Rating the Projects: The Best and the Worst
By Silver Springer • Aug 2nd, 2006 • Category: Rating the Projects: The Best and the Worst
A little late but better than never (due to the good boys at Verizon), here are number eight best and worst on their respective lists, Disclaimer.
Developer: Ripley Street, LLC (KSI Services, Inc)
Architect: Wehie Design Group (WDG Architect)
Property Address: Ripley Street, Silver Spring, MD 20910
Project Specifications:
Gross Floor Area: 391,125 sq\ft
Site: Approx 1.79 acres
Dwelling Units: 317 residential dwelling units, 40 MPDUs
Retail: 5,380 sq\ft
Height: 200′ Feet
Stories: 20
Parking Spaces: 389
Say hello to the new Twin Towers. At 200′feet and 20 stories, this is the tallest confirmed of the proposed projects. Though contrary to KSI’s press release, it will not be the tallest building in Silver Spring (I really wish the rumors were true and it ended up being 330′feet). The location, adjacent to the Silver Spring Metro Station is totally appropriate for even greater heights without giving compensation. Like one commenter put it “the air is free, the land is not”. The developer took advantage of the recent text amendment that allows buildings within 800 feet of the metro station to increase heights up to 200′feet. Although the fact remains that taller buildings exist, and are zoned CBD-3 instead of CBD-2, never the less we applaud the developer for trying to maximize the use of one of the more important sites.
The public use space, which is another plaza\pocket park, at least has a significant historical theme to it. The proposed art piece will include a sculpture recreating the founding of Silver Spring. The developer is linking Ripley and Bonifant streets through reconstruction of Parking Garage #5.
The architecture is another design by WDG with looks very similar to Cameron House. What saves this design from being a total failure in our opinion is the use of two twin towers and the curvilinear middle section that acts as the entrance\drop off round about. The twined towers are rectangular in shape with extensive use of brick masonry and glass topped off with a white “crown” (if that is even applicable).
There is no use of green design and a project like this could have handled more than 5,380 square feet of retail but the site is far smaller than the Silver Spring Gateway site. Overall this project will enhance the Silver Spring skyline.
Developer: JBG Companies
Architect: Wehie Design Group (WDG Architect)
Property Address: East West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910
Project Specifications
Gross Floor Area: 523,438 sq\ft
Site: Approx 2.68 acres
Dwelling Units: 457 residential dwelling units, including 58 MPDUs
Retail: 14,080 sq\ft
Height: 143′ Feet
Stories: 15
Parking Spaces: 655
It first started with 40,000 square feet of office space, 471 dwelling units, 20,000 square feet of incubator space and 25,000 square feet of retail. This was back in February 2004.
Then in March 2005, the 40,000 square feet of office space was eliminated, the dwelling units were reduced to 468 but in good measure the developer bumped up the retail to 53,027 square feet. The retail would include a major grocery store tenant to meet the constrained demand in downtown Silver Spring.
By November 2005, in its final configuration, the number of dwelling units was reduced; the office component completely axed and the much needed and highly anticipated grocery store had been dropped from the final plans. We are left with 457 dwelling units, only 14,080 square feet of retail, an unattractive above ground parking garage and less Moderately Priced Dwelling Units. This is all on the largest developable tract of land in downtown Silver Spring. This is also the largest project in Silver Spring per number of dwelling units.
While the architecture is above average and WDG finally uses some curvilinear forms, they claim there are art-deco elements in the design. If there are any art-deco elements in this building they must be invisible. The original plans were done by Torti Gallas and Partners, Inc of Silver Spring. It is a mystery as to why they were replaced.
Considering the large size of the site\project and what was given up, in our opinion this turned out to be a very disappointing project that fell far below expectations. What we have here is a bare-bones mixed-use project. A portion of Blair Mill road was abandoned and the historic B&O Railroad’s eastbound waiting station was demolished to make way for the Gateway.
In addition to all of this, instead of the huge building foot print, why didn’t JBG take advantage of the amendment that allows this project to go up to 200′ feet? This would have freed up space for other uses. The public use space is another pocket park\paved plaza and there are no implementations of green design.
As for the grocery store JBG proclaimed “It just didn’t work outâ€. Anyone who shops at the grocery stores in downtown knows how often they run out of inventory and lines are just about out the door. Demand is high in this area, if Harris Teeter was too stuck up to sign a lease what about Super Fresh, Margruders, Wegmans, Food Lion, Trader Joes etc? This was really the only site large enough for a grocery store. Silver Spring Gateway could have been a really stellar mixed-use project but JBG decided to give Silver Spring residents the short end of the stick. They can build the tallest building in the county with over 200,000 square feet of retail (and a grocery store) in North Bethesda but couldn’t find the previous plans feasible in the largest urban area in the state outside Baltimore and the lowest office vacancy rate in the county. Go figure.
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I think the problem is that the location is in South Silver Spring and not downtown. South Silver Spring has been pretty much abandoned by the county. Its just residences no major commercial redevelopment. And its still lots of thugs hanging out in front of the 7-11.
They built a couple luxury condos, but with the galaxy not going well the area is going to continue to be a void until the county make it more attractive to commerical development. Talking big anchor store/office not lots of small boutique galleries.
Could you clarify what you mean by being abandoned by the county? I agree that an injection of office space would help but JBG cut that out their plans.
I don’t think anyone in South Silver Spring (residents or current business owners) wants a big anchor store, beyond perhaps a grocery store. Boutiques be they office or retail, are more in line with the SoPo vibe. Let’s not forget that the County built and operates the SS Inovation Center, just built a new fire house very close to South SS, helped with the ArtsAlley behind Mayorga (their plans for the other alleys are another story) fund Gateway’s Heliport Gallery, continue to do street scape work and just opened 27 new temporary parking spaces on E/W highway.
JBG’s project is another clear example of a lack of vision as well as understanding of the market and community they were building in. In 3-5 years it will turn out to be one of their most underperforming sites, in regard to what it could have been given the existing zoning. JBGs only redeeming chance to get this project right and tap into the community’s market, not to mention sound urban economic principles, presents itself in the remaining retail space. We’ll have to wait and see what becomes of it.
Midtown : No office space? Another pocket park? The zoning in SS is really a detriment to its viability. A pocket park becomes a haven for wastoids and nefarious acitivities if it isn’t surrounded by a mix of uses. Anybody in planning and development read “The Death and Life of Great American Cities”. Anybody spent time in successful parks? Why are they successful, b/c they have users during all times of day…whether they are folks using it as a cut through to home after having a few drinks or parents with kids, looking for a place where they can run during the day.
I could think of a million better ideas for public use space than these pocket parks, no one uses them and watch them become a nussance as they age.
Virtually all the projects implemented a park to meet the public use space requirement.
Midtown is not much better in those departments but exceeded in other areas.
I don’t understand why these projects couldn’t be built without parks and the developers pool together to fund one large park somewhere. South Silver Spring could use a nice urban park like Woodside Park at Georgia and Spring.
South Silver Spring has the largest Urban Park in the County. Jesup Blair Park. These developers should be creating amenities that add to street life and vibrancy.
Yes, we already have Jesup Blair Park that no one uses (I kind of like the privacy
). I don’t see why a developer can’t maximize the lot size with the building foot print. Instead of pocket parks, a green roof and more interior public use space would be nice. They can also contribute to a fund to fix other issues in Silver Spring.