The Silver Spring Penguin

In a unanimous decision, the Silver Spring citizens advisory board voted Monday night to support a pavilion, an ice rink and more grass for downtown’s Veterans Plaza.

Board members said their decision was based on input from residents who attended a community meeting on the plaza’s design two weeks ago.

“The clear conclusion that we can draw is that the people we spoke to at the meeting supported the pavilion, the rink and more green space,” board member Alan Bowser told his colleagues during their monthly meeting.

In a letter to the county’s planning board, the advisory board said the plaza on Ellsworth Drive at Fenton Street would be “an exciting ‘livingroom’ for Silver Spring and [would] become the focal point of the community’s civic life.”

The letter also asked the planning board to review the project’s plans soon, “not when people are on vacation, not in the middle of July,” Bowser said. This would give more residents the opportunity to share their opinions with the planning board, he explained.

Chairperson Debbie Spielberg emphasized the board’s support was for grassy — not green — space. The distinction, she said, placed the focus on natural grass instead of artificial turf.

For nearly two years, a carpet of artificial turf has covered the lot on which the plaza will be built. To the county’s surprise, the turf became a popular spot for picnicking and other leisure activities. Its success prompted the planning department to encourage the addition of more green space into the plaza’s design.

However, some residents worry that additional green space would be added to the exclusion of a proposed ice rink and pavilion. Critics also feel that changes to the plaza’s design would disrupt its architectural appeal.

A hearing before the planning board is scheduled tentatively for late June, regional director Gary Stith told the board.