Silver Spring Civic Areas Assessment

“When public spaces are successful […] they will increase opportunities to participate in communal activity.”

-Carr, Francis, Rivlin and Stone, 1993, p. 344)

JCAyalaTown Planner + Designer

[email protected] - Cell. (240) 463-7462

Prepared by:

Table of ContentsPage 1

Table of ContentsIntroduction 2Civic Places Stakeholders 3Civic Places Definitions 4Veterans Plaza 5Sensory Garden 6Discovery Court 7Downtown Silver Spring 8Silver Spring Transit Center 9BioWall Plaza & The Cameron Urban Square 10Georgia and Wayne Ave. Urban Square 11Jesup Blair Park 12

Montgomery CountyIke Leggett, ExecutiveExecutive Office Building 101 Monroe Street2nd Floor Rockville, MD 20850 (240) 777-2500 TTY (240) 777-2544 FAX: (240) 777-2517

Silver Spring Regional CenterReemberto Rodriguez, DirectorOne Veterans PlaceSilver Spring, MD 20910 (240) 777-5301/5300 FAX: (301) 565-7365

Note: All photos in this assessment were taken by JC Ayala unless otherwise noted.

Silver SpringUrban Center

IntroductionPage 2

Introduction

“The Plan envisions shaded, tree-lined and well-placed green parks and plazas, creating a comprehensive system of open spaces that provide economic, environmental, and aesthetic benefits thought downtown.”1

Historical, modern, eclectic, cultural, and dynamic are some of the attributes that describe Silver Spring’s urban core. Since its foundation, Silver Spring has been transforming its vision to keep abreast of demographic changes, economic forces, and development trends. Precisely, it is this metamorphosis that has created an exceptional place many citizens call home. The vision of creating an active urban core with mixed-use development, retail, employment opportunities, multi-modal transportation, pathways, and bike trails makes Silver Spring an enjoyable place for those living, working, playing, or visiting its urban center.

Silver Spring stands out with a dynamic urban landscape, plazas, gardens, urban squares, neighborhood parks and bike paths that emphasize what Frederick Law Olmsted achieved with his park designs. Olmsted believed that civic areas serve as an educational opportunity to “the American public on the importance of parks. [These civic places] show how all classes would benefit and how [they] could serve as meetings grounds for citizens of different backgrounds.”2 In Silver Spring one will find passive, active, educational, interactive, gregarious, and neighborly, delightful civic areas for all to enjoy.

The purpose of this assessment is to deliver a description of the current and proposed urban squares, neighborhood parks, plazas and garden in Silver Spring.

1 Montgomery County’s Silver Spring Central Business District Sector Plan. Pg 222 Beverridge, Charles E. and Paul Rocheleau, Frederick Law Olmsted Designing the American Landscape, Pg. 45

Source: http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/silverspring/

Civic Places Stalkeholders

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StakeholdersCivic Park Type: PlazaStake Holder: Montgomery CountyNames: Veterans Plaza Veterans Pl, Silver Spring, MD 20910Walk Score: 97 / Source: www.walkscore.comTransit Score: 87 / Source: www.walkscore.comMaintained by: Silver Spring Urban District

Civic Park Type: Garden Stake Holder: First Security Bank National Association c/o Discovery Communications Inc.Names: Sensory Garden Discovery Pl. Silver Spring, MD 20910Walk Score: 97 / Source: www.walkscore.comTransit Score: 90 / Source: www.walkscore.comMaintained by: Discovery Communications Inc.

Civic Park Type: Court Stake Holder: First Security Bank National Association c/o Discovery Communications Inc.Names: Unknown Discovery Pl. Silver Spring, MD 20910Walk Score: 97 / Source: www.walkscore.comTransit Score: 90 / Source: www.walkscore.comMaintained by: Silver Spring Urban District

Civic Park Type: Urban SquareStake Holder: Montgomery County c/o Peterson Retail Management LCNames: Unknown 917 Ellsworth Dr. Silver Spring, MD 20910Walk Score: 97 / Source: www.walkscore.comTransit Score: 87 / Source: www.walkscore.comMaintained by: Peterson Retail Management LC

Civic Park Type: Urban SquareStake Holder: United Therapeutics CorporationNames: BioWall Plaza 1040 Spring St. Silver Spring, MD 20910 Walk Score: 97 / Source: www.walkscore.comTransit Score: 87 / Source: www.walkscore.comMaintained by: United Therapeutics Corporation

Civic Park Type: Urban SquareStake Holder: Fairfield Silver Spring LPNames: Unknown 1104 Spring St. Silver Spring, MD 20910 Walk Score: 97 / Source: www.walkscore.comTransit Score: 87 / Source: www.walkscore.comMaintained by: Behringer Harvard Residential

Civic Park Type: Court (Proposed) Stake Holder: Washington Metropolitan Area Transit AuthorityNames: Unknown 8400 Colesville Road Silver Spring, MD 20910Walk Score: 94 / Source: www.walkscore.comTransit Score: 90 / Source: www.walkscore.comMaintained by: TBD

Civic Park Type: Urban SquareStake Holder: Montgomery CountyNames: Unknown 8435 Georgia Ave. Silver Spring, MD 20910Walk Score: 98 / Source: www.walkscore.comTransit Score: 90 / Source: www.walkscore.comMaintained by: Silver Spring Urban District

Civic Park Type: Neighborhood ParkStake Holder: Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning CommissionNames: Jesup Blair Park 900 Jesup Blair Dr., Silver Spring, MD 20912Walk Score: 75 / Source: www.walkscore.comTransit Score: 79 / Source: www.walkscore.comMaintained by: Montgomery Parks and Historical Preservation Office

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Source: http://www.mcatlas.org/viewer/

Civic Places Definitions

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Definitions

“A park is a protected area set aside for human recreation and enjoyment.” 3

Defining plazas, gardens, urban squares, and neighborhood parks gives one an ample understanding of the purpose and character a civic place offers to the public. It is the intention of this assessment to enlighten citizens about uses, characters, and purposes of existing and proposed civic places located within Silver Spring’s urban core. While definitions cannot summarize the use, purpose, and character of plazas, gardens, urban squares, and neighborhood parks, it is the intent of these definitions to convey a general idea and identified the nine (9) civic places in this assessment. Definitions in this assessment were taken from Dhiru A. Thadani’s book “The Language of Town Cities, A Visual Dictionary” and Rollins College’s Metropolitan Greenpaces Web Page. (http://www.rollins.edu/greenspaces/greenways.html)

Plaza Plaza is a Spanish word related to “field” that describes an urban public space, such as a city square. The plaza is the center of the community life and may serve as military parade ground, public gathering place, or a place for celebratory events. The plaza is usually located at the intersection of important thoroughfares and is circumscribed by building frontages. A majority of plazas are hardscape with little or no vegetation, usually requiring minimal maintenance. (Thadani, Pg. 537)

Court A court is an interior space that may be defined by buildings, fencing, vegetation, balustrades, or walls. The space may be accessible to pedestrians only, or it may have access to a thoroughfare that permits vehicular delivery. The ground plane may be hardscape, vegetative, or a combination of both (Thadani, Pg. 198)

GardensA garden may be a public or private, and may be as large as a relative small park; a garden differs from a park in that it is generally not used for civic gatherings, demonstrations, or active recreation. Gardens tend to be more internally focused, most often walled or fenced; they provide hushed environments honoring the fragility of the man–made and natural materials. (Thadani, Pg. 278)

Urban SquaresThey are comparatively small, formal ornamental grounds, often with a hard surface and dominated by surrounding buildings. They are intimately ordered with the abutting streets and are usually graced by monuments, statues, and fountains. (http://www.rollins.edu/greenspaces/urban-squares-plazas.html)

Neighborhood ParksNeighborhood parks integrate open space and active play and can range in size from 1 to 20 acres. Their purpose is to provide recreational activities for visitors and residents of a neighborhood area. Playgrounds provide healthy activity for children although they may be loud when occupied by them. Therefore they should be screened from adjacent residents and occupied buildings or located at the center of larger parks systems. (http://www.rollins.edu/greenspaces/neighborhood-parks.html)

3 Thadani, Dhiru A. The Language of Town Cities, A Visual Dictionary. Pg. 483Source: http://www.mcatlas.org/viewer/

Veterans Plaza

Source: http://www.mcatlas.org/viewer/2013 Aerial

“A community is more than bricks-and-mortar. Its expression, values,

and future aredetermined by the time and effort

people spend with each other. From story hour at the library to job

training, Silver Spring will build a stronger community. The physical environment should support that

growth.”Source: Silver Spring Central Business District Sector Plan, Pg. 21

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Civic Park Type: PlazaStake Holder: Montgomery CountyName: Veterans Plaza

Veterans Plaza is a modern version of historical plazas seen in cities built during the Spanish commission of the Law of the Indies. This plaza serves as a common congregation node in Silver Spring. It is a gathering place where cultural events such as music concerts, arts festivals, and educational activities take place.

This plaza was designed with modern architectural lines with multiple levels of active and passive terraces. Walking northeast on Ellsworth Drive the pedestrian is welcomed by a promenade of lined trees guiding one to the main entrance of the iconic Silver Spring Civic Building. Monuments of those who sacrificed their life for the betterment of the community and the nation exist in this plaza alongside concrete benches, wood rocking chairs, and a modern glass covered area to protect citizens from the inclement weather. This is also a perfect setting for music concerts, or other activities. Veterans Plaza is surrounded by a movie theater, restaurants, retail, cafes, and parking garage.

At night, the Veterans Plaza atmosphere becomes a safe active celebration of diverse cultural ethnicities, musical performances, and families strolling with their children. Veterans Plaza is truly a place of social capital necessary for an urban core to thrive.

Sensory Garden


“This Plan views civic facilities as partners in economic revitalization.

New andregenerated facilities will draw

people downtown, returning it to the center of

community life and creating opportunities for economic and

social connections.”Source: Silver Spring Central Business District Sector Plan, Pg. 21

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Civic Park Type: Garden Stake Holder: First Security Bank National Assoc. c/o Discovery Communications, Inc.Name: Sensory Garden

“The Philosophy of the Sensory Gardens was to conceive a landscape of discovery – One that unfolds in layers, revealing information in both literal and figurative ways. The content was driven by means of how people explore their world - the senses.” (Source: Discovery Communications, Inc. Sign)

From the pedestrian point of view, the Sensory Garden inspires serenity, natural holistic enjoyment, and a place to re-connect with nature. In this garden, different concrete and green pathways guide one to discover hidden places of meditation and tranquility.

In the main semi-circle green, activities such as a family picnic, sunbathing, or just tossing a Frisbee are adequate. If one is looking for a secluded place, the Sensory Garden provides different areas for passive time. Scattered wooden tables with umbrellas are located in the back of the garden. Each space has benches for sitting, tree canopy, and different types of landscape accentuating visual senses. The garden is enclosed by the Discovery Communications Building and edged by intermodal modes of transportation such as Silver Spring Green Trail, pathways and bus stops connecting Silver Spring to DC’s metropolitan region.

Discovery Court


“This Plan views civic facilities as Civic spaces are formal or informal,

large or small, public or private-anywhere people meet, cross

paths, and gather. From sidewalks to plazas, Silver Spring should have a

variety of civic spaces.”Source: Silver Spring Central Business District Sector Plan, Pg. 21

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Civic Park Type: Court Stake Holder: First Security Bank National Assoc. c/o Discovery Communications, Inc.Name: Unknown

Located at the intersection of Georgia and Wayne Avenue, this court serves as a natural buffer between major bisecting thoroughfares and the Discovery Communications Building. This public court resembles a hidden naturalistic wooden setting for minor community gatherings. Furthermore, this civic place serves as a point of arrival or departure node with an easy access to the Silver Spring Bike Trail and spacious pedestrian walkways.

The masonry materials used in this court accentuate the epicenter of a circle as the most important place of assembly. Some of the amenities found in this court are mature trees, rock or wood benches, and bike racks. Additionally, from Monday to Friday, a food cart vendor locates in this court and allows visitors to enjoy a snack.

Downtown Silver Spring


“An urban area’s greatest economic asset and strongest physical

definition comes fromits pedestrian environment.

Sidewalks and streets scaled to walkers create active environments

wherepeople can shop, commute,

recreate, and socialize.”Source: Silver Spring Central Business District Sector Plan, Pg. 24

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Civic Park Type: Urban SquareStake Holder: Montgomery County c/o Peterson Retail Management LCName: Unknown

Situated within the Downtown Silver Spring development, this urban square is one of the most iconic civic places in Silver Spring. This urban square is designed to prioritize pedestrian safety with its friendly pathways and limited automobile access. The Downtown Silver Spring urban square, while small in size, gives one the experience of prominent pedestrian friendly squares found in large U.S. cities. In the central area of the square is the multicolored splash fountain, a popular amenity for youth. At night, the neon lights, ornamentally landscaped light poles, and array of restaurants with outdoor sitting provide a great ambiance. Family friendly activities, such as farmers market, live music, or art festivals make this urban square an activity destination for all citizens to enjoy.

The Regal Cinema Majestic Stadium 20, New York & Company, Lebanese Tavern Cafe, to mention a few, serve as anchors in this pedestrian friendly civic place. Furthermore, the square’s proximity to Veterans Plaza enhances pedestrian traffic and civic activities between this urban square and the plaza.

Silver Springs Transit Center

J O I N T D E V E L O P M E N T P R O J E C T

THIS OPTIONALMETHOD SUBMITTAL

APPLIES TO THE AREAWITHIN THE LIMITS

DEPICTED ON SHEETS4,5,6,7,8 AND 10.

WORK OUTSIDE OFTHOSE LIMITS,

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THESE DRAWINGS, ISBY OTHERS AND MAYNOT BE ACCURATELY

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I S S U E D A T E 1 1 - 0 8 - 0 4 R E V I S E D 0 1 - 0 6 - 0 6

S H E E T

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J O I N T D E V E L O P M E N T P R O J E C T

THIS OPTIONALMETHOD SUBMITTAL

APPLIES TO THE AREAWITHIN THE LIMITS

DEPICTED ON SHEETS4,5,6,7,8 AND 10.

WORK OUTSIDE OFTHOSE LIMITS,

WHETHER DEPICTEDOR SUGGESTED BY

THESE DRAWINGS, ISBY OTHERS AND MAYNOT BE ACCURATELY

DEPICTED.

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S H E E T

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“Transportation choices go beyond the car to link local and regional buses and trains, bikes and foot

travel. A system of paths combined with a full complement of

transportation options and sidewalkscan increase mobility for the elderly,

handicapped, children, and those without a car.”

Source: Silver Spring Central Business District Sector Plan, Pg. 17

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Civic Park Type: Court (Proposed) Stake Holder: Washington Metropolitan Area Transit AuthorityName: Unknown

The Silver Spring Transit Center site, zoned as CBD-2, will be developed as a “well-functioning, compact urban environment near transit center and foster a variety of land uses designed at a pedestrian scale.”4 The 2006 proposed documents submitted to Montgomery County Planning Board established that this 5.67acree site will be developed with a hotel, two (2) residential towers, and several multilevel interconnected courts with generous tree canopy, water fountains, and benches for sitting.

Note: Renderings and plan view shown on this page were taken from the Montgomery Planning Web Site. (http://www.mcatlas.org/Development_Info/Default.aspx)

4 Montgomery Planning. http://montgomeryplanning.org/info/documents/CBD-2.pdf

BioWall Plaza & The Cameron Urban Square


“Incorporating environmental improvements, recreation facilities, and landscaped parks, plazas, and

sidewalks into downtown revitalization will make Silver

Spring more competitive in the metropolitan-area

commercial and residential markets.”


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Civic Park Type: Urban SquaresStake Holder: United Therapeutics CorporationName: BioWall Plaza Stake Holder: Fairfield Silver Spring LPName: Unknown Located at the United Therapeutics Corporation, the BioWall Plaza is one-of-kind urban squares in Silver Spring. Their modern motif highlights sustainable green infrastructure with interactive high-tech display of science. The BioWall Plaza has sleek spiral benches, stone pavements, lighted elements capsules, and a high-resolution screen displaying nature scenes. In this square, one could explore the world of science and mesmerize with the richness of our world’s ecology presented on the high-resolution screen. With a smart phone one can scan bar codes and learn about the chemical element symbols displayed on the lighted capsules. The fountain with its subtle sounds and the tree canopies give the visitors of this urban square a relaxed experience. The modern United Therapeutics Medical Laboratories’ building and Cameron Street frame the BioWall Plaza. In The Cameron, a mixed-use development, and a modern interpretation of columns provide a clear edge to this urban square. The main entrance, an axial element of trees promenade accentuates modern architectural details. In the terrace one will find wood benches, green areas, bike racks, and dining tables. In the elevated green there are three metal sculptural spheres called; Sysyphus by Wendy M. Ross. The main terrace serves as a gathering place and entrance to The Cameron and Surgcenter of Silver Spring.

Georgia and Wayne Ave. Urban Square


“linked open space system of gardens and parks should be designed and located for high

visibility to offer seasonal variety, to be safe, to increase property values,

and to provide flexible recreationopportunities.”


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Civic Park Type: Urban SquareStake Holder: Montgomery CountyName: Unknown Anchored by “La Madeleine”, a country French cafe, this urban square is located at the corner of Georgia and Wayne Avenues. The centerpiece of this urban square is a sculpture called “Petalos Refrejantes” by Wilfredo Valladere. In this civic place citizens can sit in wooden benches surrounding the sculpture. Attractive paths connect this square to other areas in downtown Silver Spring. This civic area serves as “a strategic spot in a city into which an observer can enter, and which are the intense foci to and from which he is traveling.”5Trees, urns, manicured lawn, stones, pebbles, or rocks are some of the garden elements one could find in this site.

5 Lynch Kevin, The Image of The City, pg 47


“Incorporating nature into the city makes both economic

and environmental sense. An environment of

superior aesthetic...the improved image and amenity of a well-

designed and locatedpark-creates value for property

owners and users, employees and residents.


Jesup Blair ParkPage 12

Civic Park Type: Neighborhood ParkStake Holder: Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission Name: Jesup Blair Park

Jesup Blair Park is located at the southernmost boundary line between Silver Spring, Maryland and the Commonwealth of the District of Columbia. This historical picturesque park is edged to the south by Blair Road, to the west Georgia Avenue, and to the north, Jesup Blair Drive and train tracks. Jesup Blair Park is divided in two sections; one is passive and the second is active. To the west, this passive area has curved picturesque pathways, wood benches, a mature tree canopy, picnic tables, and the Jesup Blair historical house. Retail, multifamily housing, and the Montgomery College frame this section of the park. To the east, this neighborhood park is divided in several active areas including a children’s playground, one and half (1 ½) basketball courts, two (2) tennis courts, a green field, and small terrace with concrete benches. Jesup Blair Park is pedestrian and automobile accessible. Two of the main entrances to this park are located on Georgia Avenue and at the intersection of Blair Road. Additionally, pathways bordering this park and the Montgomery College pedestrian bridge provide easy access for those wanting to enjoy a day at the park. Jesup Blair Park offers plenty opportunities for relaxation or sport activities within Silver Spring urban core.

JCAyalaTown Planner + Designer

[email protected] - Cell. (240) 463-7462

Prepared by:

Source: Google /Images Source: Google /Images

Source: Google /ImagesSource: Google /Images

Source: Google /Images Source: Google /Images