Last updated 5/5/2000
WHAT'S UP AT WOODMOOR?If you're a Silver Spring redevelopment junkie (like I am), the next six months are sure to bring a bounty of wonders and excitement. Within weeks, Foulger Pratt will start working on the renovation of the Silver Theater and building the bookstore, hotel, restaurants and modern theaters along Fenton and Ellsworth. This spring, Discovery Communications will establish its first presence in Silver Spring by reopening the old Caldor Building on East-West Highway. Later in the summer, the Tastee Diner will move to a new, spacious locale off Ramsey and construction will begin on Discovery's headquarters building. With all of this excitement downtown, you might not have noticed the changes going on to our north at Woodmoor Shopping Center.As many of you know, the 50 year old shopping center has frequently
been the source of controversy between the owners and local residents over
proposed expansions into the Woodmoor neighborhood. Recently, First Washington
REIT bought the property from the Keller brothers and is showing signs
of revitalizing the shopping center. The auto repair shop in front has
been removed to make room for additional parking. Discussions are underway
to bring a new coffee shop or cafe to existing retail space. Also, the
County's Department of Housing and Economic Development has budgeted money
next year to upgrade the shopping center's appearance as a way to attract
new retailers to the area. Coupled with the continued success of the deli,
bakery, bird center, Silver Spring stage, and other establishments, there
is renewed hope that Woodmoor Shopping Center will flourish over the next
several years.
Long Branch Library to Close for RenovationsLong Branch Library on Garland Avenue is scheduled to close May 1 to prepare for a $1.9 million renovation. To provide the community with continued services, a bookmobile, large enough to accommodate 4,000 items, will be located at Flower and Arliss. Long Branch on Wheels will operate from 2 to 7:30 pm Mondays, 3:30 to 7:30 pm Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, and 10 am to 4:30 pm Saturdays. For more information, call (301) 565-7410.(Back to Top) Home SalesIndian Spring is a terrific neighborhood and you wouldn't dream of leaving. But what might happen if you were to put your house on the market tomorrow? Here are some statistics on how we fared in 1999:
Just how quickly did these homes sell? The average time on the market is little more than a month or 34 days. However, if you leave out the five homes that were on the market for 90 days or more, the average is reduced to 16 days. Nearly 50 percent of homes had contracts on them in seven days; two homes sold in one, but the Speedy Gonzalez award goes to the home that sold in zero days. Breakdown by Price
If there is a lesson to be learned here perhaps it is that if you're planning to move, you had better buy your next house before you set out the For Sale sign! Raw data for this article was provided courtesy of Charles Wilson, RE/MAX Metropolitan Realty
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Five
percent, or 38 of the 778 homes in our neighborhood, changed owners last
year. Twenty-six of these transactions involved buyer subsidies totaling
$110,217 or approximately $5,511 each. As a whole, sellers received more
than they asked for. The average list price was $191,240 while the average
selling price was $193,612.