Our top stories for 2024 include the new rent stabilization law in Montgomery County, updates on regional public transit, and business openings and closings in downtown Silver Spring.
Since our launch in 2016, posts about local businesses have been the most popular content on Source of the Spring. This year continued the trend of our top articles highlighting businesses in Silver Spring and Takoma Park, though the news was not always favorable.
Without further ado, here are the most popular articles of 2024:
1. Montgomery County Rent Stabilization Law Now in Effect: The Montgomery County Council passed new rent stabilization regulations that limit rent increases.
2. Starbucks to Close Downtown Silver Spring Location on March 30: Although a store employee had originally cited “safety concerns,” both Starbucks and the Fairfax, Va.-based Peterson Companies, which manages and leases the Downtown Silver Spring development, clarified that the store at 915 Ellsworth Drive closed because the store’s lease had expired and was not renewed.
Fantasticks, which offers custom gelato bars and fruit popsicles, replaced Starbucks at the location in July.
3. Silver Spring Spotlight: ‘If You Lived Here’ Episode Re-Airing Monday: Arlington, Va.-based PBS affiliate WETA re-aired the Silver Spring episode of their TV series If You Lived Here. The show is a house-hunting series that also “spotlights D.C.-area neighborhoods and properties while celebrating each locale’s history, culture, notable places and flavor,” according to WETA’s website.
4. Making a Splash: Silver Spring Recreation & Aquatic Center to Debut on Feb. 24: The long-awaited Silver Spring Recreation & Aquatic Center opened in February at 1319 Apple Ave. in downtown Silver Spring.
The nearly 120,000-square-foot facility boasts three pools, a community center, a fitness center and gym, and a statue of Silver Spring native and three-time Olympian Dominique Dawes that was unveiled last summer.
5. Metro Red Line Shutdown: Shuttle Bus Routes and Transportation Alternatives: Summer construction led to temporary closures at the Takoma, Silver Spring, Forest Glen, Wheaton, and Glenmont stations on Metro’s Red Line.
The bus-only lanes that were created for the project became permanent this month.
6. Maryland Transit Officials Unveil First 142-Foot Purple Line Light Rail Vehicle: State transit officials unveiled the first vehicle for the 16-mile, 21-station Maryland Purple Line light-rail project, which is slated to open in the winter of 2027.
7. Royal Farms Submits Commercial Building Permit Application for New Silver Spring Location: Baltimore-based convenience store chain Royal Farms filed paperwork to build a new location in the Montgomery Hills corridor, replacing the Sunoco gas station that housed Beltway Car Care.
8. What Happened to Cubano’s Restaurant in Downtown Silver Spring? Cubano’s Restaurant did not reopen after being temporarily closed for renovations. The restaurant opened at 1201 Fidler Lane in 2001 and was placed on the market for $2.75 million in October of this year.
9. Solaire Social: Downtown Silver Spring’s First Food Hall Opens Its Doors Friday: Solaire Social opened on the ground floor of the Solaire 8200 Dixon apartment building in May and has already seen some vendor changes, with El Jefe Wood Fired Pizza and J&J Mex-Taqueria replacing Just Chicken and Manna Sushi.
In August, the food hall faced criticism for adding an 8.5 percent “small common fee” to dine-in checks to cover venue upkeep and maintenance costs.
10. Miss Toya’s Creole House Featured on The Real Housewives of Potomac: Miss Toya’s Creole House at 923 Ellsworth Drive in Downtown Silver Spring gained international recognition after being featured on Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Potomac. The restaurant opened in 2022, replacing Eggspectation, which had suddenly closed in 2020.
We appreciate your readership and support and look forward to an even better year in 2025!
Photo: © Stelena – stock.adobe.com