking At Town Square Through The Holidays

>This from Our Fair City:

The Mayor and Council approved free parking in the three City-owned Rockville Town Square parking garages through Sunday, Jan. 4. The measure, approved at the Mayor and Council meeting Monday, Dec. 15, suspends parking fees and fines in the garages located at 215 North Washington Street, on Route 355 between Beall Avenue and Middle Lane and at 30 Maryland Avenue.

Parking fees at the on-street meters in Rockville Town Center remain in effect between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. daily. Parking at the meters is free evenings after 7 p.m., weekends and City holidays. Garages and lots not owned by the City have varying rates and hours.

By allowing free parking in the Town Square garages, the Mayor and Council are providing additional support to the ongoing, citywide “Buy Rockville” campaign. The “Buy Rockville” campaign promotes Rockville businesses by encouraging residents to shop, dine and conduct business locally. The campaign, which kicked off on Black Friday, is being led by Rockville Economic Development, Inc., and the Rockville Chamber of Commerce in response to the Rockville Mayor and Council’s call to action for residents to unite in support of businesses located in the city.

No Action Taken On Beall's Grant II [updated]

After a Citizen’s Forum that featured fifty speakers split almost evenly for and against, the Mayor and Council took no action last night on a proposed resolution in support of the proposed affordable housing development, Beall’s Grant II.>

The resolution in support was needed by the Montgomery Housing Partnership, the development’s sponsor, in order to apply to the State of Maryland for Low Income Tax Credits, a key piece of financing for the construction. The application is due today.

The lack of support means that MHP cannot apply for the state funding in this round, and must wait nine months. According to MHP, this will add up to $1 million in cost to the project and some observers have said it may derail it altogether.

The project has been the source of great controversy for a number of months, after having seen smooth sailing. Despite the West End Citizens Association’s board endorsing the project in February, a number of residents say they first heard of the initiative when it came up for review at a July Planning Commission meeting. That meeting was highly contentious. Since that time, “Stop Beall’s Grant II” signs have appeared throughout the West End neighborhood as well as elsewhere. Montgomery Housing Partnership has also worked behind the scenes to garner support for the project.

In recent weeks, MHP and local residents have met to negotiate possible reductions in the scope of the project, with little evident progress.

The crowd spilled out into the hallway, where people watched on monitors. Throughout the audience, people held signs indicating their support or opposition. Twenty four citizens spoke in favor and 26 spoke against the project at last night’s Mayor and Council meeting. [UPDATE: Other accounts have 53 speakers. There were three speakers who spoke in a row employed by and representing MHP. I didn't count them.]

However, the members of the Mayor and Council focused on an issue few raised in their statements. In the hours just before the meeting, Montgomery Housing Partnership’s chief, Rob Goldman, had hit upon what he hoped would be a strategy to keep MHP’s funding application alive while still offering guarantees to the local residents that MHP would still have an incentive to continue negotiations. The strategy involved the Mayor and Council writing a letter in support to add to MHP’s application, but not passing a resolution. The Mayor and Council would defer the resolution until ninety days later, at which point it would only pass it if it felt MHP had continued negotiations in good faith.

The letter would be enough to initiate the application process, but before settling, it is a state requirement that there be a formal resolution in order for the financing to be completed.

The new strategy, while of interest to some members, raised questions for others about procedure. The group agreed that they had been laboring under the impression that last night’s meeting was the “drop dead deadline,” according to Council Member John Britton. But with the new plan, and a new deadline, Britton said, “we might have approached this evening differently.” He said he was “taken aback” by the new tactic.

Council Member Anne Robbins asked City Attorney Paul Glasgow whether the two-step plan had merit and whether it would do what MHP said it would. “I don’t know because I only found out about the idea at five o’clock today,” replied Glasgow. “I think what Paul said speaks volumes,” Robbins said. She later said she felt “ill-used” by the way the idea came up.

For her part, Council member Phyllis Marcuccio said that after a pivotal meeting in October when MHP and WECA vowed to negotiate, she “wished there had been a flurry of meetings” to work out a compromise. But meetings had only begun in the last few weeks. While some point to MHP for the delay, MHP said it had been asked to follow WECA’s lead, and WECA had not formed a committee to negotiate until only recently.

“There were missteps on both sides,” said council member Britton. “WECA was schizophrenic” about a committee, having first not created one and then created one, and MHP “had communications problems. If you wanted our support, this whole strategy should have been laid at our feet weeks ago, so we could see it.”

The two clear supporters of the Beall’s Grant II project, Mayor Susan Hoffmann and Council Member Piotr Gajewski, appeared in favor of the new idea, but there was no support for it.

As debate drew to a close, and the group was considering the original question of whether to pass a resolution in support or not, Mayor Hoffmann read with permission from a letter by Rockville resident Bill Newhouse. “I am concerned that Beall’s Grant II is being subjected to greater hurdles than other developers have to endure,” wrote Newhouse.

However, this was not enough. The agenda item died when none would make a motion to bring the resolution up for vote.

[NB: Quotations are from my notes and may not be exactly verbatim.]

POTD: Culprit

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It looks like Santa’s got some stealthy help here.

Join Us For Lunch Tomorrow At Rockville Roundtable

>The next Rockville Roundtable is tomorrow, December 16, from 12:30 to 2:00 pm. We’ll meet at Giuseppe’s, in the Regal Theaters shopping center (just at the foot of the pedestrian bridge to the Rockville Metro).

What is this “Rockville Roundtable?” Why, it’s simple. Just an informal lunch. We get together, with no agenda, no speakers, no podium, nothing fancy (and no dress code — you should see how I show up). Just lunch together, Dutch. Everyone is welcome. It helps if you RSVP by sending me a note ahead of time, but that’s not necessary. If you wake up on Wednesday and have the urge to join us, don’t let not having RSVP’d stop you! Just come!

Hope to see you there.