TOD creates public space in suburban DC

Chevy Chase Lake is a mixed-use, transit-oriented development (TOD) completed this year on a suburb-to-suburb light rail line under construction just outside Washington, DC. Replacing a strip shopping center, its first two completed phases comprise three buildings totaling 530 units, 110,000 square feet of retail, a one-acre neighborhood square, and three levels of underground parking, according to the design firm David M Schwarz Architects.

The Purple Line will be complete by 2027, and the line parallels the Capital Crescent Trail—an easy bike ride to the Bethesda Metro Station, about a mile away. The Purple Line will connect compact, mixed-use suburbs like Bethesda, Silver Spring, College Park, and New Carrollton. 

David M Schwarz Architects recently won a Design Excellence: Mixed-Use Merit award from the Urban Guild for Chevy Chase Lake. The development is the latest example of some very good TOD built in the DC region—starting about 30 years ago.

“The varying facade expressions create the appearance of eight distinct buildings arranged in three blocks. Their form, materials, colors, and silhouettes create a dialogue with Connecticut Avenue’s century-long lineage of great apartment houses,” the firm says. “The traditional forms and architectural detailing won over engaged neighborhood groups during Montgomery County’s approval process.”

The Barrett, a six-story podium structure, is the largest of the three mixed-use buildings. Access to the light rail station is through a covered public stair in the green metal-paneled facade of The Claude, an 11-story apartment building. The Ritz-Carlton Residences, a 65-unit condo building, marks the north boundary of the project.

The neighborhood square at the center of the development has a strong sense of place due to the tight dimensions and height of the surrounding buildings. The curbless design of the public space allows the developer to restrict vehicular access to community events. With green space, a water feature, and an “inhabitable” sculpture by artist Tom Fruin, the square is a people magnet. “Fashioned into a subtle wedge with slightly angled building faces, it opens views from Connecticut Avenue, creating an inviting community space that blends public and private realms,” the firm reports.

Note: I was on the 2024 Urban Guild Awards jury, along with Sara Bega of Bega Design Studio, Rock Bell, East Beach Development, and Andrew Von Maur, a design consultant and professor at Andrews University.