Birchmere to open second venue in Silver Spring

Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2006

Owners of the Birchmere music hall in Virginia have made a deal with Montgomery County, state officials and the Lee Development Group to open a second location in Silver Spring.

A sister venue to the nationally known Alexandria, Va. – based Birchmere would open in about three years on Colesville Road across from the American Film Institute’s Silver Theatre, according to Jim Matthews, a Birchmere partner.

The second Birchmere, to be built behind the façade of the old J.C. Penney building, would have more seats than the Alexandria hall, Matthews said.

At the request of Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan (D), Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) has agreed to commit $4 million to the project, which the county would match.

The state’s contribution ‘‘will either be $4 million this year or $2 million this year and $2 million [later],” said Henry Fawell, an Ehrlich spokesman.

Much of the county’s contribution would also come from public funds, but the amount is to be determined in negotiations with Birchmere owners and Lee Development.

Lee Development would donate the land and build the new hall as a community amenity, as part of a plan to develop adjoining sites, said Bruce Lee, LDG’s president.

The project has the support of two Democrats seen as most likely to succeed Duncan as county executive – former county councilman Isiah Leggett and current Councilman Steven A. Silverman.