SILVER SPRING – During a closed session last week, the Montgomery Planning Board reaffirmed its plan to build its new headquarters – part of a proposed mixed office and housing development called SilverPlace – as envisioned by area residents and business leaders last spring. At the same time, the Board decided not to pursue a proposed partnership to build out the site with developer SilverPlace, LLC.
To further brief the community on the project, M-NCPPC staff will host an open meeting at Park and Planning Headquarters in mid-November.
The SilverPlace plan, developed in concert with more than 100 participants who attended community design workshops last June, features a new headquarters to house staff from the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC). The site also will include a 300-unit residential development and inviting open spaces such as a public garden populated with mature oak trees.
In 2006, M-NCPPC ranked SilverPlace, LLC first among developers who submitted proposals to develop the 3.24-acre SilverPlace site at the intersection of Georgia Avenue and Spring Street in Silver Spring. Under that scenario, the private developer would have managed the construction of the new headquarters building and purchased the land for the residential phase from M-NCPPC.
The property now houses the M-NCPPC Montgomery Regional Office, an obsolete, overcrowded building.
At its meeting last week, the Planning Board decided to split construction of its proposed SilverPlace headquarters and residential development into phases, first tackling its new office building then selling the remainder of its Silver Spring property for a mix of homes later. The Planning Board and SilverPlace, LLC were unable to reach agreement on key financial terms, such as land pricing.
The Board has committed to SilverPlace becoming a model of design excellence. As part of that, the agency aims to:
• consolidate agency staff from four office buildings in one building
• meet or exceed environmentally sensitive building standards through the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards gold certification
• reduce the public cost of the project by selling part of the property to a private developer
• create a mixed-use development compatible with the adjacent neighborhoods, exemplary indoor and outdoor public open spaces, wise transportation management, and safe pedestrian circulation.
• ensure that at least 30 percent of the residential portion be designated affordable housing
The Commission, through the Department of Parks, will take the SilverPlace project through the same public development review process required of private developers. The Department of Parks will request headquarters funding from the County Council as part of the Capital Improvement Program.
