One organization wants negotiations to resume between the county and the Birchmere nightclub.
“If only the parties would start talking again, the Birchmere can open in downtown Silver Spring,” read an email from the group Silver Spring Forward. The email, which made the rounds Tuesday, also encouraged recipients to drop MoCo exec Ike Leggett (D) an email in support of the nightclub’s expansion to Silver Spring.
“The Birchmere is a cultural crown jewel that would be a huge economic boost to the redevelopment effort and the downtown’s prestige,” the group’s website says. “Ike needs to hear loud and clear: We want the Birchmere in downtown Silver Spring as soon as possible.”
In July, Leggett declared negotiations with the Alexandria, Va.-based nightclub dead in the water. Negotiations got into dirty details three years ago, but in the last six months, the two parties couldn’t agree on business issues, Leggett explained in a letter to constituents
The exact snags were not spelled out. Earlier this month, state del. Tom Hucker (D-20) said club owners may have insisted on more space behind the venue, so that tour buses could maneuver easily.
However, concerns may have sprouted before then. In April, the county council pegged $2 million on how the club’s possible Silver Spring expansion 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.
Had the deal been sealed, the nightclub would have had one floor for cocktail tables and a stage, Hucker described. It also would have had a second-floor seating balcony overlooking the stage.
Hucker said he was surprised that more constituents hadn’t complained about the end of talks, given the neighborhood’s previous enthusiasm for the Birchmere’s expansion.
However, 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.
“I think it’s like the 9:30 Club,” Hucker said. “That would be cool.”
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I don’t really care so much who moves in, so much as that someone does. Downtown Silver Spring needs all the entertainment venues it can get – restaurants alone don’t cut it.
“cannibalize existing busineses?” Right, because Silver Spring really needs more of the weave salons, cell phone stores and suspect fast food venues that currently surround the proposed Birchmere location. We have a world class film and cultural center (the AFI) and a top rate local-run restaurant (Ray’s the Classics) and a terrific family run restaurant (DaMarco’s) situated amongst “businesses” that are otherwise a blight on the continued revitalization downtown Silver Spring . Shame on Leggett and the MCPB for letting one of the great local performance venues of the DC metro area slip out of Silver Spring’s grasp.
Let me throw out these questions:
Must the new venue be a Birchmere? If so, why?
If not the Birchmere, then what venue should it be?
1. No.
2. Not sure.
I agree with DMZ. Just get a live entertainment venue here. When talk of the Birchmere started, I think everyone was as excited about the name as they were the concept. The Birchmere deal got hosed. Deal with it.
RCN: Shame on Leggett and the MCPB? What about shame on the Birchmere folks for the issues Leggett spelled out in his letter to the community? The blame in this deal is not one-sided. Stop beating a dead horse and work to get *something* in that will benefit the community – Birchmere or not.
And what about the re-development of the entire block and the parking lot behind it? I keep reading that the Lee family has lots of plans up it’s sleeve for a large mixed use development in this space, but it’s only referred to in generic terms (hotel, office, retail, housing). I can only imagine they are waiting to see what pans out with the music venue before finalizing & announcing anything with the rest of the site. Anyone else have more info on this?
As a side note, once the site is redeveloped, surely a vinyl canopy contractor or two will be put out of business.
Thayer: Did we read the same letter? I didn’t see any reasons laid out in Leggett’s letter, only some vague comments about shared investment and tax issues buried under Legget’s praise of his own patience and interest in ensuring that his constitutents don’t get an even rawer deal on taxes then he’s already presided over. I didn’t see any discussion of the concrete issues of contention in Legget’s self-aggrandizing missive. The Birchmere, unlike many other potential venues, has a history and reputation that will attract top name talents that will only help downtown silver spring grow. With the exception of a few denizens, the block that would surround the Birchmere is a run down dump, a tragic misuse (or non-use) of viable real estate. I’d like to know what issues were so unworkable that Leggett and the MCPB couldn’t themselves “deal with it” as you suggest.
Woodsider wrote:
Thanks for your question. The Penguin will have an answer from Lee Developers tomorrow.
I just don’t see the draw and point of using the space for a country/bluegrass/folk music venue. It just doesn’t seem that appealing. It seems like everyone just wants to a.) get the area redeveloped and b.) say they have the Burchmere because it makes us look cultured.
I’m against accepting any option for the sake of redeveloping an area (See also: Condo overload, South Silver Spring).
Thanks Jennifer. Good luck getting them to say anything specific. All quotes to this point have been very vague about their intentions, other than they intend to redevelop the site.
Why is there this obssession with bringing the Birchmere to DTSS? If we can get a better venue than the Birchmere at a better financial cost, then why not go for it? My concern is that we will wind up with no venue and that would be unacceptable. I do hope that this venue issue is settled soon. Also, I cannot find one contact name on the Silver Spring Forward site. It makes one wonder who these individuals are and whether they have a financial interest in bringing the Birchmere to DTSS.
RCN: I was incorrect that the information was in the letter – my bad. Alternatively, as reported by Silver Spring Scene, among other places:
Perhaps that provides a more clear understanding of the situation behind Mr. Leggett’s “self-aggrandizing” ways. And it is not Leggett and the MCPB I referred to that couldn’t “deal with it.” It’s the people who insist that The Birchmere is the only viable choice as a live music venue in DTSS.
What details have we received from The Birchmere to tell their side of the story? I’d love to hear them.
I still think the Live Nation idea was good. The Birchmere seems a little too… family-friendly. There’s a lot of younger folks living in the area who’d appreciate something a bit more edgy, like the 9:30 Club.
Sure there are a lot of younger folks living in the area. So too are there lots of 50 and 60 somethings who’ll come in droves to a Birchmere-like venue. It would go a long way toward pushing DTSS over the hump.
With all due respect to the older generation, are 50 and 60 year olds the target age group that we want to bring to DTSS? We will be getting the ice rink that will cater to families. We already have the Majestic theater that caters to teenagers. What do we have to cater to the 20 and 30-yr olds that have and will continue to be the main purchasers of all these new condos going up in DTSS? We need an entertainment venue that will attract a younger crowd. I would like to see DTSS become more hip and not become a spot for hippies. The hippies already have Takoma Park.Let’s not make DTSS into another Takoma Park.
Yes, 50 and 60 year olds are part of the target group. Besides at the hardware store, they spend lots of money at the restaurants. Look around at who’s eating in the non-chains. Attracting spenders is an important part of sustaining DTSS. This isn’t about hippies. A look at who the Birchmere books shows a range of acts that draw many types of live music fans. I always felt the Birchmere would have put us over the top and am extremely disappointed we lost them.
I am a frequent patron of the non-chain restaurants and my experience has been that most of the patrons are in the 20 to 40 year old range. The Birchmere caters to an older audience. I would be interested in knowing what recent act played at the Birchmere that appealed to 20 and 30 year olds. The answer would be none. The key to bringing a new entertainment venue to DTSS is sustainability. I don’t believe that the Birchmere could survive for very long in DTSS. We need something like the 9:30 club. What image do we want people to associate Silver Spring with? A country and blue-grass music venue is not right for DTSS.
Classifying the Birchmere as as folk/country/bluegrass venue catering to 50-60 year-olds isn’t accurate at all. Yes, it caters to an older crowd, but I’d say 30s-40s. They don’t exactly feature cutting-edge indie acts, but they do feature older rock/blues/80s acts like George Thorogood, Peter Frampton, Robert Fripp, Nick Lowe, Buddy Guy, Johnny Winter, The English Beat, Billy Bragg and others. Henry Rollins is doing some spoken word stuff soon. That’ll draw a younger crowd. It may not be up your alley, but The Birchmere is much more than a hippie/folk/country venue.
I think people were pushing for The Birchmere because its known to be a locally-owned, quality venue and they’re just excited about having a decent live-music venue downtown. I know lots of people (myself included) that avoid the Birchmere in VA, just because of it’s location. I’ll bet people would flock to the Metro-friendly Silver Spring location.
And who knows – Maybe with 2 locations the Birchmere could branch out a little and book some more modern acts. That way they wouldn’t be directly competing with each other.
Downtown Silver Spring should have a couple of different music venues:
1. One for jazz and blues performers
2. Alternative/indie rock bands
Never in a million years will Montgomery County allow a Hip-Hop or Go-Go club in the Silver Spring area for public safety reasons.
We already have a venue for classical music at The Strathmore in Bethesda.
dumbek: A-freakin-men.
Also, folks, PLEASE stop saying we need a 9:30 Club in Silver Spring, and implying that LiveNation will fit that need. That’s like saying “You know what’s great? Ben’s Chili Bowl. Maybe McDonald’s can open a similar establishment in Silver Spring.”
Again, I love the 9:30, but we are but one metropolitan area–how many midsize rock venues can we have/do we need?
I’m still trying to keep an open mind and see where this leads, because any venue is better than no venue.
Chaz,
Think about the demographics. There is a huge population of 20 and 30-somethings in the DC Metro area. Sure, we have the 9:30 Club for bigger musical acts; The Black Cat and Rock & Roll Hotel for smaller indie performers. Silver Spring can support a small music club that caters to alternative rock artists at the national and local level. Of course, we are not talking about anything approaching the size of the proposed Birchmere site on Colesville Road. I am just noting that Silver Spring needs a better musical vibe. Right now, it’s a very bland family-oriented environment with chain restaurants and retail stores in downtown SS.
It would be really cool if there was a jazz/blues club in DTSS as well.
I agree with YuppieHater: Silver Spring is big enough — and diverse enough — to support plenty of music and entertainment venues.
However, the big question remains: Which venue — if any — deserves $8 million in public funds to open shop in Silver Spring?
Furthermore, exactly who determines which venue is worthy of that money?
Good Lord!! After reading the “Thayer Ave.” report on the Birchmere breakdown, I’m appalled that the county and state even entertained such a deal–even before Birchmere’s extravagant requests. Who do they we are over here? This is downtown Silver Spring–not Bagdad.
The county and state should rethink its entire approach to “attracting” a venue to the area. I don’t think it’s necessary to practically bribe someone to open a place here in DTSS. This is a potentially lucrative area for some entrepreneurs with the right business-sense. So, screw the Birchmere. I support Leggett, et al and their decision to hold the line on those gougers.
The Planning Board had nothing to do with this…they don’t negotiate deals with tenants. What the hell are you thinking?
Pennster: You’re correct. The planning board has nothing to do with who rents that space.
However, the venue was proposed as a public amenity for the Lee development project (to be erected behind the JC Penney facade). In this case, the planning board does have say in whether an entertainment venue fulfills the developer’s obligation to public-use space.
I and my wife, and our neighbors, are late 30’s, early 40’s somethings, and we are bitterly disappointed that the Birchmere deal fell through. The Birchmere in Virginia is not just a folk and bluegrass place; it also gets rock, which is what I was looking forward to in DTSS. I would love to also see a jazz and blues venue.
I like the 9:30 Club, and I suppose something like that could work in DTSS, but there are plenty of people in my age bracket who are more attracted to the bands which play the Birchmere than those who hit the 9:30.
What I am really sick of are the glorified fast food restaurants which dominate DTSS. We could use some good pubs (which could feature live music) and restaurants whose interior decor goes beyond having tables that are easy to wipe baby puke off of (as the City Paper once put it).
Lastly, do we really need another hair styling place?
McGinty’s pub on Ellsworth has exactly what you’re looking for, Springvale.
Foodie,
Thanks for the response. McGinty’s is okay, but being that it’s the only one of its kind in DTSS, it’s always really crowded. Besides, I don’t mind it, but my tastes run a little different from what it offers.
The fact that it’s on that hell called Ellsworth Drive doesn’t do much to help. Still, it’s a good start.
What we (I) really need is a gastropub, like the Standard Tap in Philly. Or a good belgian source–they just opened Granville Moore’s in DC, why can’t SS get some beer, mussels, and fries?
I agree with Chaz. SS needs some good brew pubs with great food. IMHO, a vegan foods brew pub would almost make up for the loss of the Birchmere (amost).
[...] a green light last summer to feed downtown’s economic redevelopment — to the dismay of those who wanted a smaller, gentler Birchmere club on the site, as well as those who wanted a second 9:30 [...]