Comments on: Council members favor Wayne Avenue library

By: marktheworld

marktheworld — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 19:11:53 +0000

Tough issue. I am glad MoCo is considerate of people with disabilities, and appreciate the incorporation of such concerns into the design process. On the other hand, I hope a central aspect of the planning commission is to create a vibrant street life, which means that people need to be on the street. On the whole, I would say that, given the large elevators in the Wayne Ave garage and that the library itself will (I assume) be mobility friendly, ditch the walkway. (Jane Jacobs, I hope, would agree.) At least the commission picked one of the better designs, where the library will be on Wayne, as opposed to being on Fenton. To me, just makes sense this way.

By: Mimi

Mimi — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 05:17:26 +0000

As a mother of a small child and a lover of urban streetscapes, I object to my “needs” being cited as a reason for a pedestrian bridge. No, thank you. I cross busy streets daily with my kiddo. I don’t need a bridge. What I need is a safe, vibrant, walkable street-level experience.

Now, I would never cross Wayne at a mid-street crosswalk if there weren’t a stoplight involved (like the one at Ellsworth and Georgia). But why not just make the Fenton/Wayne intersection more pedestrian friendly? They could put in a “scramble” crossing, where car traffic is stopped in ALL directions for peds to cross in any direction. That way peds don’t have to worry about lunatic left-turners or right-on-red speed demons, etc.

In any case, surely a great street-level solution can be created for a small portion of the $684,000+ the bridge would cost.

By: Thomas Hardman

Thomas Hardman — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 00:37:46 +0000

Funneling people directly from parking into a sort of elevated back-door to the library might make it easier for people with limited mobility, but the library shouldn’t be just a destination with the able walkers forced to accomodate the lowest common denominator.

The library should be a part of a continuum, and in non-nasty weather it ought to be able to intergrade/integrate almost seamlessly with exterior spaces and external street and civic culture. Giving a primary focus to an entrance facing onto public space is an absolute necessity.

By: Thayer-D

Thayer-D — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 20:24:06 +0000

I saw another view of the winning proposal, and it’s not that bad actually. Here is the link; http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=1469
Even though I supported the 6b proposal, this one has many things going for it. For starters, the public space will be facing the sun, oriented towards Fenton Village, and has the biggest foot print, so therefore has the best chance of being a succesfull space.
It provides an entrance into the library that can be oriented towards the public space rather than under the overhand with tracks running in front of it. Also, it could be added to on the top if the county puts some miscellaneous office floors above like 6b had.
Lastly, it has the county’s blessing.

By: lynn

lynn — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 20:08:49 +0000

Since members of the council aren’t sold on the pedestrian bridge, why did they support the 1C development? Why not go for the building that suits the community aesthetically (and allows for more growth for the library in the future)? Jon Laurie said in the meeting that the extra residential parking didn’t HAVE to go under the library, that it could extend under the plaza. There is no real need for the parking under 6b to be as extensive as Dise is insisting that is must be. Also interesting that the planning board supports the option that was more popular with the community.

By: laura

laura — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 15:55:39 +0000

There’s already a bridge from that parking garage to one of the adjacent buildings, so I’m not sure why that’d be a problem. (Not that I’m in favor of one – can’t imagine it’d look anything but stupid.)

By: Glenn Kreger

Glenn Kreger — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 14:07:14 +0000

It is the Silver Spring Urban Renewal Plan– not the Silver Spring CBD Sector Plan– that prohibits a pedestrian bridge over Wayne Avenue. Both documents were approved by the County Council. Wayne Avenue and the garage are clearly within the Urban Renewal area.

Editor’s note: Glenn Kreger is division chief for the community planning division, MoCo planning department. — JD (Dec 5, 2008)

By: Woodside Park Bob

Woodside Park Bob — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 12:05:01 +0000

A bridge between the parking garage and the library is a good idea given the age mix of the people using the library. Traffic on Wayne already makes crossing difficult for some people, and it will only get worse when Purple Line trains are add to the congestion and the dangers of crossing Wayne.

By the way, there is precedent for pedestrian bridges in downtown Silver Spring. A bridge will be built over Cameron Street near Spring Street to connect two United Therapeutics buildings, one of which is currently under construction.