Your Wegmans questions answered — plus a new food hall for Pike & Rose and an update on the Corned Beef King

Who knew a grocery store could create so much excitement? Our Facebook page and mailbag have been overflowing with messages since last Tuesday, when we happily delivered the news that Wegmans is finally coming to Rockville. Here are some answers to the questions we’ve been hearing all week.

Opening date? We don’t know yet, but it’s going to be awhile. The deal was just signed, and Wegmans tells us it’s too soon to establish a timeline for the project. The popular grocer is to be the anchor and primary draw for an expansive pedestrian-friendly development that’s planned for the Twinbrook Metro area. There are still a lot of hoops to jump through before construction can begin.

What about parking? Plans call for an underground parking lot that will serve Wegmans customers as well as the other surrounding businesses.

What will happen to the existing tenants at the corner of Halpine Road and Rockville Pike? Eventually, most of the businesses in and around that site will either have to close or relocate.

So what does this mean for Pizza CS? Our readers have been particularly concerned about the fate of the beloved pizzeria, known for its authentic Neapolitan-style pies. “We appreciate the community support,” says co-owner Ankur Rajpara. He and partner Jonathan Allen tell us their lease is good through 2020, but they’ve been scouting potential new locations in case they’re asked to make an early exit.

Can Rockville Pike really support this many grocery stores? The Pike already is home to Giant, Safeway, Harris Teeter, Whole Foods, Food Lion, Fresh Market and Trader Joe’s, among others. Not to mention that Aldi will soon be opening there as well. (Click here for more on that).  Will local food shoppers actually be able to keep all these stores in business? This is one question to which even we don’t know the answer.

In another case of how much is too much: This week Pike & Rose announced plans for The Block, a dining hall featuring 8,500 square feet of Asian street food that’s set to debut next year. Like its sister location in Annandale, The Block will have communal seating where everyone can order exactly what they want, from Taiwanese snocream to Hawaiian-style poké bowls. This is the third all-Asian food hall planned for the Rockville/North Bethesda area, following The Spot in downtown Rockville (click here for more) and Pike Kitchen on Edmonston Drive (click here for more). Food halls are trending all over the U.S., including themed ones like the new collection of  Mike Isabella eateries at Tysons Galleria. But three Asian food halls within a short drive of each other? That’s going to be interesting.

Next week marks the grand opening of a Corned Beef King restaurant that isn’t on wheels: The popular food truck has completed its buildout inside the Liberty gas station at Rockville Pike and Twinbrook Parkway. Owner Jon Rossler had been running a similar gas station restaurant in Olney for several years, but he closed it a few weeks ago when the rent got too high. He says he’s happy to have a brick-and-mortar location in Rockville, where many fans follow his food truck around and some have even been known to drive to Olney for a sandwich. Meanwhile, the former Corned Beef King truck that’s recently been seen outside Hank Dietle’s is now owned by a separate operator serving Latin food.

This week we’re proud to debut our new Store Reporter Local Services Guide, a go-to list of recommendations for everything from home repairs to custom gifts to professional services to pet care. We’ve done our homework to vet the advertisers in this guide, asking friends and neighbors for referrals to make sure this is a list you can count on. We’ll be adding more categories in the weeks and months to come. Interested in being part of it? Click here to send us an email. Want to check out the guide right now? Click here.