Reimagining Place
Completed in 2023, the Chevy Chase Lake development transformed a formerly impervious, transit-adjacent
site into a vibrant 9.5-acre mixed-use urban village, strategically designed to integrate ecology, transit, and community.
Anchored by a future Purple Line light rail station, the site now includes three residential buildings (totaling 345 units) and over 100,000 sq ft of ground floor retail, wrapped around a new 13,000 sq ft public plaza designed for pedestrians, gatherings, and year-round activation.
Urban greening played a central role in this transformation. Led by landscape architects Mahan Rykiel Associates, the site was subdivided into high functioning outdoor rooms: a transit plaza, residential courtyards, and a central “Town Square”, all framed by robust tree canopies, rooftop gardens, and integrated green infrastructure.
Despite being surrounded by high-density development and limited space for root zones, the design prioritized canopy growth, biodiversity, and place making. A notable focal point is a light-filled, repurposed streetcar sculpture by artist Tom Fruin, which honors the area’s transit heritage while introducing a playful, high-visibility art moment in the plaza.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
LOCATION
Chevy Chase Lake, Chevy Chase, MD, USA
PLANTING
2022-2023
CLIENT
Montgomery County
PRINCIPAL CONTRACTOR
Bozzuto Group
PRINCIPAL DESIGN
The Martin Architectural Group
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT
Mahan Rykiel Associates
PRODUCTS
Citygreen Stratavault 30 Series
NUMBER OF TREES
25-30
The Underground Dilemma
Prior to redevelopment, the site lacked any meaningful public space or tree canopy. Existing conditions included zero open soil zones, limited pervious surface, and a high concentration of below-grade utilities and new transit infrastructure.
Montgomery County’s sector plan set an ambitious ecological goal: 25–30% tree canopy cover across the development footprint. This required not just the planting of trees, but ensuring those trees had the underground support systems necessary to thrive in a constrained, compacted urban environment.
The key challenge was engineering continuous, connected soil volumes beneath hardscape in a site dominated by pavement, transit platforms, and utility corridors. Traditional tree pits were ultimately considered inadequate for supplying the soil volume required for supporting large canopy species without root conflict or infrastructure damage, prompting consideration for engineered soil cellsolutions.
Root-Ready by Design
To overcome these limitations, the design team implemented Citygreen’s Stratavault system – a sustainable engineered systems for establishing large canopy trees in space constrained urban contexts. Made locally in the USA from 100% recycled plastics, Stratavault’s sustainability credentials complement its high performance.
Citygreen DESIGN SERVICES supported the design and construction of 11 interconnected tree pits using over 1,500 Stratavault 30-Series modules, creating an expansive subterranean matrix of uncompacted soil and high load-bearing pavement support.
Stratavault provided large, uncompacted rooting zones beneath the plaza and sidewalks, while carrying surface and pedestrian loads above. The modules were customized to fit complex spatial constraints and integrate seamlessly with surface grading and paving.
Installation was executed in partnership with landscape contractor, Blue Ridge Landscape & Design, with close coordination to maximize soil volumes and rooting continuity under the Town Square and adjoining streetscape. Trees were then planted with structural top grates and a permeable, stormwater-accepting soil profile, enabling water infiltration, nutrient cycling, and long-term root expansion without compromising surface function.
Blueprint for Impact
Today, 2.5 years after planting, the transformation is visibly dramatic. The formerly austere, heat prone site now hosts a shaded, tree-lined pedestrian plaza where residents and visitors gather for concerts, farmers markets, and seasonal events. The trees are already providing meaningful shade and scale, softening the visual dominance of tall buildings and encouraging year round outdoor use.
The growth rate has been accelerated by the conditions provide by the Stratavault and is key to the long-term health and viability of the trees planted across the plaza and adjacent streets. These trees are now poised to deliver decades of ecosystem services including urban cooling, improved air quality, carbon sequestration, stormwater uptake, and enhanced biodiversity.
The success of the project and design earned a 2024 ASLA Maryland Chapter Merit Award, recognizing the leadership in resilient landscape design and innovative integration of green infrastructure into dense, transit-oriented development.
Chevy Chase Lake now serves as a replicable model for how soil and canopy engineering, when embedded early in site design, can elevate urban place making while meeting environmental mandates. By prioritizing tree health below ground, the project ensures an enduring, visible impact above it.
