County Proposes Creating Permit Parking Zone in Large Swath of East Silver Spring

Area under consideration for new zone is within 4,000 feet of planned Purple Line stations

Montgomery County’s Department of Transportation is considering creating a large residential permit parking zone in East Silver Spring in advance of the Purple Line being built.

The proposed residential area that would be restricted to permit parking would be within 4,000 feet of Purple Line stations and would stretch from the downtown Silver Spring area in the west to the Prince George’s County line in the east, and from Franklin Avenue in the north to border of the City of Takoma Park in the south.

The proposed new residential permit parking zone is shaded in purple. Via Montgomery County (click to expand)

The transportation department has scheduled a public hearing to collect input on the proposal for 7 p.m. Feb. 28 in the Great Hall of the Silver Spring Civic Building at 1 Veteran Place.

The zone would extend out from four planned Silver Spring-area Purple Line stations—Dale Drive, Manchester Place, Long Branch and Piney Branch Road.

In a press release, the department said establishing the zone before the Purple Line is built in the area “will provide residents the opportunity to mitigate impacts the project may have on neighborhood parking.”

Construction on the 16.2-mile light-rail line began in August and is expected to be completed in 2022. Once built, it will stretch from Bethesda in the west to New Carrollton in Prince George’s County in the east.

Owners of vehicles parking in county permit parking zones must have a permit to park there from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, although the county can extend those hours or apply restrictions on weekends on a case-by-case basis.

The county already has permit parking only zones near Metro stations such as in residential communities close to downtown Silver Spring and downtown Bethesda.