Construction at Punta Cana Tropical Grill, a Dominican restaurant in Montgomery Hills, has been stalled due to a county stop-work order.
We reported last year that the restaurant was set to take over the former Tropics Ice Cream & Jerk location at 9324 Georgia Ave., which closed last October.
“As soon as I saw the notice that we were closing, I had an idea! It’s a busy road and I know people will stop by and try it,” owner Margarita Rodriguez told The MoCo Show in December. “Silver Spring has a unique and diverse community that loves Dominican food, and I know how hard it can be to stop for a meal and get something delicious, so I had the idea to open a Dominican fast food takeout place.”
The exterior sign was installed in February.
Construction work has been paused since mid-June after the county’s Permit Services Department issued a stop-work order, which was issued for a violation of Montgomery County Code 8-24a, which relates to construction permits.
It is unlawful for any person to construct, enlarge, alter, remove or demolish any building, change the use of a building from one use group to another that requires greater strength, egress or sanitary facilities, or change to a prohibited use, create or alter a unit of ownership where a use or structure exists on a parent lot under a certificate of occupancy, or install or alter any equipment prescribed in this chapter or the installation of which is regulated without first applying in writing to the department and obtaining the necessary permits, except that ordinary repairs not involving a violation of this chapter, as defined in Section 8-3, are exempt from this provision.
Rodriguez told sources on Monday that he is awaiting county approval of a new commercial building permit application that he submitted shortly after the stop-work order was issued. Once the application is approved and a new permit is issued, construction work will resume.
