At 1110 East-West Highway, the lot that once held a National Tire and Battery auto center now has a multipurpose court, separate runs for large and small dogs, and a bocce court. Montgomery Parks scheduled the ribbon-cutting for Bottleworks Lane Park on Friday, September 18, 2026, with live music and food and beer trucks. By September 24 the department listed it among its open parks.
The park covers one acre. It was designed as the active partner to the quiet little park down the block, and together the two give the neighborhood south of the tracks something it never had before.
The Tracks Drew the Old Park Map
Downtown Silver Spring has always had a seam running through it. Montgomery Parks' project page describes the South Silver Spring District as cut off from the rest of downtown by the rail tracks. That makes a park within the district "a critical walk-to public space" for the people who live and work there.
The planners also heard a specific complaint. Bethesda Magazine reported that residents told them the area was quickly becoming denser and more developed, yet it had no active recreation space. Lead planner Ching-Fang Chen described the project to the magazine in March 2025 as "the opportunity to really offer this service for the community."
The site plan grew out of feedback from more than 500 stakeholders who live, work or spend time downtown. The same planning process called for buying this exact property.
One Acre, Packed for Use
The amenity list reads like a request list from a neighborhood that had to cross the tracks for nearly everything. According to the Montgomery Parks announcement, the park includes:
- A multipurpose court for basketball, futsal and general play
- An exercise area with outdoor fitness equipment for all levels
- Game spaces for ping-pong, cornhole and bocce
- A multi-age playground with nature play features
- Dog runs, with separate areas for large and small dogs
- Picnic and lawn areas
- A community plaza and terrace for gatherings and small events
"Bottleworks Lane Park brings much-needed park space to downtown Silver Spring where neighbors can get together and enjoy time outdoors."
That's Montgomery Parks director Miti Figueredo, quoted in the department's September 8 release.
If you're planning an after-work dog walk, timing matters this time of year. The park page doesn't list hours of its own. Montgomery Parks' dog park rules say most dog parks follow the hours of the park they sit in, generally dawn to dusk unless a sign says otherwise. As October evenings get shorter, so does that window.
Built as the Loud Half of a Pair
Bottleworks makes the most sense next to its neighbor. Acorn Urban Park, a 0.3-acre park at 8060 Newell Street, has the historic acorn-shaped gazebo, a spring grotto, shade trees and benches. Montgomery Parks set out the goal plainly: Bottleworks would be an active recreation space that complements "the historic and contemplative setting of Acorn Park."
That pairing changes how the whole downtown park map works. Here's how the four nearest Montgomery Parks options compare, based on the department's own park pages:
| Park | Size | What it's built for |
|---|---|---|
| Acorn Urban Park | 0.3 acre | Gazebo, spring grotto, shade and benches |
| Bottleworks Lane Park | 1 acre | Court, fitness, games, playground, large and small dog runs |
| Ellsworth Park | 3.6 acres | Playground, tennis courts, picnic tables, dog park with small and large enclosures |
| Jesup Blair Park | 15 acres | Playground, soccer field, lighted basketball and tennis courts, amphitheater, walking paths |
Before September, Ellsworth was the downtown option with split dog enclosures. Montgomery Parks describes it as a short walk from downtown. Bottleworks now offers the same large-and-small setup on the south side of the tracks, one block from Acorn's gazebo. A quiet bench and a basketball court are now a short walk apart in South Silver Spring, and that's the combination the planners were aiming for.
Five Years From Tire Shop to Ribbon
The timeline explains why the park took a while to appear. Pieced together from Montgomery Parks, Source of the Spring and Bethesda Magazine:
- 2021: The County Council approved $7.5 million to buy the site. M-NCPPC completed the purchase of the former National Tire and Battery property in late 2021.
- Spring 2022 through fall 2022: Concept planning, then public outreach through an online Open Town Hall forum and an in-person event.
- Fall 2023 to fall 2024: The vacant auto center came down, and crews cleaned up soil contaminated by the site's earlier industrial use.
- 2025: The name went to a public vote. Bottleworks Lane Park beat Kennet Street Urban Park and South Silver Spring Urban Park.
- September 2026: Ribbon-cutting scheduled for September 18.
The name points to the block's industrial past. Montgomery Parks says "Bottleworks" honors the former Coca-Cola Bottling Works plant on the site and the former Canada Dry Bottling Works plant nearby. Bethesda Magazine places that Canada Dry plant at 1202 East-West Highway.
The Cut-Through Is Part of the Plan
The park was also meant to work as a shortcut. The planning process recommended buying the property for a park and for "a through-block connection between East-West Highway and Kennett Street." The park fills the block between those two streets.
Montgomery Parks also says the park connects directly to the future Green Loop, which is meant to link major public spaces across downtown's districts. So far, that remains a plan. We didn't find a 2026 report of any Green Loop segment being built or funded under that name.
What's Still Coming Across East-West Highway
The blocks around the park are filling in, but slowly, and nothing below has an opening date yet.
Dacha Beer Garden is renovating the former Denizens space across the street from the park, according to Bethesda Magazine's September 11 report. The magazine said the opening timeline was unclear. Back in April, Source of the Spring reported demolition underway at 1115 East-West Highway with no opening date set.
Momiji Sushi & Izakaya at 1201 Fidler Lane was hiring ahead of opening as of mid-September. Source of the Spring reported that it filed for a use-and-occupancy permit in mid-August but still had no official opening date.
If you need coffee before the dog run, Adulis Coffee & Roastery at 7825 Eastern Avenue is the nearby café we could confirm is open. Source of the Spring has covered it as a coffee roastery and café.
Once Dacha opens, the stretch of East-West Highway by the park will have a beer garden facing a dog run and a bocce court. Until then, the park is the reason to walk this block.
We love watching corners like 1110 East-West Highway change, and we keep track of which blocks south of the tracks are getting new parks and storefronts. If you live near Bottleworks and wonder how the park and the openings around it affect your street, Branches Realty is right here in Silver Spring and happy to talk it through. Talk to a Local Broker.
