Future diners at Guapo’s in Rio Lakefront will now get to enjoy margaritas, enchiladas, chips and salsa floating on an open-air dining pier. Plans for the pier were approved by the City of Gaithersburg’s Planning Commission last week.
In January, MoCo360 reported that Gaithersburg’s City Council fast-tracked approval of an initial proposal to construct the pier. A dining pier at Rio Lakefront’s Copper Canyon Grill was also approved in September 2023.
Guapo’s pier will sit on Washingtonian Lake and will be approximately 1,056 square feet in size. In addition, it will have an operable roof, side panels for shade, and heating components for the winter. [The MoCo Show]
Montgomery County officials voice support for more sports development
At a meeting with the County Council Economic Development and Education and Culture committees, council members discussed bringing more sports and recreation-related development to the county. Pending deals to move the Washington Wizards and Capitals to a new arena in Alexandria, Virginia and find a new home for the Washington Commanders have had some council members voicing their desire to be included in the conversation.
“No one has ever mentioned Montgomery County as a possibility to have this huge venue coming in,” councilmember Natali Fani-González said at the meeting. She pointed to the site of the former White Oak Mall as a potential sports destination, and councilmember Kristin Mink (D-Dist. 5) suggested sports facilities could be implemented as part of the Viva White Oak project.
On the other hand, County Executive Marc Elrich has been less interested in pursuing larger sports endeavors such as offering a stadium for the Commanders.
“Historically, people who make deals for stadiums get their clocks cleaned,” Elrich told the Washington Business Journal staff in May 2023. “I got enough problems in the county without having another drain on the county budget and a bunch of lousy jobs for people making minimal wages so I can have a billionaire raking in all this money.” [Washington Business Journal]
Flower Theater marquee lights up after restoration project
After months of reconstruction work on the façade of the historic former Flower Theater in the Long Branch neighborhood of Silver Spring, the iconic neon sign flickered on for the first time on Jan. 3. The restoration project involved replacement of the theater sign, relighting the marquee and restoring the ticket booth.
The $400,000 project was spearheaded by MHP, a non-profit affordable housing developer and community development organization in MoCo.
“We are excited to see these aesthetic enhancements come to fruition at Flower Theatre” said Chris Gillis, the director of policy and neighborhood development for MHP. “We hope this project will bring attention to the Long Branch community’s rich cultural history and diverse business offerings, in addition to the theater building’s investment potential.”
The Flower Theater opened in 1950 and operated as a movie theater until its closing in 1996. Since then, the theater sat vacant and was later used as a house of worship. [Montgomery Community Media]