County officials promise revitalization of downtown Silver Spring

Daily Record, The (Baltimore), Apr 25, 2003 by Robyn Lamb

Charles Atwell started his furniture business in Silver Spring 13 years ago because it made sense.

Granted, downtown Silver Spring was something of an urban wasteland but things were looking up.

A mall anchored by a couple of department stores -- then the shining light in an effort to revitalize the area -- was somewhere between conference rooms and drafting tables.

"We tried to look objectively and it just made sense to locate in Silver Spring. Part of that was that it was going to be a new Silver Spring," explained Atwell.

But as one project after another fell by the wayside, the area continued to fall into neglect and decline.

"There just wasn't anything that kept people here. We have some class A office space but there are not a lot of reasons to stay in Silver Spring. There's been nowhere to shop and the restaurants are minimal."

After many years and at least two rejected revitalization proposals, county officials say the long promised redevelopment is imminent.

"We're making downtown the place everyone wants to be, sort of like 'Cheers,'" said Bill Mooney, the assistant chief administrative officer for Montgomery County.

Mooney, who has been spearheading the redevelopment for County Executive Douglas Duncan since 1994, said the effort would bring about success similar to that which has driven Bethesda.

"Both downtowns are anchored by an arts presence and a strong retail presence," he said.

"From two years ago to five years from now there will be about $1 billion in public/private activity," said Gary Stith, director of the Silver Spring Regional Center, a branch of the county government.

To make Silver Spring the place everyone wants to be, Duncan poured more than $350 million of public money into the 22-acre redevelopment project.

Two retail projects -- developed by Foulger-Pratt Cos. and Peterson Cos. -- joined by a modernized Main Street, of sorts, are at the center of downtown's reincarnation.

They follow the first phase of retail development: a center of community-serving retail already home to a Whole Foods Market, which reports its Silver Spring store is one of the top locations in the country.

"It's street-oriented retail anchored by a theater complex. It generates traffic over and over again," Stith said.

A full block of Ellsworth Drive can closed to vehicular traffic, encouraging foot traffic.

West of Ellsworth, the American Film Institute opened the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center, a 49,000-square-foot, three- theater complex that includes a caf, offices and exhibition space.

Surrounding the theater is a cluster of restaurant-based retail. National chain restaurateurs Red Lobster, Austin Grill and Macaroni Grill are among those already signed.

Across Ellsworth, a 4,000-seat, 20-screen Consolidated Theater complex will sit atop a mix of more restaurants and household retailers. Borders Books and Pier One have signed leases.

Beyond that, there are plans for housing, hotels, offices, parking, a transit hub, civic building and veterans plaza, all spanning a 360-acre radius.

"The Silver Spring area is the largest redevelopment project in the area, we're dubbing it Crane City," said David Fogel, project manager of Gateway Georgia Avenue Revitalization Corp., a community development corporation spearheading revitalization along Georgia Avenue.

Key to the viability of the retail projects was a decision by Discovery Communications to relocate its world headquarters and roughly 1,500 employees immediately across Georgia Avenue from the two retail complexes.

"If you went down two years ago and looked around, you'd be a little concerned," said Tom Maskey, senior vice president at Peterson Cos. "Trying to convince people [potential tenants] was very difficult. But then a couple of things happened: The county made it easier to get a liquor license and then went about the deal with AFI and Discovery."

In the case of AFI, the county paid $20 million to renovate the Silver Theatre and build the Cultural Center.

Discovery, meanwhile, got a $15.6 million tax break for building its $180 million headquarters in the county.

The tax break, which will be paid out during the next 10 years in the form of county and state tax abatements, was tied to job creation and new square footage, both of which have been fulfilled.

The 550,000-square-foot Discovery complex has no cafeteria. That was an intentional move designed to boost business at restaurants and attract new ones, said Discovery spokeswoman Patrice Lute.

With two major institutions -- one of which attracts people from around the Washington metropolitan area and another that creates a critical mass downtown -- the effort to revitalize Silver Spring has an inherent advantage, officials say.

"The AFI will draw from the metropolitan area and give us an American icon right here," Stith said.

History

The Silver Theatre, which opened to the public on April 11, in many ways is a microcosm of the plight of Silver Spring.

The theater, which first opened in 1938, fell into disrepair in the mid-1980s and was in danger of being demolished before a community-led effort convinced the Montgomery County Council to add the theater to its Master Plan for Historic Preservation in 1994.