Monday, June 27, 2016

Chevy Chase Lake on the verge of transformation (Photos)

Chevy Chase Lake rivals Westbard as one of the places in Montgomery County that will be leveled and completely rebuilt with new development, thanks to plans recently passed by the County Council and Planning Board. What is mind-blowing about comparing the two, however, is how much the difference reveals about the ineptness of those two bodies.

Here at Chevy Chase Lake, the planned Purple Line light rail station gave some justification for taller building heights and greater density. But heights at Westbard, where there is no rail transit, will actually exceed the heights allowed at Chevy Chase Lake, which is right at a rail station.
Note building heights:
120' right at the Purple Line
station here; 122' and counting
at Westbard, where there is
no rail transit

Plaza and open space
locations; grey spaces
within building B3 at right
are interior courtyards

Aerial view of Phase 1
construction

Elements designed to activate
the civic open space right
off of Connecticut Avenue
A couple of other things stand out in the plans unveiled by the Chevy Chase Land Company and Bozzuto, partners in the redevelopment of the initial phase of construction here.
Purple Line Plaza. All of that
grey space below the green in
the center? That's how massive
the Purple Line facility
will be
First, get a load of just how wide the Purple Line facility is going to be, with the two tracks, trail and buffers. It is completely different in scale from its earliest days as a one-track train or trolley line. It's commendable that they have planned a Purple Line Plaza, as opposed to just building right up against the station all the way along the facility.
I particularly like
the buildings on the left
and top center of this
slide. Very grand designs
that impart a residential
character
Second, I like the approach the developers have taken to the architecture here. Putting the controversial question of how tall and dense Chevy Chase Lake should have been aside, they are taking inspiration from some of the kinds of residential buildings you would find much further down Connecticut Avenue in the District.

Like many of the great, older apartment buildings in D.C., these sample designs are not only grand and traditional, but have architectural elements that emphasize they are residential in nature. So they have more ornamental rooflines, as opposed to just being a box. I think that is a positive in spots like this and Westbard, where the surroundings are squarely suburban and residential.

While the designs shown in the developers' recent presentation to the community make a few contemporary concessions, they do have elements that capture some of the grand designs you'll find in the District. It's certainly going to help make the final product stand out. Massachusetts Avenue N.W. is another thoroughfare where you can see many older apartment towers in D.C. that, thanks to their architects, haven't lost any of their luster.


What's the timeline here? The developers are hoping for approval from the Planning Board by March of 2017. Shovels will go into the dirt in the first quarter of 2018, if the schedule holds, and delivery of these three buildings is anticipated in the third quarter of 2020.
View from Manor Road
into the new development
down a yet-to-be-named
new street
Some nice architecture of the past will be lost here for sure. The arched openings in the facades of the Chevy Chase Supermarket, and the even-taller ones in the Chevy Chase Lake Centers across the street, come to mind.

Jos. A Bank and T.W. Perry have already cleared out (T.W. Perry has moved to its new location on Brookville Road in Silver Spring). Here's a look at the waning moments of a vintage "last gas" commercial district, which like Montgomery Hills east of here, will soon head into the sunset:























Photos: Robert Dyer
Renderings courtesy Chevy Chase Land Company, Bozzuto, David M. Schwarz Architects, VIKA, Martin Architectural; All rights reserved

48 comments:

Anonymous said...

Bye bye Chevy Chase Super, hello nightmare traffic on Conn Ave. Glad I'm in Bethesda. Never, ever going over there again after all this. Plus years of construction delays. Ugh!

Anonymous said...

"Here at Chevy Chase Lake, the planned Purple Line light rail station gave some justification for taller building heights and greater density"

I think the Chevy Chase NIMBY's would disagree with you Dyer (See: 6:13). It doesn't matter that the development is common sense or not, wealthy residents in the lower half of the county (especially inside the Beltway) will alwaysoppose:

a) anything taller than 5 stories within half mile of a sfh
b) affordable housing projects

Of course it's not restricted to the Mont. Co, as JBG will soon discover as it pursues the redevelopment of Marriott Wardman Park.

Anonymous said...

How far is metro from Chevy Chase Lake?

Can they bring purple line to Westbard also?

Anonymous said...

Why no hand-wringing over the "non-conforming" Saul Building?

Anonymous said...

I hope they build tons of high end, super expensive residential units here to help the #PriceDyerOuttaBethesda movement

#TheTimeIsNow #GetHimOut #CleanUpBethesda #MakeBethesdaSafeAgain

Anonymous said...

"...get a load of..."

I haven't heard that phrase in about four decades.

Anonymous said...

Why do you keep talking about pricing him out of Bethesda? That's stupid.

Anonymous said...

@7:32 that makes you old and deaf

Anonymous said...

Flood the Lake!

Anonymous said...

@ 7:39 AM - I wasn't counting Bugs Bunny and Flintstones re-runs, Birdbrain.

Anonymous said...

@ 6:35 AM -

Distance from Bethesda Metro Station (Wisconsin Ave. @ Elm St.) to:

1) Chevy Chase Lake Purple Line station - 1.25 miles

2) Westbard (River Road @ Capital Crescent Trail) - 1.35 miles.

Anonymous said...

That 12-story building would look great in Westbard.

Anonymous said...

Purple line to Westbard makes great sense.

Anonymous said...

@8:01 me either. Sorry, you're still old and deaf. And ignorant too.
TMZ article from Feb 2016 Headline:
"New Batmoblie Wait'll They Get a Load of Me"

Deadpool movie (2016)
"Wait 'til you get a load of me"

Anonymous said...

This comment is off-topic and will be deleted.

Anonymous said...

Robert deleted this comment.

Anonymous said...

Robert deleted his account.

Anonymous said...

They did a nice design on the buildings. It has a cohesive look, similar to Pike & Rose.

Anonymous said...

9:42 AM: Great, you found two examples from the entire Internet, and both are from works of fiction.

Anonymous said...

TMZ is The National Enquirer for Millennial slackers.

Anonymous said...

It's a tagline on half the Deadpool posters. BTW, didn't check the whole entire internet. Only movie posters, since it's on a favorite of mine from Deadpool.

Just admit it, simply because *you* haven't heard it in 40 years, doesn't mean it hasn't been said. Your *insulting* response fell flat. It happens.

Anonymous said...

11:24 AM - what does any of this have to do with the new development at Chevy Chase Lake?

Anonymous said...

3 minutes. LOL

Anonymous said...

Oh cool so if they add purple line to west bard then all Dyer's distance from metro concerns will be addressed to the same satisfaction level as Chevy Chase Lake?

Anonymous said...

Who needs the Purple Line? I'll already be home. I bag groceries on Westbard and I'm already submitting my down payment on my new EYA townhome in the new Westwood!

Anonymous said...

The Purple Line will be extended first to Westbard and from there, to the Silver Line at McLean. A nice quick two-seat ride to Dulles from Lyttonsville, Chevy Chase Lake, Bethesda and Westbard. No more Bridges to Nowhere.

Anonymous said...

The traffic congestion and gridlock will be felt by everyone for the next decade and beyond
. I can hardly wait. Our schools will look like trailer parks (BCC had them in the late 70's) and our roads will be.. well..the same old 70's roads just quadruple the number of vehicles. Boy, somebody's getting rich from this Urban crap!

Anonymous said...

@1:52 making america great again like it was in the 70's.

Anonymous said...

Notice how NIMBYs never, ever suggest expanding existing schools, or building new schools.

Anonymous said...

@ 3:04PM You are nuts! NIMBYs, as you call them, have been pleading for years for either option for Walter Johnson HS.

Robert Dyer said...

1:08: I haven't seen a grocery bagger in that store for years - which dimension are you contacting us from?

Robert Dyer said...

12:52: There is indeed a secret plan to extend the Purple Line - that's one of the reasons the Council delayed rezoning of River Road, and made the Kenwood Professional Building and Westwood Tower "conforming" structures, so they can be torn down and higher towers built when the Purple Line comes through.

But the point in this article is that the Council approved heights EXCEEDING the Purple Line heights at Westbard WITHOUT a Purple Line project in place. I think even you would agree this defies all logic.

Anonymous said...

@ 3:46 PM - As usual, you're nuts, Dyer. I've been in that Giant many times and I've never noticed any lack of baggers.

Maybe they're just hiding from you.

Anonymous said...

Chevy Chase Lake: "View from Manor Road into the new development down a yet-to-be-named new street"

Westbard: "Cookie-cutter concrete canyon!"

Robert Dyer said...

5:11: Don't tell me, they still have Parcel Pickup out front, too, in your dimension?

Robert Dyer said...

5:16: Both are factual statements - what's your point?

Anonymous said...

"I can't picture a universe in which Dyer wins any elected seat anywhere, much less in MoCo. The guy is as unlikeable and kookie as they come. He's like Ted Cruz meets Napoleon Dynamite."

Anonymous said...

Hey how come you can't comment on a small handful of posts?

Anonymous said...

You realize "cookie-cutter concrete canyon" is opinion versus fact, right?

Anonymous said...

Wow that's really forward thinking of the council. Glad we have such progressive leaders in place to think beyond just current needs and demands! Thanks Montgomery County council for your excellent leadership. We will keep supporting you with our votes!

Robert Dyer said...

7:15: The fact they have to mention me shows how concerned they are about me running with so many open seats.

8:19: Because we have a mentally-ill paid troll who has to write four 3rd grade comments on each crime report.

8:20: A row of high buildings on either side of a street factually makes a canyon. No one can dispute the early renderings of the Westbard redevelopment look exactly like numerous other "town center" structures, in contrast to the somewhat unique designs presented by the CC Land Co. for Chevy Chase Lake. Let's hope those were just early placeholder designs for the sketch plan, however.

8:21: You do realize that even some on the Council have recently admitted that revenue from new residents is not covering the costs of services and schools they generate? And that the population increase forecast for MoCo by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments will be covered by the residential developments ALREADY APPROVED by the Council in recent years? So their piling on at this point is actually disastrous leadership.

Anonymous said...

Westbard Giant indeed has baggers. I've seen them on weekends, that's for sure. Maybe not during the week though.

Anonymous said...

"The somewhat unique designs..."

Somewhat sponsored content.

Anonymous said...

The baggers are all getting new EYA townhomes in the new Westwood.

Anonymous said...

Rail ridership is down. It's too early to talk about extending the Purple Line anywhere.

Autonomous cars will be prevalent before a Westbard rail extension is ever built.

Robert Dyer said...

6:48: Any reason you haven't posted a comment like that on another outlet's stories on EYA at Shady Grove or the Quarry? Grocery baggers from other dimensions can't post there?

7:45: Agreed. Autonomous vehicles will eventually make public transit obsolete.

Anonymous said...

How will autonomous vehicles magically take up less space on our roadways than conventional vehicles?

Anonymous said...

By the time autonomous cars are the norm, we won't be going as many places.

Remember the goal of urbanization. To live our lives within a 3-block radius.