MCDOT gave an update on Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) on Route 355 at the last North Bethesda Transportation Management District meeting, and we want to share our favorite slides with you. (You can see the entire BRT presentation here.)

Call Your Mother, a deli best known for their bagel sandwiches, is planning to open a new location in Pike & Rose, filling the 2,283 square feet space vacated by Lucky in the spring.

Call Your Mother currently has three DC locations as well as a trolley location in Bethesda.  In addition, you can find their bagels at four different farmers markets throughout the DMV.

Customers will be able to order online and at the shop Monday through Friday for pickup, the press release stated. Between 10 and 15 employees will work at the store.

Stuart Biel, the senior vice president for regional leasing of landlord Federal Realty Investment Trust, said in the press release that Call Your Mother “perfectly complements the current mix and adds a much-needed deli concept to the market.”

Kofi Meroe of Foulger-Pratt shared these images of the currently-being-constructed East Village apartment building on Nicholson Lane during last week’s online community meeting. It’s going to be a terrific addition to the White Flint/Pike District area!

The Planning Department gave a detailed presentation about their Advancing the Pike District initiative, including placemaking, pedestrian improvements, and statistical analysis. You can view their entire presentation, but if you only have a few minutes enjoy our favorite slides.

We’re especially excited about the Pike District Connector which extends the Bethesda Trolley Trail.

Wow — there were so many people on our online community Zoom meeting! Thank you to everyone who attended.

For those of you didn’t attend — or those of you who didn’t screenshot this image — I want to share with you the rendering of the intersection improvements that will occur at Old Georgetown Road and Rockville Pike. As you can see, good-bye pork chop/slip lane/hot right turns and hello 90 degree, pedestrian-friendly corners!

We’ll share other news and images from the meeting next week.

The CFM Annual Thanksgiving Market will take place Tuesday, November 24, 2020 from 10am-2pm at Pike Central Farm Market, located at Pike & Rose, 910 Rose Ave. Rockville, MD 20852. 

Come get everything you need for your Thanksgiving dinners, including fresh turkey, delicious desserts, locally distilled spirits, veggies for side dishes, pre-ordered items and so much more! 

Bethesda North Marriott Hotel knows that a house full of guests can be stressful but giving your family and friends a restful night’s sleep doesn’t have to be. Their team will go above and beyond to ensure a stress-free visit for all – even your furry friends! Visit bethesdanorthmarriott.com to book your stay now.

Please join us for a one-hour community Zoom meeting on Thursday, November 19 at 7:00 pm. Register at https://cutt.ly/FOWFNov19. Walker Freer and Atul Sharma from the Planning Department will update us on a

• proposed extension of the Trolley Trail through the Pike District
• pedestrian improvements at the intersection of Route 355 and Route 187
• the Advancing the Pike District initiative
• development data over the decade since the passage of the White Flint Sectors Plans

We’re also excited that Councilmember Hans Riemer will join us at 7 pm for a few minutes to welcome everyone and answer a couple of questions from our members.

You can read the full announcement here, but here’s a quick summary of the Economic Advisory Group’s four key objectives as the foundation for this long-term strategic effort for the County:

• Developing and retaining a skilled talent pipeline for businesses, including offering retraining opportunities.
• Reimagining economic development to compete in the future through improved governmental processes that support business growth and expansion, development and transportation infrastructure growth and expanding housing at all income levels.
• Addressing awareness of, access to and availability of capital to help existing enterprises succeed and attract new business investment.
• Supporting key industry sectors that are critical to the County’s economy and quality of life, including restaurants, entertainment and hospitality.

It was great to see White Flint mentioned in the announcement:

“The EAG made important recommendations, including ones to replace impact taxes with development districts and to create a postgraduate research center at White Flint. Work on the research center has already started. The report also acknowledges that the County’s greatest housing needs are for people earning below the median income. One of the immediate actions recommended in the roadmap is a four-week “Bio Boot camp” that is designed to help retrain out-of-work residents and provide businesses with the workforce they need. 

For the safety and health of our community and in accordance with the State of Maryland Code Red status and Montgomery County’s rollback on Phase II COVID restrictions, the Pike District Pop-up Beer Garden has been cancelled. Stay healthy and safe!