The Lee Problem
You all have heard me say many times that we just need to work to bring the Fillmore Music Hall to Silver Spring. And while I’m still very much in favor of this venue (or something like it), I now recognize we have a problem. It’s not the type of music. It’s not the fact that the organization vying for the old, defunct JC Penney building is a huge corporate conglomerate. And frankly, it’s not even Ike Leggett’s support of the current deal.
The problem is the Lee Family.
In particular, the two men you see in this photo from the Washington Post: cousins Bruce and Blair. These people are the problem.
I understand they’re business people and they’re looking out for their company first. And according to an interesting story in the Washington Post, they don’t trust Montgomery County. I can appreciate that, too. But counting the music hall as public open space so the Lees can wait 15 years to do whatever the hell they want with the adjacent land without county approval might be taking it too far. Add to that more articles outlining opposition for a variety of reasons from WaPo’s Steven Pearlstein and the DCist and it’s too much to ignore. And when Washington Business Journal – a decidedly pro-business publication – has an editorial lambasting both the deal and the Lees themselves, you have to start asking yourself what you believe.
I say screw them. They have enough money, and someone will find some way to pacify these jokers and their self-centered grab for code fulfillment and building rights. Find someplace else to build a music hall. The National Institute of Cleaning & Dyeing on Georgia? Something else in South Silver Spring?
What are the chances of taking these boneheads out of the equation? Blair? Bruce? Can you take the silver spoons out of your mouths long enough to say something for yourselves?
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Two words: eminent domain.
If only the timing had been different, the 1946 Canada Dry Bottling Plant on East West Highway would have made an awesome venue for a music hall.
That would have been excellent. Jerry – do you know the status of the National Institute of Cleaning & Dyeing? Any other options?
And yes, the Lees would have no qualms about using eminent domain to their advantage. Let’s nab the sonofabitch right out from under them.
I have to say I agree with you – the Lee’s are the problem at this point. I suspect there is more to their hesitation to move forward and their obstinacy at this point is tied to other issues. The credit market for real estate development deals is a heap of steaming crap right now. I wouldn’t be surprised if they think they’ll have problems selling this deal to a bank.
We need to find another place for the music hall with another developer. I wonder if there is someway to reconfigure part of Shitty Place to have the music venue fit in there? That would solve a couple of problems.
You can’t help but wonder why that land has been vacant for nearly twenty years. On the other hand, though, we want to see something happen to it – eventually – as it is in the center of Downtown. The Fillmore deal seems like a way to make it happen, even if we have to wait a little longer. After all, we would get the music hall NOW, instead of several more years from now because we decided to break ties with the Lees and go find another site, then have a conflict with that site’s owner, and maybe spark the ire of Live Nation.
We analyze everything to death way too much in Montgomery County. It’s time to make a decision and follow through for once.
EMINENT DOMAIN!!!
If this piece of the pie is as important to Silver Spring’s economic success as Leggett’s office makes it out to be, then seize the damned thing.
I’m also open to having a venue at that Dry Cleaning Institute — right across the street from Montgomery College’s new theater. That would be the shizzite.
The entire point of putting the venue on Colesville Road is to revitalize that half of downtown SS, to put more feet on the ground on Colesville and to create a powerful center for arts & entertainment in the center of Silver Spring. The Dry Cleaning Institute site is fraught with constraints: poor location (no where near the center, an extremely small site, and a building on the historic register that probably cannot be altered enough for this use. The JC Penney site is perfect, but unfortunately the Lees want the perfect deal. And in the perfect world, The Fillmore would have it’s intended effect on Silver Spring and make it much more likely that the Lee’s could risk developing their site sooner. 15 years is a lifetime to wait, for sure.
I’m not a big fan of eminent domain, but I have to say it sounds like a good option here. If the county can take land for the ICC, they sure as hell should take it to save the course of Silver Spring redevelopment.
I disagree with your assessment of the problem. I’ll cede the point that as with most problems, all parties involved can take a little credit for being part of the problem. In this case, comrade, there are some details that are unaddressed in your edict…
1. The Lee’s did not think up this economic development project. Montgomery County Government came up with it. I’d argue that it is likely had Doug Duncan ran as county exec again or had Steve Silverman been elected in 2006, that we’d be talking about or already going to shows at a Birchmere.
2. Montgomery County Government didn’t just start in 2008. Those that have done business in MoCo for a long time have fought many battles, some of them quite zany by standards outside the Beltway or in flyover country. Relative newcomers to this area who don’t actually conduct business with county government might not be aware of the history.
3. The Lee’s aren’t the only landowner in that block of Colesville. Other property owners in that block have not agreed on the value of their property and this has created an issue for economic development to occur as the different properties have not been able to be consolidated.
4. “They have enough money”… do I need remind everyone that the writer is being critical of a small, family owned Silver Spring business? Nothing wrong with criticism but people… think on a bigger level of the ramifications of Thayer’s statement. I don’t know if you he really thought that one all the way through.
I disagree… the Lee’s aren’t “THE” problem. And, raise your hand if you think this thing would have been done already (or that we’d be at a much more advanced stage) had the election of 2006 turned out differently.
I’m also not willing to concede to an inferior location for such an economic development opportunity. Doug Duncan was right again. This *is* the best site. Putting it elsewhere finds us settling again for second best.
@Think People:
To your points…
1. Who cares who thought up the project? The Lees are in it. And while I agree there is plenty of blame to go around, talking about what could have happened had Duncan or Silverman been in office is about as productive as lamenting the loss of the Gore/Lieberman ticket in 2000. Stay in the here and now, please.
2. Note my comment in the post: “And according to… the Washington Post, they don’t trust Montgomery County. I can appreciate that, too.” Zany is a good word to describe the crap that happens around here, for sure.
3. Agreed. But how much does that impact the deal? It’s all inked out, with monetary values and everything. Does a lack of consolidation prohibit the Lee family from making any more concessions? Is that why they want the public use requirement satisfied with this project? And another 15 years to decide what to do while they make money on a parking lot? What’s *really* going to happen? I want live music here as much as anyone else, but is something a little more concrete in terms of future plans for that block’s economic development too much to ask?
4. I’m being critical of a small, family-owned Silver Spring business? Damn right I am. I’ll be critical of whomever I choose – local business or multinational conglomerate. Riddle me this, Batman: What is the total value of the holdings of Lee Development Group? And how do you classify a “small” family-owned business? I honestly don’t know the answer to those questions, and am interested in hearing them.
Finally: No, the Lees are not THE problem. There are lots of problems here. But this is an opinionated blog, and a specific example of taking things to the extreme to make a point. The Lees have to look out for themselves and their business interests, and I appreciate that. But I don’t see anything wrong with pushing hard in the other direction to try to find some middle ground. Do you?
And I agree about the location – we’d be hard pressed to find something better – or even close to “as good” as the old J.C. Penney building. Can’t there be a better deal to be had, though?
Thanks for the thoughts, @Think People.
Just make sure you’re pushing in the right direction. I disagreed with the premise that you typed in bold and set off as its own sentence.
Love, Batman
Fair enough, you caped crusader, you.
“And when Washington Business Journal – a decidedly pro-business publication – has an editorial lambasting both the deal and the Lees themselves, you have to start asking yourself what you believe.”
WHere you aware that the person who wrote the editorial is a buddy of the owner of the 9:30 club who of course does not want competion.