Agreed. Since moving to downtown Silver Spring, I've been astonished by the preponderance of parking garages, several of which are completely unnecessary. The public garage across the street from my apartment building, the Spring-Colesville garage, has been closed for several years due to structural issues (the ground level remains open) and is supposedly being renovated, although I haven't seen anyone working on it for at least 8 months. However, when planning this supposed renovation, the county found that all of the parking in this garage could be absorbed by the other 2 garages within 2 blocks. This garage sits on a prime piece of property in downtown Silver Spring. Why the county would spend money renovating an unnecessary (and hideous) parking garage is beyond me, especially when that parcel could be sold and redeveloped into something that is a much higher and better use of the land. At the very least they could demolish the garage and create some green space, something that is sorely needed in downtown Silver Spring.

by Rebecca on Mar 28, 2012 10:38 am • link • report

I'm not sure why Ross takes issue with the Discovery Channel lease deal.

If the deck is virtually empty, then $800 per parking space will raise a lot more money than $0 per parking space that they would raise. If there's too much public parking already, then the deal would help alleviate that problem by removing 300 spaces from public use, raising the cost of using the remaining parking spots. Isn't that one of the things this blog usually supports? Do what you can to make parking more expensive so that people will use transit, instead.

If he's upset about the county having built the deck--rather than housing--in the first place, that's fine. But "Housing > New Parking Decks, therefore don't lease existing parking spaces to Discovery" is a bit of a non sequitur.

by Ronald on Mar 28, 2012 11:02 am • link • report

I think in this case it's about getting people from further out in MD to downtown SS. It's still evolving as a going-out destination and cheap/free parking is a good draw that the District doesn't have, for people who would prefer walking around outdoors to sterile enclosed shopping malls. (And yes, you need a car on weekends around here. Unless you have hours of free time to kill waiting for Metro.)

by Answer Guy on Mar 28, 2012 11:27 am • link • report

I don't think the Kennett Street garage would be so underused if there were better connections to South Silver Spring... and more attractions to bring people to the neighborhood. I would love to see a pedestrian connection under the tracks to East-West Highway, or at the very least the MARC pedestrian bridge open more often. More crosswalks on East-West Highway. no new setbacks. Convert the ground floor of the garage facing Kennett Street into retail.

Very few shops/retail face the street in South Silver Spring. People don't go there. People who live there (like my mother) don't shop there, they go to other parts of Silver Spring.

Furthermore, if I worked at the Discover Channel, I would hate that walk every day. What an unfriendly pedestrian environment along East-West and Colesville! Instead of that awkward set-up, why not revitalize South Silver Spring and reserve those parking spots for future retail costumers and other visitors

by Dave Murphy on Mar 28, 2012 11:28 am • link • report

Downtown Silver Spring (like Bethesda) is a regional destination. People come from all over to work and to enjoy the space and the events, especially the free concerts during the summmer.

Many if not most of those visitors drive. They need parking. Montgomery County is open-minded and realistic enough to recognize and plan for it - and make a little money in the process - instead of taking a hostile position toward drivers and treating them as a nusiance and a cash cow - as does DC.

Montgomery County should be commended.

by ceefer66 on Mar 28, 2012 11:59 am • link • report

Downtown Silver Spring (like Bethesda) is a regional destination. People come from all over to work and to enjoy the space and the events, especially the free concerts during the summmer. Many if not most of those visitors drive.

If we paid 90% of the cost of helicopter trips for people to come to downtown Silver Spring, most visitors would come by helicopter. If we heavily subsidized buses and made parking difficult, people would ride buses.

If people "need" parking, then they should pay for it. At market rates.

by oboe on Mar 28, 2012 12:12 pm • link • report

I guess I'll be the first to admit that something I have always loved about Bethesda and Silver Spring is that there is parking available and the price is reasonable. I got too old to go to some places in Old Town Alexandria and DC because the choice was to either circle endlessly hoping for a street spot (and good luck figuring out from the signs how long you could park and whether you had to pay) or paying through the nose ($20!) for a private garage.

I like the garages and they are part of the economic landscape that makes Bethesda and Silver Spring a regional destination (oh, the horror). Having said all that, the pricing is questionable and the free weekend parking should probably be ditched. My office overlooks the Waverly garage, which is less than a block from the Bethesda metro, and there were probably less than 20 cars parked on the roof in a year; Overpriced? Wayne Avenue garage in Silver Spring is packed on many evenings; Underpriced? The garage spots that the county is 'giving' to Discovery; oversupply in the wrong places?

I do wish the county would be smarter about its parking facilities (especially pricing) but I think they are an important aspect of the economic attraction of Bethesda and SS. By the way, what's the deal with the LED signs that used to tell you how many spots were available on each level of the Wayne Avenue garage? - they used to have goofy numbers (5374 spots on level 3!) but now they are dark.

by josey23 on Mar 28, 2012 12:46 pm • link • report

I don't think the point is to not have parking garages, but rather not to have as many of them. I don't understand why the county built a new garage on 13th Street - not only is there very little in the area that would draw people coming by car AND a half-empty garage across the street, but since it takes up the first floor of the new Galaxy apartment building, it ruins an entire block of street frontage with a big blank wall. Development like this is unacceptable in an urban area.

Silver Spring is a regional destination, and people will continue to come here by car, meaning that some parking has to be provided. But it's expensive to build parking, especially in structured garages or underground, so it only makes sense that the county can recoup its expenses by charging a reasonable amount for it.

by dan reed! on Mar 28, 2012 1:02 pm • link • report

People forget that Discovery has a large studio/production facility near that garage (what used to be Caldor's). I suspect the parking is for those employees, not the headquarters workers.

Also, it's my understanding that the Spring-Colesville garage will not be renovated, but will be torn down, for exactly the reason Rebecca noted, "the county found that all of the parking in this garage could be absorbed by the other 2 garages within 2 blocks." Then the property will be surplused.

by Mike on Mar 28, 2012 2:57 pm • link • report

The issue with the Kennett St. garage is that it is underused and the county loses money on it. But that doesn't mean leasing it for more than a decade to Discovery for below market rates is a good idea either.

If the garage isn't making the county money, it should be sold. The land itself is quite valuable and something else could be built there. If Discovery really wants that garage and the land they can buy it themselves.

Just because the garage is underutilized doesn't mean leasing it to a private company for below market value is the solution. The real solution with Kennett is for the county to sell it and for someone else to find a more fitting use for it.

Discovery itself is somewhat of a cancer on South Silver Spring too. Right next to a residential building, pocket park and sidewalk sits their diesel backup generator that spews exhaust into people's homes and lungs. When it is firing, it's like standing next to I-95 while a bunch of 18-wheelers go by. Perhaps worse.

Discovery doesn't even have the decency to either find a more environmentally and human friendly backup source or to move the facility on top of their own building.

I'd rather see Discovery leave South Silver Spring than to continue giving them tax payer handouts.

by Patrick Thornton on Mar 28, 2012 3:03 pm • link • report

Until recently I lived on First Ave., and the Cameron-Second garage is underused as well. Even on weekdays it's only 3/4 full, even though it's about two blocks from the Metro and Discovery.

by Shannon on Mar 28, 2012 3:14 pm • link • report

Nobody is drawn somewhere because of cheap/free parking (except perhaps large corporations looking for welfare). If this was the case, people would be flocking to random suburban cul de sacs and high school parking lots on weekends. The places that draw the most people are always the hardest to park in, because people go places to do things, not park a car.

Silver Spring has too many public garages that sit unused and the ones that are used don't charge enough. The Wayne Ave. garage is always packed, especially on weekends. Much of that time parking is free! It's prime real estate, and people should pay market rates for it.

And then there are the random garages strewn through ought Silver Spring that go underutilized. Those should be sold and converted into mixed-use with parking underground.

by Patrick Thornton on Mar 28, 2012 3:16 pm • link • report

I don't think anyone actually claims that people go somewhere solely because there is free parking. But it's definitely part of the equation when it comes to picking a weekend eating/shopping/nightlife destination. Ceteris paribus you're going to go where parking is plentiful and free/cheap rather than where it's scarce and/or expensive. DTSS doesn't have quite the appeal that Georgetown or Penn Quarter or Dupont or U Street or Old Town or Courthouse/Clarendon or Bethesda (where they probably could get away with somewhat higher parking fees) have.

And for some reason people hate to pay for parking out of proportion to its actual cost. That's not necessarily rational economic behavior...but as Keynes once said, a market can stay "irrational" longer than a man can stay solvent.

by Answer Guy on Mar 28, 2012 9:35 pm • link • report

The Bethesda Parking Lot District not only pays for the bonds on parking facilities there including the lot 31 garage, but also pays for the Bethesda Urban District which keeps Bethesda safe and clean. It is a cash cow for the county and Bethesda and is one of the factors keeping Bethesda more vibrant and upscale than Rosslyn-Ballston which suffers from poor street life and lack of street level retail.

Unfortunately the PLDs in Silver Spring and Wheaton (Montgomery Hills one is quite profitable as well) have not been as financially suscessful because of oversupply in Silver Spring and a underutilized garage in Wheaton. The county is taking steps to redevelop underutilized lots but this will take time.

Parking is profitable thats why the private sector is in the business. Montgomery County has the infrastructure to reap great profits from its parking operations.

by Cyrus on Mar 29, 2012 12:37 am • link • report

Some version of this deal may make sense, but it has been rushed ahead without consultation and bears the marks of the haste: are Discovery workers going to settle for uncovered parking on the top level? If not, and they gate off their 300 spaces, how can I get to the top level to pay at the meters there? As others have said, if South Silver Spring is to continue to attract good shops and restaurants, there has to be ample parking. A visitor from Bethesda ain't coming back if she drives over for Jackies or Fajita Coast or Vicino or 8407 Kitchen and can't find a place to park.

by HandySandy on Mar 29, 2012 2:34 pm • link • report