SILVER SPRING, MD – On Thursday, June 7,
at approximately 1 p.m., the Montgomery County Planning Board will consider a
proposal to put a new face on the Silver Spring Metro, considering an
application to build a three-level transit center that will both house buses
and provide better access to MARC rail, intercity bus, taxi and hiker/biker
trails.
Eventually,
the project – considered a national model for forward-thinking transportation
planning – will include a mix of retail uses in front of the entrance to the
existing station. Slated to
be built at Colesville Road and Wayne Avenue in Silver Spring, the transit
center will fully integrate a variety of commuting methods, allowing people to
easily transfer among bus, rail, car, taxi and bike.
Thursday’s hearing is
called a mandatory referral, a process where the Board reviews public works
projects and provides recommendations on functionality, design, circulation and
other aspects. The project is being brought forward by the county Department of
Public Works and Transportation (DPWT) and the Washington Metropolitan Area
Transit Authority (WMATA).
County
transportation planning staff has recommended approval of the mandatory
referral with a host of conditions covering such things as generous building
setbacks for wider sidewalks and a bike path, creation of a public art
component, road improvements to better accommodate bus access, and a number of
design and architectural treatments.
As
part of the project, planning staff also seeks an arrangement to replace an
existing hard-surface open space known as Metro Urban Park with a plaza at the
transit center entrance and a smaller green space across Wayne Avenue.
WHO:
Montgomery
County Planning Board
WHAT:
Mandatory
referral hearing on the Silver Spring Transit Center
WHEN:
Thursday,
June 7, 2007 – 1 p.m.
WHERE:
Park
and Planning Headquarters
8787
Georgia Avenue
Silver
Spring, MD