Plans for a redevelopment project to preserve the historic Tastee Diner dining car as part of a 30-story mixed-use residential building in downtown Silver Spring are set to move forward.
The county’s Planning Board unanimously approved the preliminary and sketch plans from D.C.-based Roadside Development for a high-rise proposed for the site. MoCo360 reported on Thursday that some nearby residents expressed concerns about traffic, height, and property values before the July 18 Planning Board vote (video below).
Tastee Diner at 8601 Cameron Ave. closed abruptly in March 2023 after owner Gene Wilkes sold the property for $3.1 million to Roadside, citing health concerns. Wilkes and Roadside had been in discussions for over a year regarding the sale of the restaurant in downtown Silver Spring. Tastee Diner’s Bethesda and Laurel locations remain open.
Roadside purchased the adjacent Capital One Bank property for $2.7 million in August 2022.
D.C.-based Bonstra | Haresign Architects is in charge of designing the 30-story project (PDF), which is expected to house up to 525 residential units, 15 percent of which will be moderately priced dwelling units (MPDUs) as required by county rules. Roadside expects a grocery store to anchor much of the commercial space.
The next step for Roadside will be to submit a site plan for the project.
The Tastee Diner redevelopment project is one of two major residential projects planned for downtown Silver Spring; plans for a 450-unit residential tower to be constructed above Ellsworth Place were approved by the county’s Planning Board earlier this year.
Additionally, the 375-unit Atwell on Spring complex, located at the former Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission headquarters at 8787 Georgia Ave., is nearing completion. The complex, which will feature Rockville-based natural and organic grocery store chain MOM’s Organic Market as an anchor tenant, is expected to open later this year.
Concept Renderings Courtesy of Bonstra | Haresign Architects / Montgomery Planning