County Executive Isiah Leggett is seeking applicants to fill five vacancies on the Silver Spring Urban District Advisory Committee. Two vacancies are for representatives of optional method developers; two vacancies are for small business representatives from businesses that employ fewer than 25 employees; and one vacancy is for a representative of a residential community in the urban district.

The committee provides information and advice to the Silver Spring Regional Services Center regarding promotions, maintenance, service levels, and budgetary guidance for the downtown Silver Spring Urban District.

Members serve three-year terms without compensation and meet the third Thursday of each month at 3:30 p.m. in Silver Spring.

Applicants should write to County Executive Isiah Leggett no later than May 16 at the Executive Office Building, 101 Monroe Street, Rockville, MD 20850, or send an e-mail to CountyExecutive.Boards@montgomerycountymd.gov.

The application should include a cover letter outlining the reasons you wish to serve, and a brief resume including home and work telephone numbers. Members of County boards, committees, and commissions may not serve on more than one such group at a time. Members of this committee are eligible for reimbursement for travel and dependent care for meetings attended.

Leggett’s appointments are subject to confirmation by the County Council. Applications of those selected for appointment are made public as part of the confirmation process.

by Maria Markham

As housing prices skyrocket in the greater Silver Spring area, more and more families are finding it hard to pay the rent. And with more than 59 percent of Silver Spring residents renting according to the 2005 American Community Survey, the County Council needs to take immediate action to preserve affordable rental housing.

Since the late 1990s, Silver Spring has been losing affordable rental units, consistent with a national trend of rapidly disappearing rentals at the low end of the market. The situation is further compounded by rent increases. Between 2001 and 2005, rents increased by over $3,750 annually. The 2005 American Community Survey also shows that renters spend a disproportionate amount of their income on housing with 45 percent paying 30 percent or more of their income for housing. And we know that the situation is even worse for low-income households who can spend more than 50 percent of their earnings on housing.

Resolving an important issue about a parkland easement on the site of the Silver Spring Transit Center—a proposed hub for Metro trains, buses, taxis and bicycles in the community’s downtown—the Montgomery County Planning Board today worked out an agreement with two public works agencies that allows the project to proceed.

The Board, part of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, owns an easement on a public plaza that they needed to abandon to allow construction of the transit center, slated for Colesville Road and Wayne Avenue at the site of the existing Silver Spring Metro station. Yesterday, the Board agreed to let the county Department of Public Works and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority replace that plaza in exchange for two new parks.

Here's a link to the July 07 Voice article on this issue: www.silverspringvoice.com/archives/copy/2007/07/parkingmeters.html

And after the jump (below) is a letter sent out by John Landis, co-owner of Crisfield and President of the South Silver Spring Merchant Association. In it, Landis outlines the issue from the point of view of small businesses. He also gives information on how to get involved:

By now, most Silver Spring residents are surely aware of the controversy that was raised when amateur photographer Chip Py was stopped from taking photographs on Ellsworth Drive. This drew further attention to the fact that the once public thoroughfare is now essentially private, as is all of the "public" space around it (fountain, stairs, tables, etc.). PFA Silver Spring LLC, the company that owns this town center relented regarding photography, but the question is now public: Who owns Silver Spring?

What do you think?

—ed.

The July 2007 Voice is running an article on this topic (Click here to read: www.silverspringvoice.com/archives/copy/2007/07/Who_owns_SS.html).

Further food for thought—this video shot by Silver Spring resident Richard Jaeggi at a July 4 protest: www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyJUuUX-De0