The 2022 Silver Spring Downtown and Adjacent Communities (SSDAC) Plan established a vision for a diverse, distinctive and successful downtown and includes recommendations to support a healthy community through a connected network of open space and public parks. Adequate public open space is critical to meeting the goal of making Silver Spring a better place to live, work and play. While Silver Spring has a reasonable amount of open space, many of these spaces are small and do not enhance the public realm. Instead of creating more "postage stamp" spaces that don't provide the needed open space and amenities for a growing urban center, the SSDAC Plan suggests channeling resources to create new and improve existing public parks. Specifically, the Plan recommends that for certain development projects required to provide public open space on a site not recommended for new public space in the Sector Plan, the applicants contribute funds to support new and existing public parks in lieu of on-site open space.

Any Silver Spring Park Benefit Payments (PBPs) submitted to the M-NCPPC as a condition of Planning Board development approvals will be placed into this Project for appropriation and expenditure. The Park Benefit Payments will be used for acquisition of new parkland and the development of park facilities on new and existing parks to serve the SSDAC area. Funds that are allocated for planning, design, and construction of parks will be transferred to the appropriate development PDF within the CIP. Expenditures will be based on the park priorities in the Plan, availability of land for acquisition, site improvement needs, and the Parks Departments' design and construction schedule.

Chapters 50 (Subdivision Regulations) and 59 (Zoning Ordinance) of the Montgomery County Code require development/redevelopment to demonstrate substantial conformance with the Master or Sector Plan for approval. When site conditions preclude dedication of land needed for parks and open space, this Project will provide an alternative path for developments to achieve plan conformance while also implementing the vision for vibrant communities with ample public parks and associated amenities. This Project will serve to hold, appropriate and expend any Park Benefit Payments that are made to the M-NCPPC through the regulatory application review process under Chapters 50 and 59 to serve the park needs within the Silver Spring DAC boundary.

Project expenditures will not be incurred or encumbered prior to the receipt of funds.

Park Acquisitions 872301, ALARF: M-NCPPC PDF 727007, Facility Planning: Local Parks PDF 957775, Facility Planning: Non-Local Parks PDF 958776, Bethesda Park Impact Payment PDF 872002, Mid-County Park Benefit Payment PDF 872201