Construction of a childcare center began this month at the former Silver Spring Library site at 8901 and 8907 Colesville Road near downtown Silver Spring.
The county’s Department of General Services issued a Request for Development Proposals for the county-owned parcel in 2016. The County Council decided to develop the former Silver Spring Library site as an early childhood education and development center, with the Planning Board approving the preliminary plans for the facility in 2021.
According to the project’s website, permits were received this year for the building plans submitted to the county’s Department of Permitting Services in June 2022. A special appropriation was approved by the County Council for the planning, design, and construction of sewer capacity improvements on the county-owned property last year.
D.C.-based CentroNía will operate the Martha B. Gudelsky Child Development Center, which is expecting to welcome a minimum of 120 children from birth to five years of age. The center’s Early Care Programs will serve a minimum of 75% of attendees from families eligible for free and reduced lunches under federal guidelines.
Parking lot construction is currently underway at the facility, which will also include a 450-square-foot multipurpose space with a kitchen, which can be used by the general public when not in use by the childhood center. The project was designed by D.C.-based Moya Design Partners.
The project is scheduled to be completed by the summer of 2024, and the facility is expected to open shortly thereafter, once state licensing requirements have been met.
Photo by David Lay