Development
Silver Spring's Ripley District becoming a neighborhood
A few years ago, the Ripley District was home to auto body shops and warehouses. But with the completion of a new apartment building and work starting on another, this handful of blocks between the Red Line and Georgia Avenue in downtown Silver Spring is on its way to becoming a neighborhood.
The Solaire, which opened to tenants in May. Photos by the author.
In May, residents started moving into the Solaire, located at 1150 Ripley Street. I previously wrote about the building's nine live-work units, which allow residents to operate businesses out of their apartments.
Montgomery County officials were so nervous about kickstarting the redevelopment of the Ripley District that they gave developer Washington Property Company $5 million in public money to help cover the costs of the 17-story high-rise, but today it's 25 percent leased.
Across the street is Eleven55 Ripley, a mixed-use complex containing apartments, rowhouses, and retail space. Construction began in December and the building should open in late 2013, according to its developer, Home Properties.
Together, the two buildings will deliver over 600 apartments, several new shops and businesses, and a pair of pocket parks to the Ripley District. And to support them, the county has extended two streets, which will eventually connect the neighborhood to the rest of downtown Silver Spring.
Last month, I stopped by the Ripley District to check out its progress. So far, things are looking good.
The newly rebuilt Ripley Street. Eleven55 Ripley is on the left, while the Solaire is on the right.
As part of both projects, Ripley Street was widened and given curbs and sidewalks. It's remarkable how much the street has changed from a few years ago, when the street had no curbs or sidewalks and the asphalt was cracked and broken. Ripley has also been extended, curving north to connect with Bonifant Street and the Silver Spring Transit Center, which should open later this year.
The new segment of Dixon Avenue, which currently dead-ends at a parking garage.
Dixon Avenue, which runs parallel to Georgia Avenue between Wayne Avenue and Bonifant, will also be extended one block south towards Ripley Street. Next week, this public parking garage will close so that Montgomery County can run the street through it. Eventually, Dixon will continue another block south to Silver Spring Avenue.
The new street will run through the Eleven55 Ripley project, with apartments and rowhouses on the left side and a a mid-rise apartment building with ground-floor shops on the right. While it's nice to see more retail in this neighborhood, it will be largely invisible from Georgia Avenue and partially hidden by the parking garage, which will make drawing customers a challenge.
The streetscape in front of the Solaire is basically finished, and it looks pretty good, with lots of trees and benches. The sidewalk is pretty wide, and it might seem like too much considering how desolate this area is now. It will probably be a lot busier once the transit center opens.
Here's one of the nine "live-work" units on the ground floor of the Solaire. As I wrote before, these apartments have a separate "work space" that can be sectioned off from the rest of the unit, along with their own entrance from the street and their own address. The walkway in front of them leaves a lot to be desired, however. Given how wide the sidewalk is, having an additional path isn't necessary. This space might be better utilized as small patios or "front yards" for each unit similar to those at the Silverton, a building on nearby East-West Highway.
Likewise, Eleven55 will have several three-story rowhouses at the street level, which will also have their own private entrances. Shalom Baranes Associates, the firm that designed the building, did something similar a few years ago at the Odyssey, a condominium in Arlington.
Together, Eleven55 and the Solaire should create a pretty nice street; though the buildings are among downtown Silver Spring's tallest, both will have front doors and stoops on both sides, giving the block a more residential, human-scaled feel. They'll also provide more "eyes on the street," making the area livelier and safer.
Previous renderings of Eleven55 made it hard to see what the building's exterior would look like. That's why I was glad to find this mockup of a portion of Eleven55's façade, which allows the builders to test out the architect's design - what materials to use, how the windows will work, and so on - before applying it to the building as a whole.
Now we know the upper floors of the building will have a sort of sandy-colored brick veneer, while the lower floors will probably use a darker-colored brick. The stripe pattern appears to be arbitrary and I'm not sure what purpose it serves, but it won't be noticeable from the street anyway.
Like most new developments in downtown Silver Spring, both buildings on Ripley Street are required to have some sort of public open space on site. Here's the Solaire's pocket park, wedged between the building and the Red Line. The concrete pylons, whose wood accents and machine wheels recall the industrial buildings that used to line the train tracks. They also have inlaid metal panels with the Solaire's address on them, also playing off of the industrial theme. It's unclear whether the translucent canopies are meant for shade, because they're not very large and don't line up with the benches.
A bigger issue, however, is how well-used the space will be. Many pocket parks in downtown Silver Spring are so badly designed they're useless, but this park, along with another one being built at Eleven55 Ripley, appear to be both attractive and functional. It will also be adjacent to the Capital Crescent Trail when it's eventually extended to Silver Spring, so bikers and joggers might one day stop here to rest.
Open space is important in an urban district, but perhaps it would've been better if property owners could contribute land or funding to create one big park rather than a bunch of little ones. Pocket parks are great for sitting and eating your lunch, but they don't lend themselves to much else. There are some bigger parks with playgrounds and playing fields in the neighborhoods around downtown Silver Spring, but there are probably enough apartments being built downtown over the next few years to demand a park of their own.
Overall, the two new apartment buildings going up on Ripley Street should be a great addition to downtown Silver Spring. As I've written before, Silver Spring has been held back by buildings that are either unattractive or hostile to the pedestrian experience. Hopefully, the Ripley District will set the bar high for future development.
 | A planner and architect by training, Dan Reed is interested in suburban retrofits. Dan works for the Friends of White Flint, writes his own blog, Just Up the Pike, and serves as the Land Use Chair for the Action Committee for Transit. Dan lives in Silver Spring.    |
Comments
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by Bossi on Jul 18, 2012 10:05 am • link • report
Angle parking might be a useful traffic calming measure, and also help attract retail.
by Ben Ross on Jul 18, 2012 10:46 am • link • report
As a GS-14, these are out of my price range. This kind of development is unsustainable.
by Redline SOS on Jul 18, 2012 11:40 am • link • report
by Matt Engel on Jul 18, 2012 11:42 am • link • report
by Gray on Jul 18, 2012 11:49 am • link • report
IF the rents do prove to be sustainable, than the existence of those buildings will draw off people who might be renting slightly older buildings, which will make more units adffordable for you (though not these)
by AWalkerInTheCity on Jul 18, 2012 11:55 am • link • report
by CityBeautiful21 on Jul 18, 2012 12:26 pm • link • report
by Neil Flanagan on Jul 18, 2012 12:32 pm • link • report
by mike on Jul 18, 2012 12:32 pm • link • report
by Ben Ross on Jul 18, 2012 12:40 pm • link • report
by Neil Flanagan on Jul 18, 2012 12:45 pm • link • report
by Gray on Jul 18, 2012 1:04 pm • link • report
I paced out Ripley Street and it's about 36 feet wide — enough for one 8' parking lane and one 10' through lane in each direction. It could've been narrower if this was a primarily residential street, but if I'm not mistaken, it'll also be used by drivers going into the kiss-and-ride in the Transit Center. Still, I think the street will feel nice and comfortable for folks walking when there's a line of parked cars on either side.
by dan reed! on Jul 18, 2012 1:11 pm • link • report
Also I'm curious about your belief that the Transit Center will be open this year. You seem much more optimistic than many others (myself included).
by engrish_major on Jul 18, 2012 1:18 pm • link • report
by Thayer-D on Jul 18, 2012 1:30 pm • link • report
@engrish_major It's called the Ripley District most likely because of the street name - Ripley Ave.
The rents are high, though. 1 bedrooms are around $2,200, which is quite a bit more than I was paying in Woodley Park for a nice but older building. I'm not going to say we do not need any luxury apartments, but we definitely need more than only luxury apartments in Solaire's price range.
Solaire, btw, does have a front door staffer, and it does have new furnishings all around. Nice fixtures, stainless steel kitchen equipment, etc.
by Weiwen on Jul 18, 2012 2:07 pm • link • report
by Rich on Jul 18, 2012 2:26 pm • link • report
by David J on Jul 18, 2012 2:58 pm • link • report
by Gray on Jul 18, 2012 3:04 pm • link • report
by worthing on Jul 18, 2012 3:23 pm • link • report
In any case, staring out at the rail line, I realized that what the neighborhood really needs is a connection between Georgia and East-West Hwy. It's a very long schlep between Colesville and Blair MIll Rd. to get to East-West from Georgia -- and you have to go way out of your way if you're on Georgia or points north and west and want to get to East-West, or even to the Metro. It's fine to make a better connection to Bonifant and COlesville Rd, but there also needs to be a clear passage over (or even under) the tracks, even just for pedestrian traffic, between East-West Hwy and Georgia Ave.
by Fischy (Ed F.) on Jul 18, 2012 3:34 pm • link • report
by Greg on Jul 18, 2012 3:41 pm • link • report
by H Street Landlord on Jul 18, 2012 4:49 pm • link • report
by Dan on Jul 18, 2012 5:31 pm • link • report
Obviously the owners of Soliare did their market research and came to the conclusion that they could get away with charging 2200 for a one bedroom, which is about what I paid for a one bedroom on 16th ST by Meridian Hill Park not too long ago.
Silver Spring isn't Woodley Park.
Silver Spring isn't Navy Yard.
Each neighborhood is different and can charge different rents for identical units. Demand might be higher in one area than another. Proximity to Metro and other retail means DTSS is never going to be "affordable". However, if the market demands lower rents via a large number of vacancies then rents will be changed accordingly. Given it's location though, I doubt they're going to have any trouble filling up at their current prices.
by Michael on Jul 18, 2012 5:58 pm • link • report
THat connection between Georgia and East West HGWY is something I'd love to see. One could work at SIlver Spring Ave but that's only a dream. The more people they stuff in DTSS the better. The whole town needs the vitality of the Downtown derided for being an outdoor mall.
by Thayer-D on Jul 18, 2012 10:09 pm • link • report
I totally agree. I wish a connection across the rail tracks had been considered decades before; while the Red Line and MARC help connect Silver Spring to the rest of the D.C. area, they are a barrier to getting around within downtown Silver Spring. I don't know if it's physically possible, but it'd be cool if you could go from Ripley Street or one of the other side streets to East-West Highway at-grade by tunneling through the rail viaduct.
An at-grade connection would probably be a lot more attractive to walkers + bikers (not to mention safer) than some big aerial structure like the one going over the Green Line in College Park.
by dan reed! on Jul 18, 2012 10:29 pm • link • report
According to Foulger-Pratt (the lead contractor), the Transit Center will be ready to open in August or early September at the latest. The main issue is that the concrete work is of poor quality and doesn't meet Montgomery County standards, although it does meet minimum national standards and the facility is in no way unsafe for patrons.
As to when the Center opens, it all depends on:
a) whether Montgomery County deems the facility unsuitable, files a lawsuit against the contractor and/or demands retrofits or a complete rebuild (which would reeaallly suck)
b) whether Metro (which has been largely silent on the Center), the Maryland MTA, Greyhound/Peter Pan, and other transit operators finds the TC acceptable for use.
by King Terrapin on Jul 19, 2012 2:11 am • link • report
by Maths on Jul 19, 2012 12:02 pm • link • report
by Pat on Jul 19, 2012 12:54 pm • link • report
Another good post about some positive developments in DTSS. I for one am happy to see denser development popping up right by the Metro station. I live on Thayer Ave and we have some oddly-located high rise condos and apartments that make absolutely no sense to me, but I digress.
I do agree that MC is f-ing up the whole area with these pocket (i.e. useless) parks. What the hell good is a park if only 2-5 people can use it for sitting and nothing else? It frankly struck me as odd this is happening when the MC planning department just released their new Park Recreation and Open Space (PROS) Plan that calls for more urban parks. See http://www.montgomeryparks.org/PPSD/ParkPlanning/Projects/pros_2012/pros_2012.shtm. Nowhere does the new PROS Plan call for more pocket parks, so I'm left wondering if we're being sold a false bill of goods there or if the Plan writers aren't talking to the Planning operational staff that approve development applications.
Either way, I'm glad to see that Ripley is being reinvented for better usage. But I'd be eternally grateful if you or anyone could just get the MD SHA(T)HEADS to convert some lanes on Georgia and Colesville Highways into bike lanes and wider sidewalks with some trees dammit, which would make DTSS feel a little more like a neighborhood and a little less like the Beltway ...
by TC on Jul 19, 2012 10:56 pm • link • report
"But I'd be eternally grateful if you or anyone could just get the MD SHA(T)HEADS to convert some lanes on Georgia and Colesville Highways into bike lanes and wider sidewalks with some trees dammit, which would make DTSS feel a little more like a neighborhood and a little less like the Beltway ."
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Traffic already sucks on both roads without bike lanes. I don't understand why cyclists feel so entitled and think that the world revolves around them.
by King Terrapin on Jul 19, 2012 11:07 pm • link • report
"But I'd be eternally grateful if you or anyone could just get the MD SHA(T)HEADS to convert some lanes on Georgia and Colesville Highways into bike lanes and wider sidewalks with some trees dammit, which would make DTSS feel a little more like a neighborhood and a little less like the Beltway ."
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Traffic already sucks on both roads without bike lanes. Also, both Colesville and Georgia have an avg. number of trees for an urban boulevard. If you want more, there's parks for that. I don't understand why cyclists feel so entitled and think that the world revolves around them.
by King Terrapin on Jul 19, 2012 11:11 pm • link • report
by Pat on Jul 20, 2012 12:47 pm • link • report
by Nice on Jul 20, 2012 3:12 pm • link • report
Clearly you think the world revolves around cars rather than bicyclists. Go and count the number of car lanes on Colesville and Georgia. Last time I checked they are about 8 lanes each. Now count the number of bike lanes there (or anywhere in DTSS) - that's right there are zero (and I don't count that awful excuse for a bike lane denoted as the SS Green Trail). That's the problem here, you think if someone wants a proper bike lane they are asking for a handout from a car driver, except that my taxes pay for building and maintaining that road too. And while I too have a car, the best urban areas provide transportation options - that's why having bike lanes, in addition to car lanes, and public transportation are complementary, not competition. Do some reading on urban planning or travel to great urban locations and you'll see that multi-modal transportation options are paramount to the success of a great area - it's not all about the car.
I won't even address that silly statement you made about going to a park if I really want access to trees, but you're dead wrong about their being plenty on these roads. In fact, the new sidewalk just finished on Colesville by the SSTC has zero trees - instead it's just a concrete slab lacking any character whatsoever. Your comments are representative of the myopic thinking around DTSS ...
by TC on Jul 21, 2012 6:22 pm • link • report
Your logic only makes sense if a very high number of users of Colesville/Georgia are cyclists. However, the ratio of motorists to (potential) cyclists is very high, especially since those aren't just "local roads" serving downtown Silver Spring, but thoroughfares to the Beltway and beyond (eg. most Howard County commuters use Rte 29). You also ignore the fact that (in downtown SS anyway) the far right lane in either direction is rendered useless to most through traffic due to heavy bus traffic making stops and parked cars.
I fully understand that every urban area deserves transportation options, and downtown Silver Spring is already very transit accessible compared to most, even without the Purple Line. However, there's only so much existing area in which to build roads, rail lines, sidewalks, bike paths, etc., and to demand that we should take right-of-way from two chronically congested urban arterials and give it to cyclists. If cycling was the primary mode of transportation, it would be a totally different story.
Also, your insistence on turning the sidewalks of Georgia/Colesville into forests is a matter of personal preference. Heavily wooded areas make more sense in quiet neighborhoods, such as those in lower Montgomery and Upper NW, not urban boulevards (unless of course there's a wide median to plant them in). How many trees do you see on Connecticut Ave in downtown, or on Wisconsin in Georgetown? (I don't know what you define as "trees" but I'll still maintain that Colesville has more than enough.)
by King Terrapin on Jul 21, 2012 7:58 pm • link • report
"Your logic only makes sense if a very high number of users of Colesville/Georgia are cyclists. However, the ratio of motorists to (potential) cyclists is very high, especially since those aren't just "local roads" serving downtown Silver Spring, but thoroughfares to the Beltway and beyond (eg. most Howard County commuters use Rte 29). You also ignore the fact that (in downtown SS anyway) the far right lane in either direction is rendered useless to most through traffic due to heavy bus traffic making stops and parked cars."
Have you seen the film "Field of Dreams" where it was said "build it and they will come?" It's already been proven that bicycle usage is driven, in part, by building bike lanes and other infrastructure that makes bicycling safer. See http://policy.rutgers.edu/faculty/pucher/bikepaths.pdf. It's actually based upon the same twisted logic that occurs every-time we build more roadway capacity to decrease congestion (i.e. it just draws more people to drive on the road).
And I'm not oblivious to the fact that many commuters get to DC via Georgia/Colesville, but these roads now go directly into an heavily populated urban area that didn't exist when those roads were built. The fact is, KP, change happens and the MD transit agencies are reactive in the same way a turtle moves. If MC really wants to make DTSS a livable community as they tout throughout many policy pronouncements, then the Colesville/Georgia roads must be narrowed and made safer for locals.
Call me indignant, but I could give a crap if car commuters from Howard County have a longer commute - they can and should take public transit to DC like most of us already do. I and many others pay a lot more $$$ to live in DTSS and we want a walkable, bikeable, neighborhood w/o multiple 8-lane roads cutting through it.
by TC on Jul 25, 2012 2:42 pm • link • report
That's funny since Maryland (and the Balt-Wash region in general) has a far better transit/transportation systems than the vast majority of states in this country (most of which which have sizable cities with no transit to speak of).
"I could give a crap if car commuters from Howard County have a longer commute - they can and should take public transit to DC like most of us already do"
Wow. So, the real thinking behind your positions (and many others on this site) emerges. The Howard County commuters probably feel similarly.
by King Terrapin on Jul 25, 2012 3:10 pm • link • report
by Really on Feb 21, 2013 5:13 pm • link • report
by dino on Feb 21, 2013 10:11 pm • link • report
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