There is a lot of space in the Silver Spring Civic Building. And a lot of debate over it, too. (Photo: TBD Staff)

Correction: The original version of this post misspelled the name of Silver Spring Town Center, Inc.'s president, Jon Lourie. It's since been corrected.

There's 42,000 square feet of space in the Silver Spring Civic Building, and yet, so much of the discussion is about just one room.

Round House Theatre had a sweet deal with the county in which the nonprofit performance group was given free, dedicated space to use in the new building. Other groups could still rent rooms, but at discounted rates that some still felt were too high.

Then Round House gave a room back for community use. And that one room — the Spring Room — has been sitting empty, lights off, ever since.

Now there is growing support to place the nonprofit Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. in charge of figuring out who gets to use the room and for what purpose. President Jon Lourie says the idea is to give the room to community groups to use for an outward-oriented purpose, and to rent the room at an affordable rate. The Silver Spring Commercial Economic Development Committee drafted a letter proposing such an arrangement, and it could soon be sent to County Executive Isiah Leggett.

“I like the idea. We have to think outside the box here,” said CED committee chairwoman Jessica Fosillo at a Wednesday night meeting. “The Spring Room, originally they were not going to have to think about it.”

The alternative is the current arrangement: the county’s Community Use of Public Facilities, based in Rockville, makes the reservations and collects the money.

The Spring Room is all that’s left for a community activist like Sorrel Fischer, who for more than 20 years had eagerly awaited the opening of a building meant for community use.

“Right from the beginning this building was never intended to be a county building. It’s not what it’s supposed to be,” she said at the meeting. “Finally we get one room to use as the entire building was intended to be used.”