WASHINGTON — This fall, a temporary park loaded with features is scheduled to open near the Silver Spring Metro station.
The 1.9-acre park is expected to open in October at the Blairs apartments, giving residents and the public something to enjoy while a more than 3-million-square-foot, mixed-use neighborhood is built.
That project, the Blairs Master Plan, will take at least 20 years to complete.
“It’s a lot of development on the order of magnitude of Pike & Rose, the Yards (and) other large-scale projects around the D.C. area,” said Sri Velamati, chief operating officer at the Tower Companies, the project’s developer.
The temporary park will be much more than just grass, he said.
It will include trees, playground equipment and a stage.
“We’ve actually started having conversations with music vendors and music venues in the area to try to do summer concert series,” Velamati said. “We’re also looking to add a simplified outdoor fitness experience, and couple that with a mulch jogging trail that goes around the area.”
Also under consideration is a feature Velamati called an “urban farm,” where produce can be grown and sold to residents or used by one of the restaurants on the property.
“We think that’s an interesting trend, and we are fortunate enough and we’ve been blessed enough to have land to be able to at least make an attempt in that direction,” he said.
The park will eventually be replaced by a new building, but Velamati said it’s too soon to say exactly when.
