The fountain is staying and the plans to alter the plaza have been scrapped. I started this because I was worried about our community space but it turns out that you all cared just as much as I did. Please keep your eyes on the neighborhood because it is clear …
December 4, 2020
Save the Silver Spring plaza fountain. Ensure Ellsworth Drive is not next step to gentrifying Downtown Silver Spring.
Final supporters
Did you know that Downtown Silver Spring has asked Montgomery County to allow them to make major changes to Ellsworth Drive between Fenton Street and Georgia Avenue?
While we generally applaud the expansion of public use space and reduction of traffic congestion in those areas, we must look at these plans in their entirety.
As they stand, the plans also include:
- Ripping out the beautiful mosaic fountain that has been used by neighborhood kids as a summer wading pool for over 15 years.
- Covering the street, sidewalk-to-sidewalk with synthetic turf, which would take away the street from the young neighborhood skaters and skateboarders who practice their skills there now.
- Reducing bike access. Downtown Silver Spring claims they will maintain an open path for bikes, but their renderings in Project Plan Amendment 91998005C, Site Plan Amendment 81999002M show the bike path obstructed by benches and tables.
Downtown Silver Spring is clearly trying to attract a more up-scale, genteel clientele to Ellsworth Drive. But this is exactly how gentrification happens - pushing people of color (Black, Latinx, etc.) and lower-income community members out of the area, reducing the rich diversity that makes Silver Spring what it is today.
Whatever happened to the racial equity and social justice required by bill 27-19 that was passed by the County Council last December with an implementation date of August 1, 2020? Reducing options for foot, skating, and bike traffic, as well as a free alternative in the fountain to the high cost of many local - and often privatized - pools, runs counter to these proclaimed ideals of diversity and inclusion.
Help us send a message to County Executive Elrich and the County Council. Call on them to block or modify Project Plan Amendment 91998005C and Executive Order 084-20 to ensure that this is done.
- First, sign this petition.
- Second, send a message directly to the County Executive and the County Council.
- Third, be vocal on social media (https://twitter.com/Marc_Elrich & https://twitter.com/MoCoCouncilMD).
Some developments are supportive of the growth of our community, but they cannot be at the expense of the diversity of our community. Let's keep Silver Spring and the County equitable, inclusive, and for the people.
____________________________________________________________________________
The ACLU of Maryland, Montgomery County Chapter, like the state affiliate, is committed to racial equity and social justice in all the work we do, in order to support and be accountable to communities of color, whose civil rights and civil liberties are systematically threatened.
Updates
Reached 500 supporters
September 17, 2020
Reached 100 supporters
September 2, 2020
September 1, 2020
I am honestly overwhelmed by how many people care about the fountain and our space. If a few more of you can get this in front of others today we might hit our goal sooner than I ever imagined.
260 Comments
The fountain provides hours of mirth not just for neighborhood children but for onlookers . It is also a great equalizer - people of all colors are using it. Please keep one of the things that makes Silver Spring so unique! Don’t fix what’s not broken!
I'm a longtime Silver Spring resident without kids who nevertheless supports maintaining this fountain as a central community gathering spot. As an aside, I believe the area is already quite gentrified, and I support more independent retail and restaurants and fewer tired mega-chains.
Families enjoy letting their kids play their and I know it’s a summer oasis for a lot of kids who can’t afford access to a pool. It’s also super cute. Don’t take it away. The new downtown will still look great if it stays
DTSS is beautiful. Taking the fountain and putting in turf would be a mistake. Astro turf was there before and was disgusting. It holds germs. Definitely not what we need! Let it be beautiful, walkable, bikeable, inclusive.
The fountain is one of the best Things about Downtown SS. I took my kids there for years when they were young and always patronized nearby stores and restaurants. Take it away and you will 100% get less business and less vibrant feel
This fountain is a landmark or Silver Spring. It is history. In an increasingly disconnected world communities need gathering places. The youth need this. Families need this. We all need this plaza to remain untouched by greed. Look at what they did to Caroline Freeland Park just down the road in Bethesda. The park built in ‘80 to buffer residents from booming business district. Then a year ago they claim to increase community business relations they are renovating it. Additional reasons cited were to reduce teenagers rowdy activity and smoking and homeless use of park facilitie, like a bench. The entire DMV is under attack by corporate greed and gentrification. They are taking away our culture and places to enjoy to build bland luxury dwellings in a housing crisis and soulless public spaces that are hostile to the homeless and promote consumerism: eating out and shopping. But with all the mom and pops put out of business with the rent hikes and buyouts shopping and eating “local” aka nearby doesn’t keep the money in the community anymore. The owners of the business entities replacing mom and pop shops that are the fabric of the community live out of the area, even out of the country. We need to stand together in solidarity and fight for our communities against corporate greed and corruption. Stay informed and stay strong everyone!
synthetic turf has hotter surface temperature than black asphalt and other risks; require safer surface than plastic with toxins including PFAs
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The fountain is staying and the plans to alter the plaza have been scrapped. I started this because I was worried about our community space but it turns out that you all cared just as much as I did. Please keep your eyes on the neighborhood because it is clear …
December 4, 2020
Save the Silver Spring plaza fountain. Ensure Ellsworth Drive is not next step to gentrifying Downtown Silver Spring.
Final supporters
Did you know that Downtown Silver Spring has asked Montgomery County to allow them to make major changes to Ellsworth Drive between Fenton Street and Georgia Avenue?
While we generally applaud the expansion of public use space and reduction of traffic congestion in those areas, we must look at these plans in their entirety.
As they stand, the plans also include:
- Ripping out the beautiful mosaic fountain that has been used by neighborhood kids as a summer wading pool for over 15 years.
- Covering the street, sidewalk-to-sidewalk with synthetic turf, which would take away the street from the young neighborhood skaters and skateboarders who practice their skills there now.
- Reducing bike access. Downtown Silver Spring claims they will maintain an open path for bikes, but their renderings in Project Plan Amendment 91998005C, Site Plan Amendment 81999002M show the bike path obstructed by benches and tables.
Downtown Silver Spring is clearly trying to attract a more up-scale, genteel clientele to Ellsworth Drive. But this is exactly how gentrification happens - pushing people of color (Black, Latinx, etc.) and lower-income community members out of the area, reducing the rich diversity that makes Silver Spring what it is today.
Whatever happened to the racial equity and social justice required by bill 27-19 that was passed by the County Council last December with an implementation date of August 1, 2020? Reducing options for foot, skating, and bike traffic, as well as a free alternative in the fountain to the high cost of many local - and often privatized - pools, runs counter to these proclaimed ideals of diversity and inclusion.
Help us send a message to County Executive Elrich and the County Council. Call on them to block or modify Project Plan Amendment 91998005C and Executive Order 084-20 to ensure that this is done.
- First, sign this petition.
- Second, send a message directly to the County Executive and the County Council.
- Third, be vocal on social media (https://twitter.com/Marc_Elrich & https://twitter.com/MoCoCouncilMD).
Some developments are supportive of the growth of our community, but they cannot be at the expense of the diversity of our community. Let's keep Silver Spring and the County equitable, inclusive, and for the people.
____________________________________________________________________________
The ACLU of Maryland, Montgomery County Chapter, like the state affiliate, is committed to racial equity and social justice in all the work we do, in order to support and be accountable to communities of color, whose civil rights and civil liberties are systematically threatened.
Updates
Reached 500 supporters
September 17, 2020
Reached 100 supporters
September 2, 2020
September 1, 2020
I am honestly overwhelmed by how many people care about the fountain and our space. If a few more of you can get this in front of others today we might hit our goal sooner than I ever imagined.
260 Comments
Why make it inaccessible for lower and mid class people to prosper. I like the diversity and culture the way it is that's why I chose to live in Montgomery County specifically Silver Spring! Gentrification has already taken over DC leave Silver Spring Alone!
The fountain provides hours of mirth not just for neighborhood children but for onlookers . It is also a great equalizer - people of all colors are using it. Please keep one of the things that makes Silver Spring so unique! Don’t fix what’s not broken!
I'm a longtime Silver Spring resident without kids who nevertheless supports maintaining this fountain as a central community gathering spot. As an aside, I believe the area is already quite gentrified, and I support more independent retail and restaurants and fewer tired mega-chains.
Families enjoy letting their kids play their and I know it’s a summer oasis for a lot of kids who can’t afford access to a pool. It’s also super cute. Don’t take it away. The new downtown will still look great if it stays
DTSS is beautiful. Taking the fountain and putting in turf would be a mistake. Astro turf was there before and was disgusting. It holds germs. Definitely not what we need! Let it be beautiful, walkable, bikeable, inclusive.
The fountain is one of the best Things about Downtown SS. I took my kids there for years when they were young and always patronized nearby stores and restaurants. Take it away and you will 100% get less business and less vibrant feel
This fountain is a landmark or Silver Spring. It is history. In an increasingly disconnected world communities need gathering places. The youth need this. Families need this. We all need this plaza to remain untouched by greed. Look at what they did to Caroline Freeland Park just down the road in Bethesda. The park built in ‘80 to buffer residents from booming business district. Then a year ago they claim to increase community business relations they are renovating it. Additional reasons cited were to reduce teenagers rowdy activity and smoking and homeless use of park facilitie, like a bench. The entire DMV is under attack by corporate greed and gentrification. They are taking away our culture and places to enjoy to build bland luxury dwellings in a housing crisis and soulless public spaces that are hostile to the homeless and promote consumerism: eating out and shopping. But with all the mom and pops put out of business with the rent hikes and buyouts shopping and eating “local” aka nearby doesn’t keep the money in the community anymore. The owners of the business entities replacing mom and pop shops that are the fabric of the community live out of the area, even out of the country. We need to stand together in solidarity and fight for our communities against corporate greed and corruption. Stay informed and stay strong everyone!
synthetic turf has hotter surface temperature than black asphalt and other risks; require safer surface than plastic with toxins including PFAs
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Why make it inaccessible for lower and mid class people to prosper. I like the diversity and culture the way it is that's why I chose to live in Montgomery County specifically Silver Spring! Gentrification has already taken over DC leave Silver Spring Alone!