Southern supermarket chain Harris Teeter wants in on downtown Silver Spring’s consumer action, but only if it can find a retail space big enough to house one of its stores, one developer claimed.
Don Hague, whose company wants to redevelop the northern end of the Falkland Chase apartment complex, told Silver Spring’s urban-district advisory committee Thursday that Harris Teeter execs are “very committed” to opening a store in downtown Silver Spring.
“They wanted 50,000 square feet [of retail space] and 200 parking spaces,” Hague explained to the committee. Under a previously proposed design, the redeveloped section of Falkland Chase would have accommodated such a store.
The developer — New York-based Home Properties — and big boys at The Teet even had a draft lease, Hague said. But pressure from preservationists, the county planning board, affordable-housing advocates, the economy and anyone else you can name prompted Home Properties to scale down the design, and shrink the retail space in the process.
Despite that, Teet execs still want in on downtown Silver Spring, Hague said. The crappy housing market has steered Harris Teeter away from vacant suburban developments, and pointed them directly at populated urban areas, he explained.
“If we can still get them 50,000 square feet, Harris Teeter will come,” Hague said.
Of course, that’s if Home Properties can move forward with its redevelopment plans. Area preservationists have long argued that the Falkland Chase apartment complex, which straddles the intersection of 16th Street and East-West Highway, should be spared the wrecking ball as an example of New-Deal garden-style apartments.
There’s also the matter of booting 182 households currently occupying apartments on the northern parcel.
“Do you really think it’s good public policy to displace middle-income households to get more affordable housing?” Mary Reardon, with the Silver Spring Historical Society, told the advisory committee. “For more affordable units, we’re giving up an historic building.”
Ernest Bland, an East Silver Spring architect and member of the advisory committee, agreed. “We’re losing more and more nice things about Silver Spring, and I put Falkland Chase in there,” he told his colleagues.
Bland also sweated how the increased human density would strain infrastructure and traffic flow along East-West Highway. The proposed redevelopment jacks the number of apartments on Falkland Chase’s north parcel from 182 to more than 1,000 units, Hague said.
Ain’t nobody building nothing on the northern parcel until the county council settles the preservation issue. They could declare all, some or none of Falkland Chase’s three sections eligible for historic preservation.
The county council looks that salty dog in the eye in mid March.
Photos courtesy of the Harris Teeter Co.
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It is amazing that self-named “the Silver Spring Historical Society” (with what, maybe four members?) is quoted as such an authority. Anyone have any real data indicating the support for redevelopment in Falkland Chase? Bringing density to urbanizing areas at metro sites, creating community, decreasing need for cars, rather than continuing development in an unsustainable way. Oh and by the way brining in a desperately needed grocery store?
“… a desperately needed grocery store”??? Are you kidding? This isn’t Southeast. Giant is walking distance away, and Whole Foods isn’t that far. Let’s not get carried away here.
Giant isn’t awful anymore since they’re renovation, but it certainly isn’t great either…their selection is about as runof the mill as you can get. Silver Spring has a dearth of good grocery stores and the beauty of a Harris Teeter is that they combine the daily needs stuff like Giant with the specialty products & ready-to-eat selection of a Whole Foods. If only MoCo would allow beer & wine sales in grocery stores, then we would have what (nearly) the rest of the country enjoys.
Here is an update on Falkland North: In December the Planning Board adopted a resolution to recommend that the South and West Parcels of the property be designated historic but not the North Parcel (where Harris Teeter would locate). In January, Ike Leggett endorsed the recommendation in a memo to the County Council and the Council is holding a public hearing on March 10 at 7:30pm.
Also, there is a connection between the Purple Line and the redevelopment. If redevelopment is approved, the owner will contribute land behind Falkland North for Purple Line right-of-way. Without approval, the land will have to be purchased from the owner which will cause delay. They also recently launched a website http://www.falklandnorth.com with more information.
Editor’s note: Thanks for the info, Kris! — JD (Feb 24, 2009)
I have the perfect spot for Teets. It’s called City Place.
I’m so torn… my list of complaints about Giant is loooong. The company that runs the whole comples doesn’t police their residents’ use of parking that is CLEARLY posted for retail use only – and that has gotten worse and worse lately, they really need to get that under control or they’re seriously going to lose customers because they can’t find parking. The selection is really nothing special at all. The fresh stuff is a bit better than safeway, but still nothing outstanding. I love the idea of the new self scan, but they NEED to have checkouts dedicated to them. If I’m going to take longer doing my shopping because I have to weight and scan everything as I go I sure as heck better not have to THEN stand in line behind the dude who can’t figure out how to use the produce lookup at the register.
All that being said.. we like trying out different grocery stores, so if we’re going to be somewhere anyway we’ll bring the bags with us and go someplace new. I’ve been to a few different harris teeters and the result is ALWAYS the same… the trip that would have been $80 at giant is reliably over $100… I guess that’s just the cost of quality.
Point being.. I’d definitely shop there occassionally, to avoid the parking lot cluster at giant or to get specific items, but I don’t think I’d switch over completely.
Hey, Jim, that part of Silver Spring is stuffed with big buildings. Falkland Chase provides a precious patch of green. I’ve seen hi-rises work well near parkland, such as Sligo Creek Park and Rock Creek Park. They can be placed in the hollows and blend in with the landscape, and the residents can look out into trees. But Silver Spring has enough hi-rises. And we do not need a Harris Teeter. The Giant is better, so is Safeway. Also, both deliver groceries, a convenience that is very rare in the USA.
For those who can drive or carpool, the Giant on Arliss is great. I can find items there, for a reasonable price, that Safeway lacks. Also in the Falkland area is that outpost of the Takoma Park/Silver Spring Coop.
There really are two issues being discussed (and conflated) here: (1) Whether SS needs–or could benefit from–another grocery store; and, (2) whether Falkland North is a historic site worthy of retention and protection. I believe that many in support of the former are willing to give up the latter if only to bring better shopping options to the city. This seems rather shortsighted to me, as there seems like there are countless places one could put a Harris Teeter in Silver Spring without taking out Falkland Chase.
I live up E-W from the proposed site and must admit that I have numerous qualms with the proposal to build high density dwellings and an anchor grocery there. Primarily, these relate to the completely inadequate infrastructure surrounding the facility that would dramatically impact my quality of life. Unless addressed better than it has been to date, traffic on 16th and E-W, already problematic, would become a nightmare.
I also admit that I was concerned about the precedent that moving forward on this project would set for Falkland West, as this section of the apartments abuts our property. High rise apartments directly adjacent to our garden-style condos would certainly have a negative impact on our quality of life and property value.
At this time, I’ll admit that I rather selfishly support the effort to grant protection to Falkland North only because it seems to be the only viable option left to me for protecting what I see as my own self interest. However, if protection is granted to Falkland West, and the traffic concerns are better addressed, there’s a lot to like about the Falkland North development: it brings a grocery store, the Purple Line, and a healthy number of people (consumers) that could provide a stronger base for more–and better–retail options in SS.
The Purple Line is a rezoning gimmick, not a path to better transportation. As long as incomes are flat or falling, and jobs feel shaky, “more and better retail options” seem unlikely. People can only buy so much stuff. I, personally, do not see a need for more stores. More coffee shops, maybe, but not more stores.
I predict more open retail spaces will open up in existing buildings as businesses lose the struggle to survive.
Classes, day care for both children and adults, fitness, affordable meetings space for nonprofits, rehearsal space for performing artists are all possibilities.
I dunno, I’d like to see more stores of things we don’t have now. Like when Living Ruff opened, it filled a need that was previously unmet. Had another coffee shop gone there, it would have simply given another choice in an already large coffee market. I like coffee, but between Starbucks, Maygora, Highland, Caribou, Kefa, and even the Seattle’s Best in Boarders, I think the market is doing pretty well.
I agree that we should take advantage of some of the existing space however, before creating new space. There are alot of vacant store fronts in DTSS and on Georgia in the Ripley District.
I’m as pro-development as one can get but ironically, I do not support the Harris Teeter store. I am of the same mentality as Paul – that Harris Teeter is one of those stores that turns an $80 trip into a $100 one. I do not see any reason why I would go there over Whole Foods, especially when Whole Foods would be much easier to get to, even with the parking lot of damnation.
Harris Teeters location is going to be in an area that is already absurdly congested – why we are redeveloping this area when so much unused retail remains on Georgia is baffling to me. If this is built in this location you will see a gridlock of traffic from Chevy Chase and Bethesa on East West Highway all day Sat and Sunday.
I’d love to see the Harris Teeter go in the middle of Fenton Village or the Ripley District, too. I can see, though, how those locations wouldn’t make sense for them now–there is not a concentration of people living in either area. In any urban development, parking will be restricted so the only way to capture additional revenue will be through pedestrians. The Falkland Chase site is (one of several) that are in the center of pedestrian intense areas.
Also, for those who don’t remember (or know), the Harris Teeter was originally going to be in the new Veridian Apartments building near East-West Highway and Georgia, but the deal fell through.
I didn’t know the Harris Teeter was originally going into the Veridian. DC has lots of neighborhoods that are begging for grocery stores, why doesn’t HT check out some of those? Come to think of it, maybe the Coop should expand into DC. It’s stores are small, with healthy food, much of it locally produced. Smaller stores, preserving the housing and trees we have now, better than the big-box whomp!
A Harris Teeter would be perfect in the Ripley district. I don’t think the historical society would have any objections…there’s nothing to preserve there. Plus, there’s no residents there (at least not yet until Midtown Silver Spring apartments gets going) so no one can complain about traffic or trucks bringing daily shipments of food. Plus, It’s centrally located and would bring revitalization to the area.