NOTICE OF WMATA PUBLIC HEARING

PROPOSED CONSTRUCTION OF SILVER SPRING TRANSIT CENTER

SILVER SPRING STATION
RED LINE
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MARYLAND

PURPOSE OF THE PUBLIC HEARING

Notice is hereby given that a public hearing will be held by the Washington Metropolitan
Area Transit Authority (WMATA) in cooperation with the Montgomery County Government
on the proposed construction of a three-level intermodal transit center (“Transit Center”) to
be located at the Silver Spring Metrorail station. The Transit Center will integrate Metrorail,
Metrobus, Ride-On bus, Maryland Rail Commuter (“MARC”) service, intercity bus service,
bicycle trails, and the future Bi-County Transitway while providing improved pedestrian and
vehicular traffic connections. As part of the Transit Center project, a new 0.8-acre public
park is to be constructed at the intersection of Wayne Avenue and Colesville Road. A joint
development project consisting of two residential buildings and a hotel, while not a subject
of this hearing, is also proposed to be constructed on the site. The public hearing will be
held as follows:

Public Hearing
& Docket Number Date and Time Location

Hearing No. 173 Monday Maryland-National Capital Park &

Docket No. R06-3 April 24, 2006 Planning Commission
7:00 PM Montgomery Regional Office
Auditorium
8787 Georgia Avenue
Silver Spring, MD 20910

The location of this public hearing is accessible to persons with disabilities. Any individual
with a disability who requires special assistance, such as a sign language interpreter, to
participate in the public hearing should contact Mrs. Leen’da Chambliss at 202-962-2595 or
TTD: 202-638-3780 ten days prior to the hearing in order for the Transit Authority to make
necessary arrangements.

BACKGROUND

The current facility is approximately 30 years old, and is the busiest bus transit center in the
WMATA system as measured in buses per hour. Two of the three highest ridership
Metrobus routes serve Silver Spring. This station has the highest number of bus to
Metrorail and walk/bike to Metrorail transfers during the morning peak period. The Metrorail
station has the second highest Metrorail ridership of all stations in Montgomery County. The

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existing facility sees approximately 57,000 boardings and alightings per day on the 1,250
buses, Metrorail trains, MARC trains and taxis serving the facility.

The current bus facility consists of 21 bus bays. An additional seven spaces are available
on adjacent streets for buses to lay over between runs. The facility handles up to 145
buses per hour. Currently, buses frequently back up into Wayne Avenue during peak hours.
Bus shelters provide protection from the weather for some passengers; the remainder are
exposed to the element while waiting for buses.

The 2025 ridership at this facility is projected to be 97,000 boardings and alightings per day
– an increase of 70%.

WMATA PROPOSAL

The Transit Center proposal consists of a three-level facility. The first level of the Transit
Center will feature a direct pedestrian connection to Metrorail, 17 bus bays, a transit store,
a transit police office, and ancillary WMATA facilities such as an electrical room and
equipment storage area. Pedestrians may enter this level of the Transit Center through the
public park at Wayne Avenue and Colesville Road, via sidewalks on Colesville Road, or
from the Metropolitan Branch Trail. Pedestrians may circulate to higher levels of the Transit
Center using a series of escalators, elevators, and stairs located at various points on the
first level. The Metropolitan Branch Trail provides primary bicycle access, but bicycles may
use the same access points used by pedestrians. Buses enter this level of the Transit
Center from Colesville Road.

The second level of the Transit Center contains the MARC and intercity bus ticketing
facilities, waiting areas and rest rooms, a direct connection to the MARC platforms, 15 bus
bays, and ancillary facilities. Pedestrians may enter this level from stairs or elevators
leading from the park, a passageway through the residential building located at the
intersection of Wayne and Ramsey Avenues, or sidewalks on either side of a driveway
connecting Ramsey Avenue with the Transit Center. Pedestrians may circulate to other
levels of the Transit Center using a series of escalators, elevators, and stairs located at
various points on the second level. Buses enter this level of the Transit Center from
Ramsey Avenue.

The uppermost level of the Transit Center includes the Kiss & Ride parking area, customer
and service entrances for the proposed hotel, a potential pedestrian entrance to the
proposed “Tower 2” residential building, a potential entrance to the proposed underground
garage serving the joint development project, and landscaping. The 23 Kiss & Ride parking
spaces include accommodations for short-term parking, taxis, shared-use cars, and spaces
serving the “Tower 2” building. There is an at-grade pedestrian and vehicular access point
at the intersection of Ramsey Avenue and Bonifant Street. A system of stairs and elevators
connect this level to the levels below.

During construction, the entire site will be affected by the required construction activity and

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as such, there will be no space for the present bus operations and Kiss & Ride parking. In
order to accommodate these needs the functions will be relocated once to an interim facility
which can be operational throughout the entire duration of construction, providing
substantially the same services uninterrupted. Bus operations will take place in the block
surrounded by Wayne Avenue, Dixon Street, Bonifant Street and Ramsey Street. The
ground floor of County Garage 5/55, will serve as the interim Kiss &Ride facility and parking
for patrons requiring ADA-accessible parking spaces. This garage will also have available
an ADA van-accessible parking space.

PROPERTY REQUIREMENTS

The proposed Transit Center Project will be located entirely on WMATA and Montgomery
County-owned properties and public right-of-way. Consequently, no private property will be
required for the project. The existing urban park owned by the Maryland-National Capital
Park and Planning Commission and located on the site will be displaced by the transit
facilities and relocated within the site.

HOW TO REGISTER TO SPEAK AT THE PUBLIC HEARING

All organizations or individuals desiring to be heard with respect to the proposed parking
structures will be afforded the opportunity to present their views and make supporting
statements and to offer alternative proposals. In order to establish a witness list, individuals
and representatives of organizations who wish to be heard at this public hearing are
requested to furnish in writing their name, address, telephone number and organization
affiliation, if any, to Office of the Secretary, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority,
600 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001 noon April 24, 2006. Alternatively, you may
fax this information to Office of the Secretary at (202) 962-1133. Please submit only one
speaker's name per letter. Lists of individual speakers will not be accepted. Others present
at the hearing may be heard after those persons on the witness list have been called and
heard. Public officials will be heard first and will be allowed ten minutes each to make their
presentations. Others who register in advance will be allowed five minutes each and will be
heard in order of registration. Those who do not register in advance will be allowed three
minutes each. Relinquishing of time by one speaker to another will not be permitted.

HOW TO SUBMIT WRITTEN STATEMENTS

Written statements and exhibits may be submitted until close of business on Thursday, May
4, 2006 to Office of the Secretary, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, 600
Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001. Alternatively, you may submit an e-mail to
[email protected]. Please reference the Hearing and Docket Number
shown on the front of this document in your submission.

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REFERENCE MATERIAL AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION

The proposed plans, supporting environmental documents, and other related material may
be inspected during normal business hours at the following locations:

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority

Office of the Secretary, 2nd Floor
600 Fifth Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20001

Montgomery County, Maryland

Department of Public Works and Transportation
Division of Capital Development
Design Section, 11th Floor
101 Monroe Street
Rockville, MD 20850

Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission

Transportation Planning – Room 103
8787 Georgia Avenue
Silver Spring, MD 20910

Silver Spring Regional Center

8435 Georgia Avenue
Silver Spring, MD 20910

Montgomery County Public Library

8901 Colesville Road
Silver Spring, MD 20910

Mid-County Services Center

2424 Reedie Drive
Wheaton, MD 20902

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 TOWER
ONE

TOWER
TWO

3'-0" HIGH PARAPET WALL GARAGE RESIDENTIAL LOBBY

W/ 1'-6" METAL RAILING(TYP.) ACCESS

DN

SCORED CONCRETE SIDEWALK(TYP.)

TAXI TAXI TAXI TAXI POSSIBLE RESIDENTIAL ENTRANCE

HOTEL LOBBY MNCPPC SILVER SPRING
TREE GRATE TYP. WHITE THERMOPLASTIC "STANDARD" PAVING
HOTEL CANOPY AT ALL TREES MARKINGS (TYP.)
+ 326'-10"
ABOVE

HOTEL CONCRETE PAVEMENT (TYP.)

EXPANSION
JOINT

ASPHALT PAVEMENT (TYP.)

COLORED
PATTERNED
PLANTER
CONCRETE

TREE TE
RE P . )
NC ( T Y
CO L K
LIMIT OF

MN TAN
ED W A

WORK

"S
CP DA
HOTEL VEHICULRAR MOVEMENT OR I D E
SC S

PC RD
SI " P
LV AV
HOTEL SERVICE EDGE OF PAVEMENT

ER IN
SP G
RI
NG
BIKERACKS

4'-0" HIGH PARAPET WALL ROUGH GRADED AND SEEDED

ELEVATOR 3
ELEVATOR 4
LINE OF
LINE OF STAIR 4 BENCH (TYP.) LINE OF CANOPY 3 STAIR 3 CANOPY 6 ABOVE
CANOPY 5 ABOVE LOCATIONS & QUANTITY CANOPY 4 ABOVE
TO BE CONFIRMED
ELEVATOR 1
GLAZED 10'-0" HIGH
ELEVATOR 2
AIR RELIEF FROM BELOW

4'-0" HIGH PARAPET WALL ROOF PAVER

TYPE 2

INTERCITY

EM
BUS WAITING

ST
WALK PATH ROUGH GRADED AND SEEDED

SY
927
927SF
SF

1
OF

PE
RO

TY
CANOPY 2

R
N
EE

VE
GR

PA
OF
GREEN ROOF SYSTEM 1'-6" HIGH PARAPET

RO
+ 325'-6" SEAT WALL

DN
MARC WAITING
1108
1108SF
SF 4'-0" HIGH PARAPET WALL

STAIR ENCLOSURE STAIR 5

ROOF BELOW
ESCALATOR ENCLOSURE BRIDGE 1 BELOW BRIDGE 2 BELOW

BIKELOCKERS
BIKERACKS

PROPERTY LINE
1:21 SLOPE DOWN
CONCRETE PAVEMENT AT TRAIL
LIMIT OF WORK

+ 328'-0"

+ 326'-6" + 328'-0"

KEY : PUBLIC CIRCULATION

YELLOW SHADING = PUBLIC PEDESTRIAN

CIRCULATION

BLUE SHADING = VERTICAL CIRCULATION;

STAIRS, ELEVATORS, AND
1 ESCALATORS
A1.22 SCALE:

0 30' 60' 100'