"Bottleworks Lane Urban Park references the park's industrial roots while honoring the former Coca-Cola Bottling Works plant on the site and the nearby former Canada Dry Bottling Works plant," Montgomery Parks planning supervisor Henry Coppola said in 2025, when the name won a public vote with 71 percent, according to Source of the Spring.
The park opened on September 18 at 1110 East-West Highway, on a one-acre lot that used to be a National Tire and Battery. Eight days later, at the north end of downtown, the Commas food hall at Ellsworth Place held a grand reopening a year after it first opened.
Those two September events pulled downtown's fall in opposite directions. The north end is a mall getting a second start under new management. The south end is a former industrial strip turning into a place where people go after work. The Purple Line's busiest remaining construction this fall is between them, at Wayne Avenue and Fenton Street. If you're planning an October or November around downtown, all three matter.
The North End Is Restarting Under a Receiver
Ellsworth Place had a rough 2025 and early 2026. Owner GBT Realty fell behind on the $69 million loan it took out to buy the mall in 2018, and the loan went to special servicing. Outback Steakhouse closed suddenly in October 2025. TJ Maxx and TD Bank left early this year. TJ Maxx shut its doors on January 3 after ten years at the mall.
In January, a Montgomery County Circuit Court judge appointed Spinoso Real Estate Group as receiver. Spinoso took over property management, leasing and marketing in February. According to the 2026 coverage, GBT still owns the property. The change is in who runs the building day to day. Spinoso said it would focus on merchandising, leasing, operations and the customer experience.
The first visible result is in the old TJ Maxx space, where DMV Furniture Outlet opened in early September. The second is on the third floor.
What Changed at Commas
Commas is a 13,000-square-foot food hall in the former F21 Red space. It opened in September 2025, and two of its best-known vendors had been closed since June while their agreements were rewritten under the new management. The food hall said the transition let it restructure vendor contracts and improve its communication and marketing, according to coverage by Bethesda Magazine.
Here's what stood as of the September 28 update:
- Kellem Coffee is new and open.
- Tato's is back. It serves loaded fries, wedges and build-your-own baked potatoes, and it has a second location at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda.
- Tokoa Cheesesteaks is back.
- Nips Juice House closed its Cameron Street shop in August to move into Commas. The new stall was still waiting on county permits.
If you stopped going during the summer gap, the food hall has more open stalls now than it did in July. Before you walk over for a juice, check that Nips has actually opened.
The 450-unit residential tower approved above the mall in 2024 is still an open question. Bisnow said in February that its status was unclear, and Spinoso's announcement only covered the retail side.
The South End Got Downtown's Second New Park
Bottleworks Lane Park is the second urban park to open downtown in recent years. The first was Gene Lynch Park, the triangle at Colesville Road and Wayne Avenue. The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission bought the site for $7.5 million in 2021. Montgomery Parks started construction in 2023, beginning with cleanup of contaminated soil from the old auto center.
The park packs a lot into one acre. There are separate dog runs for large and small dogs, a multipurpose court for basketball and futsal, outdoor fitness equipment, and spaces for ping pong, cornhole and bocce. You'll also find a playground with nature-play features, picnic lawns, and a plaza and terrace for small events.
The block around the park is filling in too. Emma's Torch opened June 12 at 1200 East-West Highway. It's a café and culinary training center serving breakfast, lunch, weekend brunch, pastries and coffee, with seating for about 60. Dacha Beer Garden is coming to 1115 East-West Highway, directly across from the park. It's still listed as upcoming. Demolition of the old structures was underway in April, and no opening date has been announced. The planned menu includes German, Belgian and American craft beer, cider, cocktails, bratwurst, schnitzel and pretzels.
Right now, a dog walk, coffee at Emma's Torch and a round of bocce all fit on one block of East-West Highway. Once Dacha opens, that block will have evening hours too.
Wayne and Fenton Is the Hinge This Fall
Walk from Ellsworth Place down to East-West Highway and you'll pass two of this summer's daytime food openings. Easy Like Sunday, a brunch restaurant, opened in late July at 8455 Fenton Street and is open daily from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Shah's Halal Food opened by early July at 8517 Colesville Road, in the former Jerry's Subs and Pizza. Farther up Colesville, Lemon Slice Cafe at 8737 Colesville Road changed hands in September when founder Beth Yohannes left Silver Spring.
That same route crosses the Purple Line's remaining work. WTOP reported the project 92 percent complete on October 5. It also reported that the Wayne Avenue and Fenton Street intersection will close overnight from October 5 through about October 15. The project's own updates list more overnight work on the same streets:
| Dates | Location | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Oct. 5 to about Oct. 15 | Wayne Ave. and Fenton St. intersection | Overnight closure |
| Oct. 26 to Nov. 6 | Wayne Ave. between Fenton St. and Cedar St. | Overnight work |
| Nov. 8 to Nov. 17 | Wayne Ave. and Fenton St. intersection | Overnight work |
Work is also continuing at the Silver Spring Transit Center station and on Bonifant Street. The east end of Bonifant is one-way eastbound during construction. Most of the overnight windows won't affect a daytime brunch. They will affect a late drive home from The Fillmore or AFI Silver through Fenton Village.
On the bigger question of when trains start running, MTA's Ray Biggs told the County Council's Transportation and Environment Committee that the contract date is still December 30, 2027. He called the timeline "dynamic," and Committee Chair Evan Glass asked whether April 2028 was more realistic. Biggs said the final date depends on safety testing.
The Calendar Runs Along the Same Line
Most of this fall's downtown events are at the north end, on Veterans Plaza, at AFI Silver and at The Fillmore. That puts them a short walk from Commas and a longer walk from the new park.
| Date | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Through Oct. 7 | AFI Latin American Film Festival, final dates | AFI Silver Theatre, 8633 Colesville Rd. |
| Sun., Oct. 11, 1 to 9 p.m. | Bachata & Salsa Festival | Veterans Plaza |
| Sun., Oct. 25, noon to 5 p.m. | Silver Spring Fall-O-Ween | Veterans Plaza |
| Sat., Nov. 14, 4 to 11 p.m. | Inaugural Silver Spring Showcase Community Concert | The Fillmore |
| Sat., Nov. 21, 10 a.m. | Montgomery County Thanksgiving Parade | Ellsworth Dr. and Fenton St., south on Georgia Ave. |
The Bachata & Salsa Festival has dancing, live music, performances, food and vendors. Fall-O-Ween has costume parades for both kids and pets, plus crafts and treats. The Showcase concert brings local and regional acts to The Fillmore, including Elikeh and The Nighthawks.
The parade route runs south on Georgia Avenue to Silver Spring Avenue. The official parade page lists Saturday, November 21, but its road-closure section says "Saturday, November 22." Check the final closure schedule before you plan parking around it.
Still Waiting on a Date
Several places on both ends of downtown still have no opening date:
- Dacha Beer Garden, 1115 East-West Highway. Still listed as upcoming as of mid-September.
- Momiji Sushi & Izakaya, 1201 Fidler Lane. Hiring as of September 14, with no opening date announced.
- Nips Juice House at Commas. Waiting on county permits as of September 28.
Dacha will sit directly across East-West Highway from Bottleworks Lane Park, so its opening date is the one to watch for anyone who uses the new park.
Downtown Silver Spring has changed a lot this year, from a mall in receivership to a park on a former bottling plant site. If you own nearby and want to talk through what changes like these mean for your home or your plans, Melissa Davey and The DMV Dream Team will give you a clear, honest read. Schedule a free consultation.
