An animal hospital in Silver Spring could be transformed into a child care center for infants through 5-year-olds, according to a proposal submitted to the county’s Planning Department.
The Montgomery Planning Board in 2001 approved construction of an animal hospital on the property at 811 Sligo Ave. The two-story animal hospital was built in 2004 and is operated by Ambassador Animal Hospital Inc., according to planning documents.
Now, developer Woodmont Acquisitions, LLC, has proposed an amendment to the approved use of the site to operate a child care facility in place of the animal hospital.
The child care center would be operated by Kiddie Academy.
Kiddie Academy has locations in 29 states, including 18 in Maryland. The Silver Spring location would be the company’s second in Montgomery County. A Kiddie Academy is located on Gaither Drive in Gaithersburg.
The property is located near the Silver Spring Metro station and a future Purple Line light rail station.
Kiddie Academy would provide child care services for 191 children, according to development application materials. The project would produce approximately 30 new jobs and replace the existing parking lot with a 4,675-square-foot play area. Developers would include 13 new parking spaces in different areas of the property which “will be more than adequate to serve the parents of enrolled children,” the development application says. Employees would park in nearby parking garages.
To “enliven” the front of the building, developers plan to devote about 1,700 square feet of property to play space for children and an additional 800 square feet for public space, including benches and new landscaping.
A date for Planning Board review has not been set.
The average weekly cost of child care in Montgomery County is about $300 per child, according to county data. In 2017, Silver Spring had 248 child care centers, according to the data.
Caitlynn Peetz can be reached at caitlynn.peetz@moco360.media
