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Silver Spring Development News

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#1 · (Edited)
SILVER SPRING

Significance
Dating back to 1842, Silver Spring is the first downtown in Montgomery County, Maryland and was the largest office market outside Washington,D.C. as well as the largest retail center between Washington and New York. The first to combine a parking lot, movie theater and shopping center in the U.S.A. which was recently renovated and still stands. Today it is the largest urban area in Maryland outside Baltimore and the largest urban area in the D.C. metro area. It is home to Discovery Communications, TV One, World Space, NOAA, United Theraputics and now the FDA. If incorporated its population would swell to over 280,000. It is home to the largest high school in the State of Maryland, Montgomery Blair named after the founder of Silver Spring. Some Famous people from Silver Spring are Dave Chappelle, Steve Francis, Ben Stein, Brady Anderson, Connie Chung, Maury Povich, Dominique Dawes, Goldie Hawn and Michael Ealy to name a few.

Downtown
Silver Spring is a 360 acre Central Business District(CBD) centered on a Metro Station. The area is a high density urban environment with a population density of 15,600 per square mile. The CBD contains 17.6 acres of parkland, 7,254,729 square feet of office space (2004), plus 5216 dwelling units.

The transformation of the Silver Spring Central Business District began to take shape with two events: (1.) the American Film Institute established an east coast presence in the restored historic Silver Theatre, and (2.) the world headquarters of Discovery Communications, Inc. relocated to a new building in the center of Silver Spring. With a string of opening events for new businesses in the Redevelopment Project, the revitalization of downtown Silver Spring was established in 2004. The Downtown Redevelopment Project built a retail/entertainment base that attracted WholeFoods Market, the 20 screen megaplex cinema The Majestic by Consolidated Theatres, Borders Books and Music, supported by men’s wear, dress, and furniture shops. The combination of 4500 theater seats surrounded by 4500 dining seats in a dozen new restaurants has created an environment that is in high demand.

History
Wanting to escape the summer heat of Washington, D.C., where he had a home on Pennsylvania Avenue near the White House, Blair began Construction of the three-story home in 1842, two years after he discovered a nearby mica-flecked spring that sparkled like silver when struck by sunlight. The house featured 20 rooms, 4 baths, 9 fireplaces, 2 kitchens, and a wine cellar. Named Silver Spring, the estate eventually encompassed over 1,000 acres, taking in a large portion of present downtown Silver Spring as well as areas of Takoma Park and the District of Columbia

http://www.homestead.com/silverspringhistory/
http://www.takoma.com/archives/copy/2003/08/features_thenAgain.html
http://www.takoma.com/archives/copy/2003/09/features_thenAgain.html



























 
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#81 · (Edited)
Silver Spring Gateway (check out the video link!)

http://www.clairvoyantmedia.com/Portfolio/animations_review.asp?id_files=235

comments
Unfortunately the grocery store space (which we really needed) was removed and so was the office component. JBG could have really done a better job.

Description:
A 129,160 square foot assemblage of CBD-2 property on East-West Highway (between Blair Mill Road and Georgia Avenue) is proposed for a mixed-use project under the Optional Method of Development. The applicant is the developer of the adjoining Canada Dry property. The project that was originally proposed included 466,400 GSF of residential uses (471 multifamily dwelling units, including MPDUs) and 60,000 GSF of non-residential uses with an overall FAR (floor/area ratio) of 4.08. The application also included 593 structured parking spaces.

Revisions to the approved Preliminary and Project Plans were approved by the Planning Bolard on March 17, 2005. The total non-residential Gross Floor Area in the revised application was 53,027square feet and the number of proposed dwelling units was 468 including 59 MPDUs. At site plan, these numbers were reduced to 457 dwelling units (58 MPDUs); 14,080 square feet of general retail; and 655 parking spaces.

Status

Under Construction

MNCPPC Staff Contact:
Michael Ma, (301) 495-4523, e-mail


Applicant:
The JBG Companies
4445 Willard Avenue, Suite 400
Chevy Chase, Maryland 20815
Attention: Pete Jervey, Project Manager

Opportunities for Public Participation:
A hearing was conducted on a site plan on November 3, 2005.


Planning Board Review Process & Case Number:
Preliminary Plan 1-04039 and Project Plan 9-04002 were the originally approved plans. Revisions to the Preliminary Plan (1-04039A) and Project Plan (9-04002A) were filed to accommodate a grocery store on site. Site plan #8-05001A deleted the grocery store.

Planning Board Action:
The initial project and preliminary plans were approved on February 5, 2004. The revised preliminary and project plans were approved on March 17, 2005. The site plan was approved on November 3, 2005.

Notes from M-NCPPC Staff:
Blair Mill Road will be abandoned as a public street between East-West Highway and Georgia Avenue after the subject property has received site plan approval.

http://www.jbgr.com/frameMD26b.htm





Historic station to be demolished to make way for the gateway.


Site








 
#84 · (Edited)
Midtown Silver Spring (Ripley Street District)

comments
I have seen the colored renderings presented by the Developer KSI, unfortunately I could only find a black and white photo, the building design has changed to 2 towers since the first renderings. To spurr your imagination, the two towers have an extensive use of glass and red brick on the facade with a white "crown". I almost thought this project wouldn't get built, it was first rumored to be 330 ft (according to emporis). At the least I thought it would be six years before it would be built because of the time the lanning board gave the Pyramid Atlantic building (arts firm) that was recently renovated as well as the future Purple light rail line right-of-way. At 20 stories it will have the most in Silver Spring. They will be the tallest residential buildings (for now until Silver Spring transit center is built) with ground floor retail. KSI claims they will be the tallest buildings in all of downtown Silver Spring but that is far from true at only 200ft. The 238ft Silver Spring metro center II built in 1986 is still the tallest.

Description:
Description: A high-rise residential project is proposed on a 69,750 square foot parcel on the north side of Ripley Street between Georgia Avenue and the railroad tracks. The property is zoned CBD-2 and can be developed up to 5 FAR as a mixed use project under the Optional Method of Development. The proposed project includes 317(315?) dwelling units (including 40 MPDUs), approximately 5380 square feet of ground floor retail or other street activating uses, and about 369 parking spaces. The proposed building will be approximately 200 feet tall and will include a swimming pool deck for the residents. An 10,000 square foot (including Dixon Avenue sidewalk) landscaped public use space will be constructed on the east end of the project, adjoining the alley behind Pyramid Atlantic. Ripley Street and Dixon Avenue will be improved in accordance with the Silver Spring CBD Sector Plan recommendations. Dixon Avenue will connect through Garage 5 to Bonifant Street. Ripley Street may ultimately be connected to the Silver Spring Transit Center.


Status

Planned

Doug Johnsen (301) 495-4571, e-mail


Applicant:
KSI
8081 Wolftrap Road
Vienna, VA 22182-5100
(703) 852-5719
Attention: Mr. Don Hague

Opportunities for Public Participation:
The Planning Board held a public hearing on the original project plan for this development on July 29, 2004 and on the project plan amendment on March 30, 2006. They will hold hearings on the proposed preliminary plan and a future site plan.


Planning Board Review Process & Case Number:
Preliminary plan 1-20060540

Planning Board Action:
The original project plan was approved on July 29, 2004 and the project plan amendment was approved on March 30, 2006.

Notes from M-NCPPC Staff:
.

Date of last page update: March 31, 2006


http://www.condosofsilverspring.com/CondosofSilverspring/Index.html



 
#85 ·
http://ketsco.com/news/news-release33.html

News
Contact:

Cassie Cataline
KSI Services, Inc.
703-852-5709
ccataline@ksi.com
OR
Sara Nichols
KSI Services, Inc.
703-852-5645
snichols@ksi.com




KSI SERVICES SEEKING FINAL APPROVAL FROM MONTGOMERY COUNTY TO CONSTRUCT MIDTOWN SILVER SPRING
Complex will consist of 2 20-Story Towers with 315 homes

Vienna, VA—

April 21, 2006---KSI Services, Inc., one of the DC metro area’s top mixed-use residential and commercial developers, is seeking approval from Montgomery County officials to construct Midtown Silver Spring, the newest in their line of high-end condominium projects bearing the ‘Midtown’ brand. Midtown Silver Spring, when completed, will be the tallest structure in downtown Silver Spring. It will consist of two 20-story towers offering a total of 315 homes and is expected to be a $100 million investment. If KSI receives approval on the project, construction could begin this fall with expected delivery in late 2008 or early 2009.

Silver Spring has benefited recently from $1 billion in public sector improvements and much more in private-sector development.

‘The whole downtown Silver Spring project has been tremendous,” stated Don Hague, the vice president of multifamily development for KSI. “Several years ago, KSI began to focus on transit-oriented developments and when we had the opportunity to acquire this parcel, we jumped at it.”

Midtown Silver Spring will have a pool on the roof, a substantial fitness center, game room and a conference area designed for those with home-based businesses. It is further expected that many of the partnership amenities that KSI offers in their other properties will be available to residents. This could includes, American Express, VIPdesk, Flexcar and Restoration Hardware among others.

In addition, KSI is committed to reserving 40 of Midtown Silver Spring’s homes for affordable housing. KSI is the largest manager of affordable housing in the Washington metro area. Prices will not be set until closer to delivery. KSI should open its sales center this summer.

###
 
#86 ·
http://washington.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2006/04/03/story2.html
KSI to reshape Silver Spring skyline with twin towers

Washington Business Journal - March 31, 2006by Joe CoombsStaff Reporter
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KSI Services could add a towering element to Silver Spring's skyline with a planned $100 million development.

The Vienna-based company is seeking approvals from Montgomery County for Midtown Silver Spring, a 315-unit condominium complex with a pair of 20-story towers that would become two of the tallest structures in the city's downtown.








» Get the latest business news on the go!
Brought to you by Cingular If KSI (www.ksi.com) gets the nod from the county, work could start this fall on the project, says Don Hague, the company's vice president for multifamily development.

"It would be a higher-end project, with all the bells and whistles," he says. "We'll have a pool on the roof, a substantial fitness center, a game room and a conference area for people with home-based businesses. And we're looking forward to some spectacular views."

Midtown Silver Spring (www.condosof
silverspring.com) also would include 369 below-ground parking spaces.

KSI's site on Ripley Avenue is a short distance from the road's connection with Georgia Avenue and within a quarter-mile of the Silver Spring Metro station on Colesville Road. It's only a couple of blocks from Discovery Communications' headquarters and a slew of other recent projects that have contributed to Silver Spring's revitalization, which has included $1 billion worth of public-sector improvements and billions more in private-sector developments.

"The whole downtown Silver Spring project has been tremendous," Hague says. "About five years ago, we focused on transit-oriented developments for our new projects. And when we had an opportunity to acquire this parcel, we jumped on it."

KSI would reserve 40 of Midtown Silver Spring's units for affordable housing. Prices on the condominiums won't be set until the project gets closer to delivery, which could be in late 2008 or early 2009. A sales office should open this summer.

The new project will have plenty of competition in Silver Spring, where condominium developments have been a huge part of the city's rebirth, says Gary Stith, director of the Silver Spring Regional Center. The center is the managing authority for the redevelopment project and provides maintenance and beautification services for the city's downtown district.

"There was a lull for a little while, but it seems like a lot of condos are coming online all of a sudden," Stith says. "I think demand for those types of projects is still very strong. One project sold all 123 of its units in 70 days. It's a popular place, because we've got all the amenities in place right now."

Montgomery County has the third-highest number of condo units in the pipeline for the next three years among local jurisdictions, according to Alexandria-based research firm Delta Associates (www.delta

associates.com).

The county has 11,174 units in various stages of construction or planning, behind only the District with 12,378 units and Fairfax County/Falls Church with 13,117.

E-MAIL: JCOOMBS@BIZJOURNALS.COM PHONE: 703/816-0306
 
#87 · (Edited)
Businesses vacate to make room for library
High rents may force some out of downtown
Wednesday, May 3, 2006

by Meredith Hooker
Staff Writer

ACI-Home Theater Solutions, which has been in downtown Silver Spring since 1969, won’t be at its Bonifant Street location much longer.

As the county moves closer to purchasing land to create a new Silver Spring Library, several niche businesses along Bonifant Street have had to vacate their stores to make way for the public facility. The move is a disappointing one since a number of the businesses — like ACI-Home Theater Solutions — have been in Silver Spring for many years, said Fred Powell, who’s in charge of the store’s customer installation department and often runs the store for its owner.

‘‘We were one of those businesses in Silver Spring when things weren’t so good,” Powell said of the audio and video repair and theater installation company. ‘‘... Now they’re running us out.”

A library expected to be two-and-a-half times the size of the current facility on Colesville Road, the smallest library in the county’s system, will be constructed on Wayne Avenue, Fenton and Bonifant streets.

The county is still acquiring land for the project, said Gary Stith, director of the Silver Spring Regional Center. The county now owns one building — the one where ACI-Home Theater Solutions is located — and has made offers on a couple others. Those property owners are getting their own appraisals, which the county encourages. The county has budgeted $11 million for acquisition and relocation.

The county executive’s proposed capital budget has moved design funding for the new library back two years to fiscal 2009, delaying construction and pushing back the opening of the building until 2011. However, the County Council still could decide to start funding the project in fiscal 2009, Stith said.

Total cost for the project is estimated to be between $21 and $24 million, according to the proposed budget.

The new library may include small-scale retail facing Fenton Street and apartment units above the library. The proposal is under review by the public libraries department and the county’s Department of Housing and Community Affairs. No final decision has been made.

‘‘I guess they’re trying to bring one of the higher-end businesses in here,” Powell said, adding he’s known for two or three years that a move was possible.

He’d like it if ACI could stay in the downtown. The company had a good lease, he said, and a location with parking where customers didn’t have far to walk if they were bringing in televisions for repair.

But rent elsewhere downtown would be too high to accommodate the store — rents have gone up from $10 to $20 per square foot to $30 per square foot or more, Powell said.

However, the move — the company will relocate to an industrial park near Tech Road within the next 90 days — won’t be detrimental to sales.

‘‘People would seek us out,” he said. ‘‘We didn’t need to have prime real estate.”

Additionally, the move also will allow for ample parking close by, instead of forcing customers to park in a garage and lug a television to the store, he said, adding the county has been very responsive and helpful with relocation.

‘‘They’re making it so it’s not quite so hard,” he said. ‘‘They’re trying to help us out.”

Other business owners at 905 Bonifant St., the only property the county has purchased so far, could not be reached for comment.

The county is required to provide assistance to businesses that need to relocate, Stith said. ‘‘Of course, we’d like to keep them in downtown Silver Spring and if that’s not possible, in Montgomery County.”

There are no restrictions on where a business can relocate, he said.

However, despite receiving help, it doesn’t mean it’s easy to leave the neighborhood his business has called home for more than 30 years, and it doesn’t mean it’s easy to watch the neighborhood, which boasted niche shops, including a store that sold razors and blades, make this transition, Powell said. In his own building, at 905 Bonifant St., stores like an African fashion shop and framing store will have to find new homes.

‘‘There are ways of cleaning up and renovating without running people out,” he said.


Copyright © 2006 The Gazette - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Privacy Statement
 
#88 ·
United Therapeutics moves on to ovarian cancer drug, new labs
Silver Spring firm sees competition ahead for its pulmonary hypertension drug
Wednesday, May 3, 2006

by Steve Berberich

Staff Writer


If a social club existed for biotech executives, its members wouldn’t share a drink with officials from United Therapeutics Inc., says David Zaccardelli, the company’s vice president for pharmaceutical development.
‘‘It‘s because we are making a profit,” Zaccardelli said. ‘‘Biotechs are not supposed to do that so quickly.”

The future seems bright for the Silver Spring company. It turned a profit of $65 million in 2005, just seven years after going public; it is entering final human testing of an ovarian cancer drug with a potential blockbuster market; and it is about to open a new $32 million laboratory in Silver Spring,

United Therapeutics’ fortunes have been fueled by sales of Remodulin, which treats pulmonary arterial hypertension and which accounted for more than 90 percent of its $115.9 million in revenues last year. The company licensed Remodulin from pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline, effectively setting in motion United’s business plan several years ago, say its officials.

One explanation for United’s rapid and unusual success may lie in its unconventionality. It is a small drug-development company — 215 employees — that is using an imaginative strategy.

‘‘We are not a discovery company,” CFO Fred Hadeed said. ‘‘We do not have basic R&D facilities and basic research grants. We find drugs that have been tested in humans in a late stage. We in-license those drugs and get them approved.”

Some companies take 20 years to get a drug ‘‘from discovery of the molecule to the time it is approved,” Hadeed said. ‘‘We enter the timeline almost at the end.”

Last month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration lifted all conditions it had imposed on its accelerated approval of Remodulin two years ago. Because the pulmonary disease is life-threatening and United’s tests had indicated Remodulin to be safe, the agency conditionally allowed United to sell the drug. It is injected under the skin or sprayed into an artery periodically through a catheter.

Chairman and CEO Martine Rothblatt, who previously worked in satellite communications, founded United Therapeutics in 1996 under the name of Lung Rx, driven by a passion to save the health and perhaps life of her young daughter, Jenesis Rothblatt. Jenesis had developed pulmonary hypertension three years earlier. She is now 21, still taking the medication, according to company officials, and planning to marry in June.

When the company licensed other late-stage drug candidates for treating other diseases, the name Lung Rx seemed limited, Rothblatt said. She and her management team changed the name to United Therapeutics; Lung Rx remains as a wholly owned subsidiary of United Therapeutics.

Currently, United is working on inhaled and pill versions of Remodulin and has a full pipeline of drug candidates and four commercial products, Hadeed said.

But there’s competition. CoTherix Inc. of South San Francisco, Calif., is marketing its own version of an inhaled treatment for pulmonary arterial hypertension that is already on the market and gaining strength. In only nine months of 2005, sales for CoTherix’ Ventavis generate revenues of $23.9 million for the small company.

Hadeed said only three companies are actively developing such treatments: Glaxo, United and CoTherix. ‘‘We truly have an advantage because our molecule has the longest active life in the body of these products — four-and-a-half hours,” he said.

Anne Bowdidge, senior director of investor relations with CoTherix, acknowledged that Remodulin is a longer-lasting treatment but said Ventavis is preferred by many patients because it is more convenient and more potent. She added that, similar to United’s approach, CoTherix licensed Ventavis in a late stage of development from Schering AG in Europe, which agreed to relinquish its U.S. marketing rights.

United Therapeutics has marketing approvals for use of Remodulin in nearly 30 nations, including most of the European Union, most of North America, Australia, Switzerland and Argentina, Hadeed said.

United is now ready to focus on ovarian cancer. The company has nearly filled its final trial of OvaRex, which stimulates an immune system attack on ovarian tumors. The trial includes 60 clinical sites and 350 patients with advanced ovarian cancer. It is designed to help patients in the ‘‘watchful waiting period” of up to six months after chemotherapy. As many as 85 percent of patients get the disease again.

‘‘There is nothing that is FDA-approved for this period. We are trying to prevent the recurrence of the disease,” said executive vice president Paul Mahon, who has been with the company since its founding.

United Therapeutics is turning its profits into significant capital investments. Its new Silver Spring lab — adjacent to its headquarters and with a dedication scheduled for June 26 — will produce Remodulin and OvaRex.

The company also plans an expansion in North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park, where it already has a small facility with 35 employees. Durham County officials have approved up to $650,000 in incentives to woo the company to build a new, 175-employee plant that would manufacture a pill form of Remodulin.

United Therapeutics is ‘‘different in that we have a very strong fiscal discipline,” Rothblatt said. ‘‘We have an obligation to get a gain for our shareholders. And, of course we also have a strong ethical commitment for doctors and patients to produce the best possible medicines.”

This report originally appeared in The Business Gazette.


Copyright © 2006 The Gazette - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Privacy Stat

 
#89 ·
8045 Newell Street Condominums


comments
This was the former site of the Blair post office as well as the former site of the Francis Blair Mansion (founder of Silver Spring). The condos are nice on the inside although pricey. Patriot group should learn to put a little "pizzaz" into their projects (and get a website too) it feels out of character with it's surroundings of brick front buildings. Oh yeah, STOP USING WOOD!

Status: COMPLETE

MNCPPC Staff Contact:
Robert Kronenberg, (301) 495-2187, e-mail


Applicant:
8045 Newell Street, LLC, c/o the Patriot Group, (202) 737-9540, Mr. Leith Wain

Opportunities for Public Participation:
Project is under construction.

Planning Board Review Process & Case Number:
Project Plan #9-0300 and Preliminary Plan #1-03021, Site Plan #8-03037.

Planning Board Action:
Project Plan #9-0300 & Preliminary Plan #1-03021 Approved on Feb 27, 2003.



Specs
8045 Newell Street

Project Description: 120 Unit Condominiums with Parking Level

Project Location: 8045 Newell Street, Silver Spring, MD

Developer: The Patriot Group, LLC

Architect: A. R. Meyers & Associates

Project Vaule: $14,200,000

Project Schedule: Sept.2003 thru Sept., 2005

















 
#90 ·
SilverSpringer, what are they doing with the Twin Tower Apartments, I think that's what they're called. Just to make sure, the old brick ones across from Downtown Silver Spring. Seems like it would be some prime real estate. Oh, and another question, is there any push for incorporation, like I've seen recently in other place?
 
#91 ·
^^^^^I haven't heard any plans to demolish them although I think they were recently renovated. I agree that those ugly things should go (if that is what your implying). They seem so out of place and I think something denser and taller needs to go there, we may see them go sooner than later. Part of the reason why I think they are still there is because a developer wouldn't be able to build any taller because of zoning rules. In other news, during the last week or so, a developer has proposed a new office building called City Place Tower as an addition maybe, but I don't have any details on it.

As for incorporation I have not heard anything about it recently. I think it would be cool only because we would be by far the second largest jurisdiction in the state and the largest in the D.C. area but at the same time what would it accomplish besides paying some officials salary and snow clean up? Just more tax money going down the drain IMO.

I also wonder if Silver Spring would be as large as it is if it had incorporated from the get go. I doubt it looking at all the incorporated jursidictions in the area that are not as prosperous. The county has done a good job managing the unincorporated parts of the county (only recently for Silver Spring). I also think it is ironic that Bethesda and Silver Spring are the two largest urban nodes in the state but are unincorporated, no other incorporated area is as large and urban besides Baltimore.
 
#92 ·
Formula for downtowns: Talk to the community
Residents’ input has been a key ingredient in redevelopment projects
Wednesday, May 10, 2006

http://gazette.net/stories/051006/silvnew185136_31939.shtml

by Meredith Hooker
Staff Writer

Find some land. Build some stores and restaurants. Throw in a piece or two of art for good measure. Creating a downtown doesn’t seem complicated.

However, coming up with a plan for an area where people want to work, visit and live that also fits the surrounding community can take time. And the retailers and employers have to go along with it, too.

In some cases, it takes help from the public sector. It takes communication between developers and community members. It can take time; it took more than 20 years for officials and developers to create an adequate plan to revitalize downtown Silver Spring.

In downtown Wheaton, developers have focused on adding residential and office space. New townhouses have been built by the Metro station. The mall, Westfield Wheaton, recently underwent a renovation that brought in several new stores.

In downtown Silver Spring, developers hoped to make the area a destination. Apartments and condos have been built, along with a town center with a variety of restaurants, stores and a movie theater. Both concepts work well for the communities they serve. But there’s no set idea as to what’s best for Wheaton and Silver Spring’s downtowns, or any others, said Joe Davis, director of the Wheaton Redevelopment Program.

‘‘The best way to get a pulse — the best way is to actively ask people,” Davis said.

Wheaton has two committees made up of community members who advise officials. ‘‘One of the keys to redevelopment is that the community has to be involved,” Davis said. Marian Fryer, a Wheaton resident and small business owner who serves on several advisory committees, said if community members aren’t involved in the process, development might not meet residents’ needs. ‘‘That’s one of the reasons why I’ve been so active.”

What’s in store
Some projects ahead for Silver Spring:
DSW Shoe Warehouse
Z Pizza Fuddrucker’s
Old Dominion Brewing Company


In Wheaton, she said, residents and workers need safe ways to cross Georgia Avenue and access Westfield Wheaton. The area needed more residential units and ways to retain the flavor of small businesses. Community members expressed those concerns to county officials and developers.

Attending advisory meetings takes time, Fryer said, but is worth it.

Residents, developers team up

In Wheaton, a developer and residents were able to work together and select a plan they felt ultimately worked best. ‘‘That collaboration was exciting,” said Artie Harris, vice president of the Bozzuto Group, which is working on several development projects in Wheaton.

‘‘It’s important to have that perspective in order to be able to keep it a community,” Fryer said. ‘‘We have an opportunity to be Wheaton, to be different from Silver Spring, to be different from Rockville.”

Greenbelt-based Bozzuto has been active in Wheaton’s redevelopment since the late 1990s, when it put in an unsolicited proposal to build over the Metro station, Harris said. At that time, the proposal wasn’t granted because Metro wasn’t developing the site, but Bozzuto and Bethesda-based developer EYA, formerly known as Eakin⁄Youngentob Associates, acquired the former Tuesday Morning site on Georgia Avenue and split it.

Bozzuto built 243 apartments and EYA built townhomes in a response to the need for more residential development.

Toward the end of this month, along with the Housing Opportunities Commission, Bozzuto will begin building a mixed-use development with 173 residential units as well as retail space over Wheaton’s Kiss and Ride, Harris said. Thirty percent of the units will be affordable. In about two years, the group plans to build an office building over the bus station on the west side of Georgia Avenue.

The group listened to the community’s suggestions when creating plans, Harris said, keeping in mind that Wheaton, with its large number of retail and restaurants, needed more residential and office space. ‘‘You don’t want to be a cookie-cutter community.”

Several stops and starts

Likewise, in Silver Spring, which is much further along in its redevelopment, steering committees advised officials and developers.

Several plans to revitalize Silver Spring emerged over the past two decades, led by developers and politicians who hoped to transform Silver Spring. Before the current redevelopment began to take shape, two major large-scale plans were considered and rejected mainly because developers didn’t believe retailers would rent space in the buildings that had been proposed.

Many credit the role of community activists who opposed the projects that didn’t get built and kept encouraging county officials and developers to consider development on a smaller scale. Those residents attended several years’ worth of meetings, telling developers and county officials what they did and didn’t want to see.

Both the business and civic community played a role in the development of the downtown, said longtime Silver Spring business owner Charles Atwell. When developers were considering putting the American Dream mall in Silver Spring’s downtown, some of the members of those advisory committees even visited the Mall of America in Minneapolis and West Edmonton Mall in Canada, which were seen as prototypes for the Silver Spring mall. Members of the Ghermezian family from Triple Five Development made public appearances in Silver Spring, touting a destination shopping center that featured an amusement park, a theme hotel and a wave pool.

Community members spent hours on weeknights and weekends talking about what they wanted to see in Silver Spring, Atwell said. At the time, officials and residents believed that Silver Spring’s rebirth depended on making the development a regional destination. While some residents believed a megamall was inappropriate, others saw it as just what Silver Spring needed. Ultimately, the lack of development interest doomed the project.

Where residents come first

Once the megamall was rejected, residents eventually told developers Foulger-Pratt Companies and Peterson Companies in the late 1990s about the types of stores they wanted to see in a local downtown.

Foulger-Pratt and Peterson had a good idea of what they thought should be in the downtown, said Bryant Foulger, vice president of Foulger-Pratt, and the community confirmed that idea at several public meetings.

The suggestions included traditional town fixtures, like a grocery and hardware store, which Foulger-Pratt and Peterson sought out as tenants. Whole Foods was one of the first stores to sign on to the downtown Silver Spring redevelopment project.

‘‘We felt like the Ghermezian project kind of missed the whole community issue,” Foulger said. ‘‘They took the view that this needed to be an entertainment
.”

Foulger said his vision — and the community’s — was of a center that would serve and draw in people in the surrounding neighborhoods. People living near downtown Silver Spring had money to spend, he said.

‘‘We had a very clear picture of what would do well and wouldn’t do well,” he said.

The final step in Silver Spring’s downtown renaissance, however, was the county’s ability to bring in Discovery Communications from Bethesda and the American Film Institute to a refurbished Silver Theatre. The influx of workers from a large employer and movie-goers at AFI provided the final impetus for commercial tenants to come to Silver Spring. Tax and financial incentives, as well as large parcels of county-owned land, made it possible to redo Silver Spring’s downtown.

Foulger-Pratt and Peterson did seek out some stores, but other restaurants and retail have come to the area on their own accord, he said, and businesses continue to call and inquire about space.

The development on Ellsworth Drive probably has all the restaurants it needs, Foulger said, and now the company is focusing on retail. DSW Shoe Warehouse will open in July and a day spa will be opening in the space above Macaroni Grill. After that, Foulger said, the town center will be about 96 percent occupied and will be focusing on leasing more ‘‘softer goods.”

When leasing tenants, he said, ‘‘We have to look at downtown Silver Spring not just as our project but the entire area. I’m pleased to see other retail going in the properties around us.”

For instance, restaurants like Taste of Morocco, Ben and Jerry’s and Chipotle have leased space in City Place. A steakhouse is coming to the Lee property on Colesville Road. Clothing store American Apparel plans to open in a building at Colesville Road and Fenton Street, just across from the Ellsworth Drive development.

The downtown was made possible by the partnership developers had with the county, Foulger said. That partnership was critical to the success of the project since county officials assembled the land.

No surplus of county land

But unlike Silver Spring, Wheaton doesn’t have county land available to give to a company to bring workers to the downtown, which is why many Wheaton stakeholders are interested in zoning changes that would allow increased building height. That would allow more space to be created for offices, residences and some retail.

However, the specific stores that come to a community often can’t be chosen, Davis said, since the market influences business owners. However, people can make it known the types of things they’d like to see — and things they’d like to avoid.

‘‘One concern is that there’s too much retail at Wheaton right now,” he said.

When developers determine what to build, they will often use a consultant, Harris said. ‘‘When nothing exists there, it’s hard to determine what is the best product.”

In Wheaton, community members and officials would like to emphasize office and residential development to create more daytime traffic in the community, as well as focus on arts and entertainment.

‘‘I’d like to see mixed-use development,” Davis said, adding legislation that would change the overlay zone would slightly increase height regulations in the downtown and allow opportunity for denser development. That, he said, would allow more opportunity for mixed-use development and bring more people to Wheaton. It also would retain small businesses.

Marketing plays a key

The mall brings people to Wheaton’s downtown, Davis said, but the county and developers need to find a way to get those people to the rest of the community.

That entails creating physical pathways, Davis said, as well as marketing the downtown and its events, like the upcoming Taste of Wheaton. That event draws thousands of people annually and has played an important part in introducing area residents to the neighborhood.

Similar events, like the annual jazz festival, attract thousands of people to Silver Spring.

Events and marketing are important, said Gary Stith, director of the Silver Spring Regional Services Center. Not too long ago, downtown Silver Spring was an area perceived as unsafe with not much to do. And bringing people to the downtown proved difficult at first because not only was the area unattractive, it also was unattended.

‘‘We’d turn everything into an event,” he said, recalling the day the Tastee Diner was moved from its old location — where the Discovery building now stands — to its current location on Cameron Street. Officials turned the moving of the building into a parade.

‘‘There was a perception a lot of people still have of downtown Silver Spring,” Stith said. ‘‘We’ve had to work to let people know what kind of downtown Silver Spring we have now.”​
 
#93 ·
Planners OK condos at historic building
Board, neighbors concerned about parking, access at National Institute of Dryers and Cleaners
Wednesday, May 10, 2006

http://gazette.net/stories/051006/silvnew185150_31945.shtml

by Meredith Hooker
Staff Writer

While 210 condominium units are being constructed at the former National Institute of Dryers and Cleaners site on Georgia Avenue, developers must ensure nearby businesses aren’t negatively affected.

The Montgomery County Planning Board on Thursday approved plans for the project, but asked that developer Cypress Realty Investments LLC accommodate local businesses if their parking is affected, as well as discuss alternate routes for Ride On buses and extension of the VanGo shuttle, a free bus service in the downtown, to ensure that portion of Silver Spring is accessible to public transportation.

Businesses in south Silver Spring are already being negatively affected by construction of condominiums, said Brenda Smoak, owner of Alchemy, an art store.

‘‘Stoddard Place is not adequate to accommodate all of the traffic that would be flowing into and out of this complex,” she said, adding that the five parking spaces she and three other south Silver Spring businesses share could be affected by construction. ‘‘... How will my customers, my artists and my class participants be able to be accommodated? If I don’t have parking, I cannot get customers to me, and that obviously is going to negatively impact my business.”

Anything Cypress Realty could do to minimize negative affects on Alchemy and other business would be critical, said Planning Board Chairman Derick P. Berlage. Board members don’t want a situation in which ‘‘the small individual business is getting the short end of the stick.”

Those parking spaces are on Stoddard Place in a public right of way, said Doug Cooper, senior vice president of Union Realty Partners, which encompasses Cypress Realty. Union Realty does not plan to take those spaces during construction.

The National Institute of Dryers and Cleaners consists of several buildings on a 1.88-acre site. Cypress Realty will preserve the entire building at Georgia and Burlington avenues and parts of the structure at Georgia Avenue and Stoddard Place, said Robert Kronenberg of Park and Planning. There will be 200 parking spaces.

The institute is listed on the Montgomery County Locational Atlas and Index of Historic Sites, which protects it from being torn down. Designed in 1926, it features a Spanish-tile roof and was created by architect Arthur Heaton.

‘‘We are very grateful for the support of the historical society to this particular project,” said Stephen Kauffman of Linowes and Blocher, the law firm representing Cypress Realty.

‘‘This is a wonderful example of adaptive reuse,” said Wayne Goldstein, president of Montgomery Preservation Inc.

The site will be accessed via Stoddard Place, Kronenberg said. Cypress Realty had also considered putting a right-turn only driveway from Burlington Avenue. However, such a driveway isn’t entirely compliant with State Highway Administration design standards, and Park and Planning staff recommended eliminating that entrance.

However, Planning Board members were concerned about the site solely being accessed from Stoddard Place and asked Cypress Realty and Park and Planning staff to take a closer look as to how the site could be accessed from Burlington Avenue. The board will take a closer look when the project returns for site plan review.

Commissioner Wendy C. Perdue said with the amount of traffic that would be coming onto the site, she didn’t understand why having an entrance on Burlington Avenue was a bad idea, and Commissioner Meredith K. Wellington agreed.

From Cypress Realty’s perspective, Kauffman said, it’s a good idea. However, from Park and Planning’s perspective, it will affect the streetscape, as well as pedestrian traffic. ‘‘There’s no question that having access from Burlington would be a significant improvement.”

Copyright © 2006 The Gazette - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Privacy Statement
 
#94 ·
Blair Mill Road units will add to south Silver Spring (South Point) growth
Wednesday, May 10, 2006

— Meredith Hooker

A nine-story building with 96 condominium units will replace an auto shop in south Silver Spring, a neighborhood that is transitioning from industrial to residential.

The new 1200 Blair Mill Road, located near Newell Street and East West Highway, will include 12 moderately priced units. The building will be 90 feet tall. Washington, D.C.,-based Perseus Realty also will make streetscape improvements along Blair Mill Road and Newell Street, according to Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission staff reports.

The project will include public use space, as well as specialty pedestrian-oriented lighting throughout the public-use areas, as well as the walkways around the building, according to staff reports. There will be 46 parking spaces in a two-level underground garage.

The Montgomery County Planning Board approved the site plan for the project Thursday without comment. Preliminary plans for the project had previously come before the board.

1200 Blair Mill Road will be constructed near Acorn Park, believed to be part of Francis Preston Blair’s original estate. It is also close to the Silver Spring Metro station, Discovery Channel Communications building and the Silverton condominium project.

Copyright © 2006 The Gazette - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Privacy Statement
 
#95 ·
Parking shortage is taking a toll on south Silver Spring (South Point), businesses say
Shuttle, valet are helping some during construction
Wednesday, May 17, 2006

E-Mail This Article | Print This Story

by Meredith Hooker

Staff Writer







When they’re complete, residential units in south Silver Spring will bring new patrons to the area’s shops and restaurants. But in the meantime, businesses are trying to remind residents that they’re there amid the construction.

Construction has taken away from parking, particularly along Blair Mill Road, that many patrons used when going to places like Mayorga Coffee Factory, Gallery Restaurant and Lounge and the Silver Spring Innovation Center.

‘‘It’s hurt our business,” said Martin Mayorga, owner of Mayorga Coffee Factory. Mayorga, one of the first new businesses to set up shop in the neighborhood, said he’s had to re-learn how to bring people to his store.

He and his wife, Kerry, have cut back on hours at the store, Mayorga said, because the couple felt the shop was taking on too much of a bar atmosphere in the evening and they wanted to make sure it stayed focused on coffee. However, that cut in hours did coincide with a drop in business because of construction. Business dropped ‘‘enough for me to be concerned,” he said.

A shuttle that runs from the Kennett Street Garage to stops in front of Mayorga, as well as the innovation center, Moorenko and Crisfield’s Seafood Restaurant on Georgia Avenue and Gallery Restaurant and Lounge on East West Highway has been helpful, said Brenda Smoak, owner of art store Alchemy on Georgia Avenue. However, that shuttle, which is paid for by developer JBG Co., only runs Monday through Friday. There’s still a need for access on weekends, particularly when she holds her outdoor artists market.

‘‘It’s kind of hard,” she said. ‘‘I think we’ve lost a lot of business. ... We all have to survive this.”

One solution, she said, would be to extend the hours of the VanGo, the free bus service that runs throughout downtown Silver Spring, to run nights and weekends.

JBG Co., which is building the Silver Spring Gateway Project at Blair Mill Road, is also paying for valet parking for nearby businesses that is free to patrons if they get their tickets validated.

‘JBG is doing everything they possibly can to help out with this,” Smoak said.

Valet parking has been helpful, Mayorga said, because although there are a few parking spaces still available near the shop, they’re not enough.

Short-term parking is an issue, said Barry Soorenko, a principal at PhotoGroup, a south Silver Spring photography agency. People don’t mind using valet parking when they’ll be spending a few hours at a destination; however, many people don’t want to use valet parking when they plan on running into a store for 15 minutes to buy coffee or ice cream.

Mayorga said he realizes things will be completely different a few months from now when dozens of construction workers are on site — they could want to take a coffee break — and different once again once the condominium is built and open to residents. In fact, business could skyrocket.

‘‘We’re go-with-the-flow kind of people. Things change,” Mayorga said. ‘‘I’m looking forward to our new neighbors.”

Copyright © 2006 The Gazette - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Privacy Statement
 
#96 ·
8711 Georgia Avenue (More office space!)

comments
I would say cross your fingers and hope for an architectural design change. It has been requested by residents and their was positive feedback from the developer. It was nice to see the office development pick up again as I feel there is residential saturation in downtown Silver Spring. If all 20+ residential projects are built there will be a glut of housing and I fear an over supply of the market. With Silver Spring's low commerical vaccany rate at around 4.8%it really boggles the mind as to why there is not a lot more office space being built and why the Silver Spring Transit Center project will not reconsider office for one the the 3 towers planned.


Description:
Description: The 0.76 acre property next to the Zalco building-currently a parking lot and a drive through for a bank-- has been proposed for a thirteen-story (143' tall) mixed use building. Approximately 147, 670 square feet of office uses and 5,070 square feet of retail/service uses would be constructed with two levels of underground parking. Vehicles would enter the front of the building along Georgia Avenue and exit from the rear on Fenton Street Extended. (Note: Fenton Street Extended is actually a private street providing egress from Garage 2. The proposed circulation plan therefore requires an access agreement with Montgomery County.) A significant public use space would be provided behind the proposed building along the extension of Fenton Street. A mid-block pedestrian linkage would be provided through the site connecting Georgia Avenue to Fenton Street Extended. The site is zoned CBD-2 and the proposed project would be constructed at a 4.0 FAR.

Status

Planned

MNCPPC Staff Contact:
Robert Kronenberg, (301) 495-2187, e-mail


Applicant:
8711 Georgia Avenue Associates, LLC
8701 Georgia Avenue, Suite 300
Silver Spring, MD. 20910
Attention: Paul Bellegrad
(301) 495-6601

Opportunities for Public Participation:
The Planning Board will conduct a public hearing on a future site plan for the proposed project.

Planning Board Review Process & Case Number(s):
Project Plan #9-20050020 and Preliminary Plan #1-20060420

Planning Board Action:
The project plan and preliminary plan were approved on January 19,l 2006









 
#97 ·
Silver Springer, the Newell Condos look MUCH nicer than the rendering did. I am quite pleased. The SS Gateway project looks MASSIVE. East-West Highway and Blair Mill Rd are becoming quite the highrise canyons.

About the Twin Towers Apts. They may look hideous on the Colesville Rd side, but they are actually surprisingly elegant on the inside, and nice looking from other streets. Instead of demolishing the entire building, I think that the gas station at the corner of GA and Colesville would be a prime location for a (very) thin new highrise that could mask the empty and blank brick wall of the Twin Towers.
 
#98 ·
pennster said:
Silver Springer, the Newell Condos look MUCH nicer than the rendering did. I am quite pleased. The SS Gateway project looks MASSIVE. East-West Highway and Blair Mill Rd are becoming quite the highrise canyons.

About the Twin Towers Apts. They may look hideous on the Colesville Rd side, but they are actually surprisingly elegant on the inside, and nice looking from other streets. Instead of demolishing the entire building, I think that the gas station at the corner of GA and Colesville would be a prime location for a (very) thin new highrise that could mask the empty and blank brick wall of the Twin Towers.
Welcome to the board Pennster, the East-West highway block is my favorite in the CBD and is about to get better. As for the Twin Towers, I just hope someone doesn't try to give them an historical designation. They could at least update the facade. It is unforuntate that the designers did not have the foresight to match the exterior to the interior like a lot of buildings in downtown but it was built in the 60s so go figure.
 
#99 ·
Planners choose higher-cost option for trail
County board’s recommendation keeps motorists, pedestrians separate on Metropolitan Branch route
Wednesday, May 24, 2006


by Meredith Hooker

Staff Writer



A Silver Spring hiker-biker trail that’s part of a regional trail system should cross over Georgia Avenue and under Burlington Avenue to connect the Silver Spring Transit Center with Montgomery College in order to protect its users from cars, the Planning Board recommended Thursday.
That segment of the trail, a 10-foot wide hiker-biker path, would complete the Metropolitan Branch Trail in Montgomery County. It connects with other major trails, like the Capital Crescent Trail, which runs to Bethesda, said Charles Kines, of Park and Planning’s transportation planning division. The trail loosely follows Metro’s Red line.

‘‘The project enhances bicycle and pedestrian mobility in south Silver Spring area and connects two major destinations: the Silver Spring Transit Center and Montgomery College,” Kines said.

After examining options for the alignment of the trail, Park and Planning staff recommended a modified version of Option 5. That option would take the trail across Georgia Avenue on a new pedestrian and bike bridge and down Philadelphia Avenue, where cyclists would share the road with cars. The trail would then go around Fenton Gateway Park to connect to the Fenton Street⁄Burlington Avenue intersection. Cost of that option is between $10 million and $12 million, Kines said.

But after further review and raising concerns about putting cyclists with cars on Philadelphia Avenue, Planning Board members decided to recommend to the county’s Department of Public Works and Transportation Option 1 — which Park and Planning staff didn’t recommend largely due to cost. That option, which would cost between $17 million and $22 million, is the Master Plan alignment the Planning Board studied and endorsed in 2001. The Master Plan is a document that acts as a guide for an area’s long-term development plans.

‘‘You have to think big, OK?” said Commissioner Meredith K. Wellington. ‘‘... You have to think about the future.”

The Metropolitan Branch Trail is one of the most important in the region, Wellington said, and should be created to best serve cyclists and pedestrians.

‘‘If it’s only about the money, then you’ve got to fight for the money,” she said.

Under Option 1, the trail would include a pedestrian and bike bridge over Georgia Avenue and a tunnel under Burlington Avenue. Selim Avenue would be narrowed to accommodate the parallel trail and the intersection of Selim and Philadelphia avenues would be realigned to accommodate the bridge.

The Washington Area Bicyclist Association supports Option 1, said Wayne Phyillaier, a Silver Spring resident and WABA representative. That option protects cyclists and hikers from cars, which is critical in encouraging residents to use the trail. WABA also supports the modified Option 5, which addresses the cost issue, but also includes a bridge over Georgia Avenue.

Peter Gray, who spoke for the board of directors for the Capital Crescent Trail, said the board also supported the modified Option 5, as well as Option 1, and encouraged the Planning Board to keep the Capital Crescent Trail in mind when looking at plans for the Metropolitan Branch Trail.

‘‘The Capital Crescent Trail has been a wildly successful trail,” he said.


Copyright © 2006 The Gazette - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Privacy Statement
 
#100 ·
I saw a post with updated pictures of Midtown Reston coming along in another thread. I suppose that Midtown Silver Spring will look something like them. They should tower over the office buildings in Station Square. That will give Silver Spring a new skyline from Wheaton and from East-West Hwy coming from Bethesda. Do you know when ground is supposed to be broken on them?
 
#101 · (Edited)
NovaWolverine said:
I know what you're saying, but unfortunately it is a suburb b/c of reasons aside from it's own development level, it's proximity to a place orders in magnitude more important. It's not on the development level of places such as Oakland or Jersey City that are hard for me to look at as suburbs, but it's built up plenty. It's not suburban, that's not what I said. The definition of suburb may have changed. It's an edge city, but isn't prominent enough for me to exclude it from being a suburb like parts of arlington and alexandria are.

The feeling across the borders is not mutual. As you said yourself, we're leeching off the land that you guys gave to be apart of DC and we're competing with you all. We're sprawly, internet capital, more concentrated educated ppl, more biotech..blah, blah, whatever you can say to feel superior.

Silver Spring will keep developing more and more and more, and people's idea of it will change even more, I think sooner or later it will lose the stigma you're thinking about, but I still think it's a suburb and I don't at all think of it as a Rockville or an Oakton.
Suburb by its very definition is a place that is less than urban; that is where the "sub" in suburban comes from. It is not the location of the place relative to another that matters. The stereotypical definition is that a suburb is to be located outside of a major city, but that is only because suburbs actually fit the stereotypical definition for a while. Some "suburbs" like Silver Spring matured and became urban cores, just as downtown DC had to do at one time. One could argue that White Oak, Colesville, and even Wheaton are suburbs of downtown Silver Spring. People come to visit me and marvel at how urban Bethesda and Silver Spring are--it is simply not something you see everyday. The reason for DC's unique inner "suburbs" is probably partly because of DC proper's small size and partly because of Metro.

In response to an earlier post about how you think that Marylanders feel outdone by the pace of development in VA, it simply isn't true. Sprawling development isn't anyone's idea of good development. It hinders quality of life, and you end up with a place such as Tysons Corner, which has to be rebuilt from scratch in order for it to become a born-again urban center. As a result you have Montgomery County's population growing 1.6 times faster than Fairfax County's, adding 50,000 people between 2000 and 2004 compared with Fairfax's 34,000. If Fairfax had been less concerned with luring tech companies to the Dulles corridor, and instead had balanced bringing the new companies in while also practicing intelligent planning, it wouldn't be in the situation it is in now, attempting to transform glorified office parks into "urban" centers. Yes, it would have potentially had to develop slower, but quality is what life is about and what matters in the end, not quantity.

Remember the tech bubble? It hit NoVa HARD. MoCo has biotech, which has been steadily growing; and though it receives less publicity than the type of helter skelter development in Fairfax, is quickly picking up pace.

I don't go to Fairfax very often, because frankly, there's no center where I can go, park the car, and do whatever I'd like to do--be entertained, fed, and laze around (and no, I don't consider Tysons Corner Center to be that place--I could just as well go to any other mall). Maybe once Tysons Corner has been realized, and the Metro has been extended, will I actually want to venture into Fairfax.

Many parts of Arlington, on the other hand, and Reston (in Fairfax!) are quality urban centers even though they are outside of D.C. Ballston is in many ways similar to Bethesda and Silver Spring, and I feel no resentment towards it. I even venture into Ballston from time to time for restaurants and friends.

From your attitude, I would have to think that someone in Fairfax, VA is jealous (and don't deny it, I'm not trying to be condescending, just blunt) that they must drive everywhere in order to do their daily business, and that there are no true urban centers (yet) where you can live, work, and play, and get where you need to go without a car--Reston is still under construction, and Tysons Corner hasn't even started.

Fairfax suffers from being somewhat removed from DC proper, Arlington being in the way, and thus Metro wasn't designated to go far into Fairfax County. But now that it will, it is time for changes. Do you know where planners in Fairfax County looked to find how they wanted the area to look in 25 years? That's right, Ballston, Bethesda and Silver Spring, urban centers that are the very epitome of quality urban planning.

Oh, and by the way, Fairfax and Montgomery overall have IDENTICAL percentages of persons with a bachelor degree or higher, while downcounty MoCo (Bethesda, Chevy Chase, and Silver Spring) has the highest concentration of people with postgraduate degrees in the area, and one of, if not the, highest in the country.
 
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