After years of rumors, Washington-area music fans could soon have a new, Metro-accessible venue to check out live acts in newly redeveloped downtown Silver Spring, Montgomery County officials announced.
The Birchmere music hall, which operates a well-known general admission venue in Alexandria, would open in the renovated J.C. Penney building on Colesville Road in 2009, according to a proposal made last week by County Executive Doug Duncan. The Alexandria location, which is not accessible by Metro, would also remain open.
The Alexandria location draws national and up-and-coming music acts from all over the country as well as local musicians, including the Pat McGee Band and Citizen Cope. It would add more entertainment to the area, which has seen the opening of several new restaurants, bars and the AFI Silver Theatre in recent years.
Under Duncan’s proposal, the county would put up $4 million for the project. He has requested that the state match that figure. Lee Development, which owns the land under the J.C. Penney site, would transfer its ownership to the county, the county said.
The Birchmere would rent the space from the county and make a significant investment toward construction. The proposal calls for preserving the store’s original facade, officials said.
“The Birchmere looks forward to contributing to the continued rebirth of Silver Spring’s arts and entertainment center by finalizing negotiations to open a second Birchmere on Lee Development’s Colesville Road site,” James Mathews, a partner in the Birchmere music hall, said in a statement.
