ROCKVILLE — Despite objections, the county council on Tuesday approved a $2 million appropriation for the future Fillmore music hall on Colesville Road.
“This project will help the successful redevelopment of Silver Spring,” council member Phil Andrews (D-Dist 3) told his colleagues during their weekly meeting. “I haven’t heard anything in the last few weeks to persuade me that it’s not a good deal.
“The decision to move forward with funding follows two weeks of hesitation from the council’s economic-development committee. Members initially rejected the appropriation, saying they wanted the project to clear zoning hurdles first. Then on Thursday, committee members gave the appropriation a thumbs up because they didn’t want to dissuade the state from doling out matching funds.
“I’m not inclined to say yes [to the appropriation], but I don’t want to say no to state money,” at-large council member Marc Elrich admitted before abstaining from the full council vote.
Council member Roger Berliner remained skeptical about the Fillmore’s ability to revive the north side of Colesville Road in downtown Silver Spring. The District 1 Dem argued that 150 events annually at the 2,000-seat venue would not be enough to sustain neighboring businesses.
“The people of Silver Spring who are looking for economic vitality on that side of the street aren’t going to find it with a venue that big,” Berliner said. “It isn’t going to work five days a week.”
Berliner also worried about cost overruns during the venue’s construction. According to the lease between the county and venue operator Live Nation, public funds will be capped at $8 million. Live Nation picks up the tab for costs beyond that.
However, cost overruns will be credited over time to Live Nation’s $7,500 monthly rent, explained Diane Schwartz Jones, an assistant chief administrative officer for the county executive’s office. The maneuver minimizes the county’s risk of paying for cost overruns, she added.
Despite the devilish details, at-large council member George Leventhal said he was willing to roll with this deal. “If this council votes down Live Nation, it will have a negative ripple effect for Silver Spring,” he told his colleagues.
“People are feeling anxious. The mood is bad in this economic environment,” Leventhal added. “But I don’t think it would be responsible to walk away from this opportunity.”
The $2 million appropriation adds to the $4 million in state and county cash already in play. The deal now awaits a $2 million bond bill from Annapolis, as well as tweaks to existing county zoning laws.
Photo: A banner announces the future home of The Fillmore at the former JC Penney site on Colesville Road.
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Boxed wines and rosés are back in vogue. Just ask The Penguin's sommeliers.
Maybe now you can start posting the Smiling Ike Legget photos again. Honestly, he has been looking more and more haggard as this thing draws on.
Totally off topic, but we have bad news for downtown Silver Spring. National Public Radio will remain in DC. Crap!
I am sure The Penguin is all over this one.
We need to dedicate this money to the desparate needs of Strathmore Music Hall, Montgomery County’s home for the performing arts. Arts funding has already been spent in Silver Spring with their lush AFI while Strathmore languishes.
The Strathmore Music Hall is geared to the same demegrapics as the much beloved & failed Birchmere. It has become obvious (as a patron & paid member of AFI Silver), that the highbrow crowd, doesn’t spend, yet wants to regulate local entertainment. Now (e) is attacking the AFI which appeals to everyone, and is class entertainment! I am working class, yet I can find the money each year to up-grade my membership, and the AFI continues to impress me on it’s quality. If AFI needs to be subsized, if Strathmore needs to be subsized, then why bitch about the Birchmore which you will also not patronize? Young people spend more than middle aged adults. The Fillmore could pay to keep the Strathmore & AFI in existence… but then there will be noise downtown, at midnight… and if a tree falls in the forest…
Um, didn’t they just open that 2,000 Music Center at Strathmore 3 years ago? I would hardly call that languishing. Likewise, the Fillmore is going to add to the growth of downtown Silver Spring, an emerging area in MoCo. Last I checked the Georgetown Prep corridor of 355 was doing just fine.
You might find more pro-Strathmore support at northbethesdapenguin-dot-com
Editor’s note: Must EVERYONE have a penguin?!? — JD (Mar 10, 2008)
um, i think e was being sarcastic. It’s too silly a statement to be serious, right e?
e – you are clearly not serious and just throwing out flame bait. I’ve been Strathmore 3 times in the past year and all 3 times thinking it was an “okay” evening — what it really needs to do is expand its offerings to a wider range of folks and have better promo/prices.
Alas, sarcasm doesn’t translate digitally. Therefore, I must take what “e” says literally.
Also, there are plenty of trolls out there — people who post comments with the intention of getting a rise out of someone. Some trolls are just assholes, but some raise interesting points.
All I can ask is that you play nice, take no personal swipes, and post nothing anonymously.