The Silver Spring Penguin

A proposed change to county zoning laws could mean fewer pocket parks and more entertainment venues in Silver Spring’s central business district.

Currently, part of a development project’s footprint must be dedicated to public use, often as a park or other open-air space. Under the proposed change, developers would be allowed to create indoor entertainment venues instead, or drop some coin into an amenity fund.

The entertainment option would be available to projects in CBD-2 zones, Glenn Kreger, with the park and planning commission, told The Penguin. Such zones exist in the Ripley District, South Silver Spring and areas northwest of Colesville Road, according to Silver Spring’s sector plan.

According to the proposed zoning amendment, those entertainment venues could include joints for live music, dance or drama, or spaces for producing art, crafts, digital imagery or film. Museums, galleries, cultural arts centers, community rooms and recreation areas are also in the mix.

However, MoCo exec Ike Leggett (D) wants “audio programming” facilities to be included in the amendment’s definition of an entertainment venue. At a planning board meeting earlier this month, Silver Spring regional director Gary Stith said the broader definition could apply to one unnamed business that has expressed interest in moving to Silver Spring.

(Hint: It rhymes with Bational Nublic Tadio.)

Planning board chairman Royce Hanson was apprehensive about what an expanded definition would mean. “I can imagine it applying to a disk jockey program, or to me standing on the corner reading a list of speeches,” he told his colleagues.

There was also the matter of who would give the final thumbs up on proposed venues. Should the planning board get first swing on a proposal, with a final nod from the county exec? Or should the county exec get the first whack at it?

“I don’t think it matters,” planning commish Gene Lynch argued. “As soon as we set up a structure, we’ll come across a circumstance that won’t fit that structure. Why create a problem?”

The county council’s economic development committee was scheduled to discuss the zoning amendment before Thanksgiving. However, that meeting was postponed; rescheduling has not been announced.

Updated Nov 29, 2007, at 10:00 a.m.