The Purple Line Limps Along

The state transportation department is telling everyone to chill after rumors of delayed Purple Line plans tore through the county, the Washington Post writes.

The DOT says someone in accounting juggled figures on its annual budget, making it look like funding for Purple Line studies had been tapped. However, the DOT tells the Post that the $30.8 million is still there, only stretched out over an additional two years to 2010.

The Coalition to Build the Inner Purple Line isn't buying it. "The planning study should be expedited--not delayed--so as to break ground on this project within the next four years," the coalition states on its website.

At least the chairman of the county planning board isn't sweating it.

"Thank you!" Royce Hanson cheered when the Post told him that studies would not be delayed. "You saved me from writing an impassioned letter."

Thanks to InnerPurpleLine.com for the map.

"False Alarm Over Project Delays" (Washington Post)

Margaritas Across America

The Austin Grill may take its Tex-Mex menu nationwide.

The local restaurant chain will be acquired by Thompson Hospitality, which hopes to plant Austin Grill franchises in cities like the ATL, Chi Town and L.A., the Washington Business Journal reported Friday.

Expansion plans also include smaller versions of the Austin Grill on college campuses and in airports, Thompson announced on its website. The Virginia-based food service company already has contracts with a dozen colleges, including Prince George's Community College in Largo.

The seven existing restaurants, including one on Ellsworth Drive in downtown Silver Spring, will continue as company-owned joints.

Photo courtesy of The Blairs.

"Austin Grill Being Acquired by Thompson Hospitality" (Washington Business Journal)

The Early Bird

That extra hour of sleep has me amped! Get ready to take on this week in Silver Spring:

Monday: The Roundhouse Theatre (8641 Colesville Rd near Georgia Avenue) hosts Extreme Exchange III, a series of short political plays followed by moderated discussion. Each play examines why Americans vote the way they do and the consequences of their decisions. This free event starts at 7:30 p.m.

Thursday: People who ride off-road or all-terrain vehicles (above) will be required to wear helmets and goggles, according to a new law that goes into effect countywide. The law also forbids riding in a public park, around malls and through apartment complexes. Popping wheelies on private property? Pack some safety gear, written consent and daylight (no riding before 7:00 a.m. or after 8:00 p.m.). State law already prohibits riding on streets, sidewalks and public parking lots.

Image courtesy of GameSpy.com. Rock on, dudes.

"Off-Road Vehicle Law Starting Up" (Washington Post)

This Weekend

Trick-or-treaters get a head start on all that sugary schwag tomorrow at downtown Silver Spring's Halloween Spooktacular. It's more fun, food and high-fructose corn syrup than you can wag a bloody finger at. The festivities along Ellsworth Drive run from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

For high-brow entertainment, check out the libretto performance (that's opera minus theatrics) of "Dido and Aeneas" tomorrow night (above). It's the Bach Sinfonia's first performance at its new space, the Woodside United Methodist Church (8900 Georgia Ave at Ballard Street). The show starts at 7:30 p.m. and costs $25 per seat.

Don't forget to reclaim that 60 minutes of sleep The Man ripped from your eyes this spring. Daylight saving time ends early Sunday morning.

Thanks to the Bach Sinfonia for the photo.

The Next Big Thing: Overview

Three designs for the county planning board's new digs were revealed Thursday, with each design calling for the extension of Fenton Street beyond its current northern border.

At the board's weekly meeting in Silver Spring, competing developers agreed that Fenton Street should pierce the "superblock" that sits on the southeast corner of Georgia Avenue and Spring Street. The superblock is the proposed site of Silver Place, a mixed-use development that includes housing, retail and the planning board's new headquarters.

Extending Fenton Street past its intersection with Cameron Street, either as a walkway or an actual road, would improve access to shops and public spaces, the developers contended.

Each design also set the planning board's proposed digs away from the corner of Georgia Avenue and Spring Street. This move, the developers said, would allow the board to keep on keepin' on at its existing office space while the new digs are built.

The Next Big Thing: Part One

One real-estate developer is proposing brick buildings and an outdoor "ecological laboratory" for Silver Place, a mixed-use development near Fairview Road Park.

The proposal--designed by the Silver Place Joint Venture LLC--was one of three revealed at Thursday's planning board meeting in Silver Spring.

The design would place five-story residential buildings (above, right) on the southeast corner of Georgia Avenue and Spring Street. The residential buildings would then follow the curvature of Spring Street as it wends southward to Cameron Street (check out a map).

Along Georgia Avenue, the residential buildings would contain ground-level retail space with 20-foot-high glass storefronts, the developer's representatives said.

A six-story glass-and-mortar building at 1250 Spring St would serve as the county planning board's new headquarters (above, left). The building, along with plant-draped trellises, would obscure an adjacent parking structure, the reps explained.

Access to the parking structure would be either from Georgia Avenue via Planning Place (an existing roadway) or from Spring Street via the proposed Woodland Place (below).

The new headquarters would sport a green roof, but the residential buildings would not. Aesthetics and economics made that prospect unappealing, the reps explained.

Between the buildings, segmented gardens with a variety of plants would serve as an "ecological laboratory and classroom," the reps said. A stainless steel bridge would lead pedestrians past (but not through) these gardens.

The reps also described a possible footpath that would extend north from Fenton Street's terminus at Cameron Street.

Images courtesy of the Silver Spring Joint Venture LLC.

Commentary: Planning for the Board

Last Thursday, developers rolled out their plans for replacing the county planning board's headquarters on Georgia Avenue at Spring Street. And there was a running theme: none of the three designs placed the new building on the block's corner, that all-important "gateway" separating city from suburb.

Instead, two developers dropped the board's HQ onto Spring Street. (One developer claimed that a Spring Street address would remind residents of the town's history. As if the name "Silver Spring" wasn't doing it.) A third developer moved the board down Georgia Avenue towards Cameron Street.

Why not set up shop on the corner? One developer at Thursday's meeting put it this way: It would cost the board millions to rent temporary office space while a new HQ is built over the footprint of the old HQ (below, or check out a satellite image of the existing building's footprint.)

So what's a planning board to do? Well, it should plan.

If the board can't (or won't) cough up the cash for temporary digs during construction, then it should plan on loving its new Spring Street address. If the board decides to stay on the corner, then it should plan for an awkward architectural transition from the two-story Woodside suburbs to a much taller gateway into Silver Spring.

Whatever the planning board decides, it should plan for the consequences.

Put your hands together. Show your love for Google Maps!

"The Next Big Thing" (The Daily Penguin)

The Next Big Thing: Part Deux

A prospective developer is picturing "city life in the park" at Silver Place, the proposed mixed-use development at Georgia Avenue and Spring Street. The proposal--designed by SilverPlace LLC--was the second of three proposals presented at Thursday's planning board meeting in Silver Spring.

The planning commission would occupy a nine-story glass and masonry building (above) on Spring Street, directly across the street from Fairview Road Park. The building's green features would include an east-west orientation that takes advantage of natural light, a "garden" for collecting rain water, and a green roof.

The design (below) would place an eight-story residential building at the corner of Georgia Avenue and Spring Street. It would also set four- and five-story apartment buildings along new and existing roadways dissecting the block. The designers estimate that 358 apartments could be built.

Access could come from three proposed points along Spring Street's curvature, the existing Planning Place, and a proposed northward extension of Fenton Street. The roadways would permit reduced-speed vehicular traffic through a landscaped, European-inspired plaza, the designers explain.

The plaza would incorporate ground-level retail space, a cascading water feature and a two-story supermarket near Georgia Avenue. The design also includes an archway with residential space that would stretch over Planning Place.

The overall plan leaves room for a prospective office building at the corner of the Fenton Street extension and Cameron Street.

Thanks to SilverPlace LLC for the images.

Commentary: Driving in Circles

When SilverPlace LLC presented its European-modelled plaza at Thursday's planning board meeting, it gave the board some idea of what an urban area should be: accessible.

Specifically, the design included sidewalks and two-way vehicular access from Spring Street and Planning Place, plus the extension of Fenton Street into the proposed plaza. If it weren't for a speed-reducing "textured" road surface, the passages could be considered thru streets.

So it was surprising when Commissioner John Robinson tensed over the idea of cars rolling through the proposed mixed-use development. Ostensibly, his concern was the conceptual and literal collision of cars with pedestrians.

Unfortunately, Commissioner Robinson, other board members and even other developers are looking at urban planning through rosy, suburban glasses. Urban development should be at the inclusion of the surrounding neighborhood. Access to roadways, retailers and other amenities should be unencumbered, not enclosed within a citadel gone condo.

Without two-way auto traffic through the proposed development, the roadways become nothing more than glorified circular driveways. And it's the road to nowhere that intensifies gridlock and shrinks pedestrian traffic.

The board should look upon the Silver Place project as an opportunity to invigorate this small city, not to reduce it into another suburban subdivision.

Thank you, Lego, for making urban planning fun.

The Next Big Thing: The Fat Lady Sings

A tag team of developers would like to move the planning board a few doors down from Silver Place, a proposed mix-use development at Georgia Avenue and Spring Street.

Residential developer P.N. Hoffman and commercial developer Stonebridge Associates suggested the relocation to 8711 Georgia Ave near Cameron Street at Thursday's planning board meeting in Silver Spring.

The move, the developers said, would allow the planning board to settle into its new digs by 2009. The construction of a 13-story office building (above) has already been approved for that privately owned site.

While the board gets cozy, residential development would begin on the county-owned Silver Place site (below). Four-story apartment buildings would be constructed, including porch-lined townhouses along the Spring Street curvature. Most of the homes would be condominiums.

A private lawn set in the middle of the block would serve as a green roof for underground residential parking. Public space would consist of a paved plaza. Its development would require the partial deconstruction of an existing parking structure.

Vehicular access to the block's interior would be through the existing Planning Place and a proposed northward extension of Fenton Street. Pedestrians could reach Silver Place through a proposed path adjacent to the planning board's headquarters, as well as through sidewalks along vehicular access points.

A 90-foot office building with ground-level retail space would sit on the corner of Georgia Avenue and Spring Street. Developers said there would be enough retail space to contain a supermarket.

Thanks to P.N. Hoffman and Stonebridge Associates for the images.

Commentary: Just For Laughs

Here's a good joke:

A developer walks into a planning board meeting. He tells the board members that he can put them up in a new building with a tawny address and pretty landscaping. But there's a catch. The board has to give this developer a big plot of land that it owns down the block. On top of that, it has to pay rent at the developer's new building.

The board members scratch their heads. Redeveloping that plot of land would mean temporary displacement. They'd have to pay for interim office space and movers until redevelopment is completed. It could cost the board a lot of money!

On the other hand, the board could give up its land, move into the developer's new building and still have enough money for a new cappuccino machine. They could save a ton of dough!

The joke doesn't have a punchline yet. If the board chooses to stay on its land, then the joke is on the developer. How audaciously zany it is to believe that a public institution would surrender what it owns, only to move into a rental.

But if the board chooses to make the move because it's cheaper in the immediate future, then the joke is on the tax-paying public. Not only would the board--that is, the public--pay rent endlessly, but it would lose property to the development of townhouses and condos. In this case, the only one laughing is the developer.

The people deserve the last laugh.

Image courtesy of MusicDesktop.com.

Schwag Alert

The transit authority will distribute free bottles of hand sanitizer tomorrow at the Silver Spring Metro station. The first 1,000 riders out of the gate during the afternoon rush hour will receive one bottle plus information on how hand washing can prevent the spread of colds and the flu. Bus drivers will hand out another 2,000 bottles to riders who roll out of that station.

"Metro to Distribute Free Hand Sanitizer to Help Fight Flu" (Metro Transit Authority)
"Clean Hands Save Lives!" (Centers for Disease Control)

Welcome to Thunderdome

In case anyone missed the televised debate between Senate wannabes Ben Cardin (D), Michael Steele (R) and that other guy (?), here's how it all went down:

Cardin called Steele a lapdog drinking out of the White House toilet. Steele accused Cardin of jacking off in Congress for the last 20 years. Green party candidate Kevin Zeese whined, "Nobody loves me!" and tagged both Cardin and Steele as bitches to big business.

Neither the Washington Post nor the Washington Times could make enough sense out of the carnage to provide cohesive media coverage. Thank God for the Associated Press.

According to the AP, Cardin said he favors embryonic stem-cell research. Steele, not so much. Cardin voted down the war in Iraq. Steele would have lead the charge, though he admitted that the war now needs a different approach. Zeese tagged both of his opponents as bitches to big business.

Blood lust not satisfied? Catch NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday morning, when Steele and Cardin lose the third wheel and go mano-a-mano. Two men enter. One man leaves.

Image courtesy of MSNBC.

"Iraq, Stem Cell Research Topics at Second Md. Senate Debate" (Associated Press)
"Cardin, Steele Face Off in Contentious Debate" (Washington Post)
"Cardin, Steele Trade Barbs" (Washington Times)

Lessons in the Painfully Obvious

A retired school principal has gone back to teaching the basics, this time on the Internet, the Wall Street Journal writes.

Robert Jackson, of Silver Spring, teaches virtual students how to shower, care for one's teeth and clean a kitchen floor in a series of 5-minute joints posted on VideoJug.com, a site dedicated to instructional video. In his film, "How to Use the Shower," the 79-year-old offers these four nuggets of wisdom:

1. Shampoo the hair and especially around the ears to avoid itchiness.
2. Scrub between the buttocks to prevent hemorrhoids.
3. Soap the rest of the body.
4. Use a brush to clean beneath the fingernails.

Jackson provides more insight on his personal website, "You Should Have Told Me." There, the Harvard graduate describes the proper technique for hand washing, trimming nose hair and taking a shit.

"When you get to be 79, you've learned some things that other people don't know," Jackson tells the Wall Street Journal. Most of his tips are drawn from personal experience, with some web research to back him up, he says.

Image courtesy of VideoJug.com.

"Not Sure How to Tie a Tie?" (Wall Street Journal)
"How to Use the Shower" (VideoJug.com)
"You Should Have Told Me" (Robert Jackson)

Commentary: Saving Soylent Green

That synthetic, seizure-inducing green "lawn" on Fenton and Ellsworth streets had its detractors when it suddenly sprouted more than a year ago. But as the Washington Post's Marc Fisher points out, it's become a magnet for--well, everyone in the area. It's a backyard for thousands of apartment dwellers, an AstroTurf oasis (above).

Yet development marches on. Construction on the long-awaited civic center begins next spring, and there are no plans of retaining the green or replacing it with actual grass. Instead, the designs show a paved plaza and an ice rink. Gary Stith, director of the county's Silver Spring Regional Center, tells the Post that kids will love the new scene, and that it will have a "variety of activities, with a lot of landscaping" (below).

While an ice rink is a plus, the county should reconsider its complete elimination of Soylent Green. The community would be better served by an open lawn (either natural or artificial) than by a paved plaza. Try to picnic or make out on that kind of surface. Not comfortable.

Nothing can be gained by building one civic center at the expense of another.

Major props to Chiwiri for the pugs on Soylent Green. And thanks to Machado and Silvetti for the sketch of the new civic center.

"Silver Spring's 'Turf' Hangout a Dream Cut Too Short" (Washington Post)
"Silver Spring Town Center" (Machado and Silvetti)

Partly Cloudy, With a Chance of Protests

Two men were arrested Monday morning after parking themselves on a ledge at the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration building, the Washington Post reports.

Just after 8:00 a.m., the dudes used a ladder to climb a 25-foot-high ledge at NOAA's headquarters on East-West Highway near Colesville Road. Paul Burman, 23, and Ted Glick, 56, were protesting what they said was the Bush administration's efforts to downplay global warming.

Police officers used a cherry picker from a nearby construction site to pluck the guys from their perch. Burman and Glick were charged with disorderly conduct, reckless endangerment and trespassing.

Thanks to the Chesapeake Climate Action Network for the photo!

"Environmentalists Arrested on NOAA Ledge" (Washington Post)

The Early Bird

The Daily Penguin reports the news before it's news. Here's what's cooking in Silver Spring this week:

Tuesday: The county council decides whether Montgomery College can spend a $2 million grant on new furniture and tech gear for the King Street Art Center (above). The grant comes from the nonprofit Montgomery College Foundation, which will collect on the tab once the college sells its School of Art and Design property near Wheaton. The King Street center, under construction on Georgia Avenue at East-West Highway, will house the college's fine arts program and studio space.

Thursday: The county planning board gets a peek at its new digs when developers present their designs for Silver Place. The mixed-use development replaces the planning board's current home on Georgia Avenue at Spring Street and gives board members 120,000 square feet of leg room. The plan also contains housing, with at least 30 percent of the units categorized as "affordable."

No One Spits in the Freedom Fries!

A 28-year-old waiter and resident of The Blairs was arrested Wednesday for allegedly stealing credit card numbers, says the Montgomery County police department.

Investigators with the five-O and the US Secret Service claim that Dickson Mgeta Mkama, of the 1400 block of Blair Mill Road, shopped on credit card numbers he lifted while waiting tables at The Daily Grill in Bethesda. The cops also say that Mkama's Tanzanian-issued travel visa had expired, and that he used the identity of some guy in Massachusetts to get his restaurant gig.

Mkama has been charged with identity theft and using a bogus ID to obtain goods and services. More charges may be pending. He is currently kickin' it at the county detention center on $25,000 bond.

Thanks to Silver Spring Singular and Conversations With Mud for the lead!

"Police Make Arrest for Identity Theft" (Montgomery County Police)
"When the Secret Service Busts Your Neighbor..." (Conversations With Mud)
"Operation: Enduring Hangover" (The Daily Penguin)

Operation: Enduring Hangover

The US Secret Service raided one apartment at The Blairs complex early Wednesday morning, to the dismay of one inebriated neighbor, reports Silver Spring Singular.

The neighbor, who describes the raid on Conversations With Mud, was sleeping off a hangover after a Joan Jett concert when she says rancor erupted outside her apartment. When her friend opened the apartment door to investigate, law enforcement officers ordered her back inside. Shouts of "Police! Search warrant!" ensued.

Later that morning, the neighbor says she witnessed Secret Service agents removing document bins from an aparment down the hall occupied by "the creepy guy."

While The Daily Penguin cannot confirm the validity of this story, it is a good one. Feel free to speculate on the alleged crime involved.

"Silver Spring News 'n' Notes" (Silver Spring Singular)
"When the Secret Service Busts Your Neighbor..." (Conversations With Mud)

This Weekend

Halloween is less than two weeks away, so roll out the freaks and pumpkins.

This evening, the Washington Science Fiction Association opens its sixth annual Capclave literary science fiction convention at the Hilton Silver Spring (8727 Colesville Rd near Spring Street). Lectures include how-to's in terrascaping the universe, creating non-human characters and building a spacefaring civilization. The weirdness runs through Sunday afternoon.

For a touch of the tacky, AFI Silver Theatre (8633 Colesville Rd at Georgia Avenue) presents "Flesh for Frankenstein," Andy Warhol's dreadful yet deliciously campy take on reanimating the dead. The 1973 trash classic (trashic?) screens tonight and tomorrow night.

After the freakfest, stagger over to Boy Scout Troop 209's pumpkin patch at the Woodside United Methodist Church (8900 Georgia Ave at Ballard Street). The pumpkin patch operates this weekend and next, so score some gourd while you can.

Hazing Made Simple

Students at Montgomery Blair High School must now wear color-coded ID cards, and not everyone is happy, the Washington Post writes. Most of the gripes relate to penalties for not wearing the ID cards. Some also argue on the school's online newspaper that the IDs are a futile attempt to thwart armed, Columbine-like incursions. Others worry that color coding allows seniors to easily identify math geeks (maroon), science nerds (virgin white) and freshmen (red).

I can almost feel the wedgie.

"School Colors" (Washington Post)
"ID Policy Finalized" (Silver Chips Online)

Without a Home, But Not Without a Suspect

An early-morning fire caused heavy damage to the Rosemary Village apartments at 1901 East-West Hwy. near 16th Street, ABC 7 News and NBC 4 report.




The blaze started around 3:30 a.m. in the kitchen of a ground-floor apartment, though no one was home at the time. At least three families are receiving assistance from the Red Cross after being displaced from their apartments. No injuries were reported

The fire department's arson squad is investigating the cause. One man was arrested at the scene on an unrelated charge and is considered a person of interest, NBC 4 writes.

Thanks to NBC4.com for the photo.

"Fire Displaces Families in Silver Spring" (NBC 4)
"Fire in Silver Spring Leaves Several Families Homeless" (ABC 7 News)

Breaking Speed Limits for the Greater Good

Drivers who haul ass through Montgomery County may be caught on camera and ticketed before the end of the year, the Washington Post reports. Capt. Thomas Didone told the Post that the P.D. has enough funding for six stationary cameras at undetermined locations and six van-mounted mobile peepers. Drivers who blow the limit by 10 m.p.h. or more can expect a $40 ticket.

Cameras in and around downtown Silver Spring already provide photo ops for drivers who blow red lights, according to the county. Be sure to smile as you tear through these intersections:

• Northbound Colesville Road at Dale Drive
• Colesville Road at Fenton Street
• Southbound Georgia Avenue at Colesville Road
• Southbound Georgia Avenue at 16th Street

At $75 per snap shot, my tab with the cops could pay for the Purple Line. Add to that my anticipated appearances on speed-enforcement cameras, and I probably could pay for the Intercounty Connector, too.

"County Soon Will Issue Automated Speed Tickets" (Washington Post)

Priced to Move Out

Storehouse, the posh furniture shop on Georgia Avenue at Ellsworth Street, is calling it quits, the Washington Post reports. Its parent company filed for bankrupcy last month and couldn't find another company to take over the business. Everything is marked at a 30% discount and must be sold before the lights go out for good in December. There's no mention of what will occupy the soon-to-be-vacant retail space.

Can you say Krispy Kreme?

"Rowe Plans to Close Storehouse Outlets" (Washington Post)

If You Build It, They Will Come

The proposed development of 1200 East-West Hwy. cleared another hurdle this morning at a meeting of the county planning board. Members voted to approve Centex Homes' land-use plans for a 14-story, 247-unit apartment building on East-West Highway at Blair Mill Road. The approval nudges the project one step closer to receiving its construction permit. No word yet on when the requisite house-warming party or barbeque will be held.

Image courtesy of the planning board. Thanks, dudes!

Put Your Hands Together for ... Who?

Chuck Floyd and Robin Ficker are ready to roll all over Democrat Ike Leggett in the race for county executive. But who are these guys?

Floyd, the Republican candidate for county exec, writes on his website that "one of the most important things we can do to improve our air quality is to build more roads like the ICC." Ficker, running as an independent, demands on his website "fiscal responsibility for every dollar of taxpayer money spent."

Whatever. As the Washington Post points out, county Dems outnumber Republicans 2 to 1, and neither candidate has the cash or clout to beat those odds. Nonetheless, I'll give Floyd and Ficker their props. Running for public office is a tough gig, made tougher when there's absolutely no chance of winning.

Kudos to Floyd and Ficker, whoever they are.

"Executive Underdogs Crowd Into Spotlight" (Washington Post)

Disco Is Not Dead

Four turtle sculptures that have been hanging around downtown Silver Spring are heading back to the University of Maryland, the Silver Spring Scene reports. The four-and-a-half foot terrapins will reunite on campus with 46 other turtle sculptures one last time before being sold at auction, the university announces on Newswise.

However, the mirror-encrusted Disco Turtle on Colesville Road at Georgia Avenue isn't for sale. According to the university, Disco has been spared the auction block because its sponsor, the developer of the Downtown Silver Spring shopping area, has already dropped serious cash to keep it. Bidding on other sculptures starts at $500 to $1,000.

For those who are too cheap or too broke to bid, the university is giving away limited-edition turtle posters. There's also a free drawing for an iPod Nano. Give it up for the Terps!

"Fear The Turtle Sculpture Auction" (University of Maryland)
"Fear The Turtle Sculpture Poster Series" (University of Maryland)
"Win a 150th Anniversary iPod Nano" (University of Maryland)