The Eastern Silver Spring Communities Plan team is working with residents, business owners, and other stakeholders to understand how people live, work, play and shop in their community now while planning for the future. During the community engagement efforts for the Plan, staff heard how much residents love the parks and public spaces available in the area, and their desire for more safe and inviting spaces to gather and socialize. The Montgomery Planning Placemaking team took this as an opportunity to create temporary “gathering spots” with features such as seating, interactive signs, plantings, art, and amenities that could encourage social connections and physical activity in this area.
In partnership with Montgomery Parks, we’ve identified four locations in Eastern Silver Spring for these gatherings spots that will create new opportunities for residents to share feedback, amenities, and potential long-term ideas for future improvements.
Each gathering spot will feature similar elements with varied designs that relate to the surrounding community. These elements include: signage, landscaping, seating, and other amenities.
While the gathering spots are small in size (about 20-50 square feet), the surrounding area will also be enhanced with additional amenities such as art, stepping logs and boulders. Installation is planned to begin this Spring and remain in place for up to six months. If you’d like to learn more or how to get involved, please reach out to our team, placemaking@montgomeryplanning.org.