Radio and television studio buildings in Silver Spring’s Ripley District would be allowed to increase their height from 143 feet to200 feet, after a County Council panel advanced a zoning amendment some say is designed to lure National Public Radio’s headquarters.
The County Council’s Planning, Housing and Economic Development Committee unanimously voted to send the measure to the council for
consideration.
But council members had varied levels of enthusiasm about the move.
“This is all about NPR, and everybody knows it,” Council Member Marc Elrich said. “It is like a showpiece. … I don’t know if it would be huge [for the area] if they came.
“To me at the end of the day, it’s a nice bauble,” he said.
Council Member Valerie Ervin, who represents the area, said residents support allowing the additional height.
“Ripley Street has nothing but warehouses … so this is the perfect spot for redevelopment,” Ervin said.
NPR spokeswoman Andi Sporkin said the radio program distributor is planning to move its headquarters.
Silver Spring is on a list of roughly a dozen semifinalist locations, with NPR planning to have a list of finalists in the next six to eight weeks.
