Chevy Chase Lake is a multi-phase, mixed-use development at the intersection of Connecticut Avenue and Manor Road in Chevy Chase, Maryland. The project will be adjacent to the Capital Crescent Trail and a future station on the Purple Line – a light rail line planned to run from nearby downtown Bethesda east to New Carrolton, Maryland.
Approved by the Montgomery County Planning Board on May 25th, the first phase of the project will include three buildings focused on a neighborhood square. The buildings vary in heights from 6- to 11-stories and will house a blend of 530 rental and condo units. Anchored by an urban-format grocery store, the community will be further supported with 110,000 SF of retail and restaurants.
The design of Chevy Chase Lake incorporates a number architectural styles to add variety to its fabric. While actually made up of just three large structures, the varying facades will break down the scale of the neighborhood to seem as though there are eight distinct buildings. Thoughtful detailing of the façades, silhouettes, and roof elements create a place that is timeless and familiar with a comfortable sense of scale.
While the neighborhood square will serve as the heart of the project, it is important that it not create an overly inward-focused enclave divorced from the surrounding established neighborhoods. Accordingly, the shape of the square is fashioned into a subtle wedge, defined by building faces to the north and south that are slightly angles. This creates a forced perspective that opens up views into the Chevy Chase Lake project from Connecticut Avenue.
The project provides additional porosity to the surrounding neighborhoods with a network of intimately scaled, pedestrian-friendly streets providing connections to Connecticut Avenue, Manor Road and Chevy Chase Lake Drive. One of these, New Street, is another of the project’s primary urban design elements, forming the primary inner north-south circulation route. It employs two angled breaks in its north-south linear geometry that create interesting terminal vistas from within. Buildings 2 and 3 are now leasing and have achieved LEED Silver certification
