After five years of negotiations, MoCo exec Ike Leggett (D) says it’s time to find a deal better than the Birchmere’s.
“My responsibility is to make sure that county taxpayers get the best return on the projected $8 million county/state public investment,” Leggett said in a press statement issued Monday.
“Any agreement has to be in the best interests of county taxpayers — not an agreement at any price or under any terms,” he added.
Contract negotiations between the county and the nightclub’s owners got into dirty details three years ago. But in the last six months, the two parties couldn’t agree on business issues, the statement explained.
The exact issues are not spelled out. However, in April, the county council pegged $2 million on how the Birchmere would affect the local economy and traffic, as well as how much rental income it would bring in.
Before that, the county planning board worried that the club would cannibalize existing businesses, or discourage other businesses from moving into the neighborhood.
Whatever the issues were, Leggett said negotiations were put on hold so that the county could shop around. In response, the Birchmere’s owners called it quits, he said.
“The county … has bent over backwards to make this work,” Leggett stated. However, “any partnership worth its salt requires shared investment and shared risk between the public and private sectors.”
Leggett assured that an entertainment venue would be built on the former JC Penney site on Colesville Road. According to the Washington Post, a 2,000- seat Live Nation venue could move in.
“It’s time to move on,” Leggett concluded.
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Hopefully it won’t take too long to get a new venue. I’m all for Live Nation filling the void left by the Birchmere but, as the Birchmere discussions have shown, we should be looking at other potential venues in the event that the discussions with Live Nation fall through.
The Birchmere was trying to fleece the Montgomery County taxpayers. Enough was enough. Lets move on and get a great music venue in that spot.
I’ve said this before… is there really such a lack of LOCAL investors interested in a multi-million dollar bump from the county? Do we REALLY need to be bringing ANOTHER clear-channel (i.e. LiveNation) venue into the world? Not that I’m anti-big business just for the sake of it – but I do think that a smaller investor would be more willing to bring in the smaller more interesting acts instead of just the ones that bring in the big bux….
Thanks for your comments, Paul.
I think the county would rather have a big name at the JC Penney site. They’ve already spent tons of money on DTSS. They don’t want a local venue — and the higher risk of having to subsidize it — in that location.
However, I do agree that this town needs an independent music and theater scene. Perhaps that could go down Georgia Ave. For example, the condemned pawn shop on Georgia at Ripley is big enough to make a freakin’ awesome nightclub space.
I just hope that development on Georgia doesn’t squeeze out opportunities for local venues.
Let’s put — and keep — the arts and entertainment in this “arts and entertainment” district.
Someday, if the BlackCat has to vacate the 14th Street address in DC, I would welcome the club in Silver Spring. We need an independent music scene badly.
Silver Spring has a sizeable community of western Africans from places like Ghana, Cameroon, Nigeria and other countries. It would be great if a venue catered to music and art from that part of the world. Ditto for Ethiopian culture.
“It would be great if a venue catered to music and art from that part of the world (W. Africa).”
That’s a great idea (but I think we need a big mainstream yuppie venue also). BTW: there’s a pretty good African group that plays @ Mayorga on Thursdays (I think).
Here’s a fact about Silver Spring that people need to figure out–fast: This “town” is far too diverse to have any kind of music venue, shopping mall, or public space which can somehow be all things to all people. Let’s face it.
Silver Spring is a marketing executive’s nightmare. Is it upscale? Is it downscale? Is it black, white, Latino? It’s all those things, and more–which makes it a particularly hard sell for companies looking to locate here. The corporations that own these stores and venues are all trying to figure out what Silver Spring’s selling point is. These guys like monolithic consumer segments–and not necessarily rich ones either. They simply want consumers they can easily define. Anyway, I’m sure that’s a big struggle for companies (especially retailers) looking at the area. Same goes for small businesses and entertainment venues. So, all the people making demands about what this new music venue should be… Bear that in mind.
Besides, let’s not pretend that Silver Spring is a melting pot. It’s more of a “salad bowl”. People stay in their respective groups for the most part–Ethiopians with Ethiopians; Nigerias with Nigerians; white Americans with white Americans; and black Americans etc. etc…. That seems to be the way people like it. (Largely.) So, why should we expect a new music venue to change that? I say, someone should open up a West African dance place somewhere else in Silver Spring. Likewise for a Black Cat-sort of place. And so on. Let a thousand flowers bloom!
***(By the way, all the Hippies who cry about wanting the diversity of the area to be represented seem somewhat hypocritical arguing for African music to be a big presence–while ignoring that there are more African-Americans (and others) in the area who listen to hip-hop. But, are you yelling and stomping for a hip-hop club on Colesville Road? Oh, no… I don’t necessarily want one, either. But I’m just pointing out the insincerity of the Yuppie-haters.)
Editor’s note: This comment has been deleted. (Aug 6, 2007)
Wow … it take so little to offend these days. My posting was no more ‘offensive’ than any letter to the editor printed in the Washington Post. Oh well, I guess that’s why this is a blog and not anything more.
Editor’s note: While The Penguin welcomes opinions on public issues, it does not accept personal swipes, which is what your earlier post was. Take your gripes with Yuppie Hater somewhere else, maybe to the Washington Post. See if they publish it. — JD (Aug 7, 2006)
My post was unusually tame in this thread. I guess someone doesn’t like the Black Cat. Geez.
Feel free to take swipes at me at the other friendly Silver Spring blogs.
[...] talks with the Birchmere were officially declared dead this summer, the county began to play the field in earnest. There was one caveat to any deal: The [...]
[...] vice president for administrative affairs. Talks between the county and the Birchmere bit the dust in [...]