New Paul Sarbanes Silver Spring Transit Center Should Be Friendly to Pedestrians, Says Montgomery County Planning Board

Silver Spring, MD – The proposed Paul S. Sarbanes Silver Spring Transit Center should include well-designed entryways and pedestrian-friendly streetscapes, the Montgomery Planning Board today told the county Department of Public Works and Transportation (DPWT), which proposes to build the three-level transit hub at the current Silver Spring Metro station.

Located at Colesville Road and Wayne Avenue, the proposed transit center will put a new face on the Silver Spring Metro with a structure that will integrate Metrorail and bus service with MARC rail, intercity buses, taxi and hiker/biker trails. In a future phase, the project will include retail stores and a hotel.

“This is an active transit center honoring a truly fine public servant of this state, and we really want it to be worthy of the name that’s on it,” said Planning Board Chairman Royce Hanson. The project is considered a national model for forward-thinking transportation planning.

Pedestrian access is crucial to a station that now serves 27,000 Metro riders, 32,000 bus riders and 1,100 MARC train riders daily and is expected to increase to 97,000 patrons per day by 2025. Without attractive surrounding features, mass transit users might be discouraged from using the station, Board members said.

Today’s hearing was a mandatory referral, a process where the Board reviews public works projects and provides recommendations on functionality, design, circulation and other land-use issues.

The Planning Board also recommended that key pedestrian entryways such as the Ramsey Avenue entrance feature brick, tree-lined sidewalks typical of the rest of the revitalized downtown Silver Spring. The Board pledged to help request additional public funding to achieve the additional amenities if needed due to budget constraints.

The Board gave preliminary approval to the staff recommendations on a host of conditions – such as creating generous building setbacks for wider sidewalks and a bike path, creation of a public art component, pedestrian crosswalks and road improvements to better accommodate bus access – subject to developing an agreement to replace Metro Urban Park on the proposed construction site with a plaza at the transit center entrance and a green space across Wayne Avenue.

The Board requested to see the draft agreement between the Board, DPWT and the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority by next week's meeting.