Wheaton Town Square: Could Silver Spring Be a Model?

As developers put together plans for a new Wheaton and prepare to submit proposals by the end of July, one of the things they will need to keep in mind is how to integrate a town square into Wheaton’s urban core.

This town square concept is something that Wheaton residents and business owners have consistently said they are excited about; they have expressed a strong desire for a creative, green space where the community can gather in Wheaton’s downtown area.

Part of the vision behind this plaza would be to boost Wheaton’s economic growth by encouraging foot traffic in the central business district.

So, what does Wheaton want this town square to look like? One potential model could be found in neighboring Silver Spring: the combination of the Silver Spring Civic Building and Veterans Plaza.

The civic building offers public meeting space and features an art gallery; Veterans Plaza is the site of a weekly market. In the summer, musicians and other performers entertain crowds; in the winter, skaters crowd the ice rink.

Reemberto Rodriguez, director of the Silver Spring Regional Services Center, shared some insights about this public space in a blog post he wrote earlier this week. He identifies four groups of people that made the civic center and plaza a reality: the Dreamers and the Doers, the Bureaucratic Champions, the Engaged Neighborcrats, and the Private Sector Interests.

Rodriguez writes: “We were proactive in providing the ice-skating rink, the Market, and the Gallery. But beyond that, we provided very little guidance as to what was supposed to go on in the place. Generally, the social and cultural marketplace gave us what we have today.”