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The Gazette SILVER SPRING | TAKOMA PARK | BURTONSVILLE
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Wednesday, May 28, 2014
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Takoma Park digs into dog park issues Number of spots, possible locations up for discussion June 2 n
BY
KEVIN JAMES SHAY STAFF WRITER
Whether Takoma Park will have one large dog park or a few smaller ones is among the issues officials are reviewing. The City Council plans to hold a public hearing on the dog park possibilities at its meeting on Monday. City planners have reviewed six sites for potential dog parks: Prince George’s Avenue near New Hampshire, Maple Avenue near Sligo, Takoma Piney
“It is our intent to get a dog park operational in fiscal year 2015.” City Manager Brian Kenner Branch Local Park, Heffner Park, Spring Park and Forest Park. Nothing is set in stone, but a staff analysis showed that the Heffner Park and Prince George’s Avenue sites meet the most criteria points, like accessible parking and minimal environmental constraints, City Manager Brian Kenner said.
“It is our intent to get a dog park operational in fiscal year 2015,” Kenner said. The fiscal 2015 budget includes $70,000 for design and the start of construction of the dog park. Councilman Seth Grimes said there needs to be detailed estimates on what it would cost to build a dog park at each loca-
tion for comparison purposes. Water fountains and lighting are other issues, he said. Grimes and Councilwoman Kate Stewart said Heffner Park and the location on Prince George’s Avenue appear to be the most logical sites. In April, the Montgomery County Planning Board approved Ellsworth Urban Park off Colesville Road as the location for Silver Spring’s new dog park. Officials hope construction on the park, which could be as big as 20,000 square feet, would start next year. The county fiscal 2014 budget has $250,000 set aside for that project. kshay@gazette.net
DAN GROSS/THE GAZETTE
From left, Adam Jones, Luis Noboa and Wanderly Calderon, neighbors on Arliss Street in Silver Spring, are concerned about how the Purple Line construction might affect their property. They said that Maryland Transit Authority has not clearly communicated what is going to happen.
Purple Line property plans spark concern MTA says it is willing to work with owners to establish fair value
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BY
ALINE BARROS STAFF WRITER
As the Maryland Transit Administration gets ready to purchase land, homes and businesses to make way for the proposed 16-mile Purple Line, residents of the Arliss Knolls townhouses in Silver Spring are concerned. They are worried about the agency’s proposed acquisition of their properties during construction time.
According to an April 15 letter obtained by The Gazette, the MTA requested property appraisals to be done along the houses on Arliss Street — near Long Branch-Arliss Neighborhood Park between Flower Avenue and University Boulevard. The letter stated that residents had to contact contractors within five days of the date of the letter to grant permission to enter their property; otherwise, inspection would be done from the public road. According to the letter, inspection from a distance may not
See PURPLE LINE, Page A-9
AFI Silver Theatre will screen ‘best of’ 48-hour short films Silver Spring entry among those chosen
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Rendering of The Bonifant at Silver Spring, an 11-story high-rise building planned to have 149 residential apartments for seniors that is breaking ground in June at Bonifant and Fenton streets. Developers hope to have the community open by December 2015. The architectural firm is VOA Associates.
Senior complex breaks ground in June Numerous housing projects in works or recently opened
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BY
KEVIN JAMES SHAY STAFF WRITER
Silver Spring is seeing a spurt of new housing projects in various stages of development. On June 12, Montgom-
NEWS
SILVER SPRING CEO NAMED TO TECH COUNCIL Says small, medium businesses need more help dealing with cyber threats.
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ery Housing Partnership and The Donohoe Cos. will break ground on The Bonifant at Silver Spring, an 11-story highrise with 149 apartments for seniors. Many of the apartments are classified as affordable. The community, planned to open by December 2015, will be at Fenton and Bonifant streets near the new Silver Spring Library, which is also expected to be completed next
year. Other housing projects are planned for downtown Silver Spring near the library, while a 21-story residential tower with 379 mostly luxury apartments recently opened downtown on Ripley Street. At the old police station building on Sligo Avenue, planners envision a visual arts center with studios and some new buildings with affordable housing units and
townhomes built next to the existing building. Further north in downtown Wheaton, a 232-unit luxury apartment complex recently opened, with others in various stages there near the Wheaton Metro station. The Bonifant will fill a need in downtown Silver Spring because many of the projects being opened or planned in
SPORTS
DRIVING TO THE HOOP St. Andrew’s hopes to increase exposure by launching boys basketball summer league.
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BY
KEVIN JAMES SHAY STAFF WRITER
Fifteen short films — the “best of” crop in the Washington, D.C., region’s 48 Hour Film Project — will be shown at the AFI Silver Theatre in Silver Spring on Friday. The final group was chosen from an initial pool of about 100 entries. The field includes “Extraction,” a film produced in the two-day timeframe in early May by Cavegirl Productions, headed by Silver Spring filmmaker Kelley Slagle. It’s a busy week for her, as a feature film her company produced, “Of Dice and Men,” was scheduled to be screened
IF YOU GO n What: “Best of” screening for 48 Hour Film Project n When: Friday — reception at 8 p.m., films at 9:15 p.m. n Where: AFI Silver Theatre, 8633 Colesville Road, Silver Spring n Tickets: $18; available at www.afi.com/silver/films/ events.aspx#48hou
on Tuesday at the AFI. The movie is based on a Cameron McNary’s play about tabletop roleplaying gamers. The film was shot in Maryland and Northern Virginia last year.
See AFI, Page A-9
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