Negotiations to bring the Birchmere music hall to downtown Silver Spring may or may not have stalled, depending on whom you ask.
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According to The Gazette, a July 19 letter from the county told Birchmere owners that the deal was dead in the water. In fact, the county was already playing the field, county spokesperson Patrick Lacefield said.
‘‘We’re looking to see if we can get something that would be of greater economic benefit to the Silver Spring area, something that, in terms of the money spent, jobs created and the economic impact, would be better than what we were talking about with the Birchmere,” Lacefield told The Gazette.
However, Birchmere owner Gary Oelze believed that negotiations were still alive and kicking, The Gazette reports.
Both the state and county have pegged a combined $4 million to bring a Birchmere expansion to the former JC Penney site on Colesville Road. However, the expansion’s economic impact on downtown Silver Spring has been the focus of scrutiny for some time.
In April, the county council threw $2 million into the budget for the Birchmere. However, the money was contingent on the club’s potential effect on the local economy and traffic, as well as potential income that the county could derive from monthly rents.
Prior to that, the county planning board worried that the Birchmere would cannibalize existing businesses, or discourage other businesses from moving into the neighborhood.
“We need to be prepared to extend [financial incentives] to other businesses,” planning commissioner Allison Bryant said in January.
Silver Spring Forward, which advocates for the club’s expansion into Silver Spring, told The Gazette it would wait for the dust to settle before commenting. Bruce Lee, whose company owns the Colesville Road property, was equally tight lipped.
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Another venue!
Thanks, Sarah. Any suggestions?
DC’s Blues Alley could be looking for new digs, says Eric of the blog Thayer Avenue. Would that club work in downtown Silver Spring?
Or perhaps a club that features rock or hip hop, like 9:30 or the Black Cat?
They should put a comedy club on that site. Maybe something similar to the upright citizen’s brigade theater in NY (http://www.ucbtheatre.com/ny/). The UCB theater has very good comedy acts at reasonable prices.
What the hell are they going to cannibalize!??! Austin Grill?? What other destination music venues do we have? Quarry House does a great job, but I don’t see it and Birchmere competing…quite the opposite, they’d complement each other. Every two-bit chain restaurant in the area should be begging for the Birchmere since it would bring more business to everyone. Damn, does anyone really think folks will travel from up county or DC for Macaroni Grill (even though I know Penguin seems to love the place, which is baffling)? This is so much bullshit and shows how out of touch with reality the county beuracrats are…same bunch of assholes who wanted to jack up the parking fees. Maybe they figure Disney will open a ride in the space.
p.s. yes, I know my spelling sucks…too much reliance on spellcheckers, and a misspent youth.
Thanks for your comment, Terry. You wrote:
Can the same be said for any venue that opens in that location? Or does the Birchmere hold a certain allure?
It should be a venue with an established track record, a national reputation, and the ability to appeal to numerous demographic groups. This will alow them to fill a 600-750 seat space. Plus, the Birchmere is a music hall for all ages, which would fit with the family-friendly atmosphere most seem to want. Check out their site at http://www.birchmere.com/index.cfm.
Meh – we have enough family-friendly options in downtown SS. I could really go for something like the 9:30 Club or the Black Cat, like Jennifer suggested. Could be the county doesn’t want that particular crowd, of course, but it would be more to my taste.
Amen to David’s comment!! Enough with the family-friendly venues. We are already getting the ice-rink which I know we will regret having in a few years. Downtown Silver Spring is turning to an urban environment. Let’s get a venue that can meld into the urban landscape. The Birchmere is the wrong venue to have in downtown Silver Spring. We can do better. Let’s use our $4 million dollars that the county and the state were going to throw at the Birchmere and get something that is more appropriate and can thrive in downtown Silver Spring.
While I certainly see the merit in the comments from David and WeCanDoBetter, I really can’t see MoCo and the state ponying up $4 mil for a 9:30-like club. For what should be one of the most liberal/progressive counties in the nation, there are just too damn many conservative oriented people in deceison making capacities. Plus, from what I’ve read, it doesn’t appear that ANY music oriented venue will meet the rather hazy comment from Lacefield regarding “greater economic impact.” Maybe he’s dreaming of a Wal-Mart…
Just wanted to clarify something …
The state and county were asked to spend a total $8 million to bring the Birchmere to Silver Spring.
The first $4 million was to drop this year ($2 million each from the state and county). The remaining $4 million (again, $2 million each) would have hit next year.
Terry –
agree with everything you said up to the Quary House – went there once and it smelled like crap in there.
Bring me the 9:30 club or the DC Improv – I am sick of the child friendly fare, clubs, good independent food chains – Jaleo, Grill from Ipanema, SOMETHING! Besides Ray’s every other choice downtown is a bunch of crappy food.
Uh, the 9:30 Club is in a class by itself. A 9:30-type venue in SS would not survive, unless 9:30 itself went out of business–it’s like 5 miles away. I’m a little surprised the Birchmere folks think they won’t cannibalize their own market with the current Birchmere.
A smaller, Velvet Lounge- or even Iota-style rock venue or a small jazz club might do well in SS (and I’d welcome it), but I think that JC Penney space is too large for that.
The Birchmere is a good fit. The county is being shortsighted if they don’t see what a magnet it could be aside from the service jobs it will directly create and rent it may generate. Right now that site generates jack!!
More than the type of venue that will eventually occupy the space, I’m now concerned about the process. Neither party seems able to agree on what went wrong, or what the differences were, based on the little info that’s come out. Now the developers are talking about a 10,000 sq ft stand-up nightclub, but no names released. What’s to say that whoever these new folks are, the same thing won’t happen to them.
Maybe I’m just a conspiracy nut, but something seems fishy. At one point everyone’s applauding the deal, next thing you hear they can’t agree. Hopefully more details will come out soon…I for one will be asking my council rep for more info.
Silver Spring Singular suggests a high-end bowling alley like Lucky Strike or Strike Bethesda. I’ve been to Lucky Strike in Chinatown for a company sponmsored event and had a blast. They even had live music space. I just hope the county doesn’t screw the next deal up.
I have contacted Bruce Lee, whose company owns the JC Penney site, to inquire about alternative development plans.
These plans may or may not involve a stand-up comedy club, as the Washington Business Journal writes. (The article cites the Birchmere as its source for this info.)