The image on the right is Downtown Bethesda in 1951. The one on the left is 2016. Trees and forest appear black on the images. The difference in Woodmont Triangle is remarkable - it went from having some of the most tree canopy to some of the least.
Also - you can see the "black line" of forest along the Georgetown Branch Trail in both images - but that will be quickly disappearing with the Purple Line construction.
Woodmont Triangle is growing rapidly. There will be THOUSANDS more residents, workers, and visitors to the area in just a few years. The green space and local parks will need to catch up and grow as well. Counting cut-throughs and small hardscape patches will not be enough.
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Official "green space" (Stonehall Building) -
the trend has been to use more hardscape. |
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| Cut-through between the Gallery Apartments. |
A current County CIP document referred to "two major green spaces" in Woodmont Triangle. Battery Lane Urban Park is one --- but what is the other? It is not Veteran's Park as that is technically a DOT right-of-way and is more brick plaza than green space. The other "major green space" may be the public use space that is part of The Palisades Apartments. While it does not necessarily come across as a welcoming public green area; however it does provide a decent splash of welcome cool green in an area with otherwise lots of impervious surface and urban heat island effects.
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| Battery Lane Urban Park |
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| Palisades - Public Use Space |
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| Palisades - Public Use Space |
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| Bushes in front give the impression that the space is private |
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| Looking from the inside out - the space is relatively large and is a nice bit of green |
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| Public Art outside the Palisades Apartment |
We will not return to the days of the canopied 1951 aerial view, but the new Bethesda Downtown Plan calls for more green space and canopy corridors in Woodmont Triangle. But the questions are:
- Will Veteran's Park actually be expanded?
- Will Battery Lane Urban Park actually be expanded?
- Will new projects along canopy corridors - including Battery Lane, Woodmont Ave, and Norfolk Ave follow the design guidelines and leave room for healthy trees to grow?
- Will nearby surface parking lots actually be converted to parks?
- Marriott has a beautiful park and outdoor daycare play area adjacent to its current headquarters location. The company will be moving to Woodmont Triangle and there will be a Park Impact Payment, but how will that be used? *We will look more closely at the Marriott move in a future post.
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Light Green - existing park/public open space;
Dark Green - proposed park/public green space;
Green Streets - canopy corridors |
Veterans Park Expansion
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| Rendering of future expansion of Veterans Park; the exact location was left undetermined in the new Plan |
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| Aerial view of Veteran's Park and surrounding properties |
Battery Park Expansion
The park is currently 2 acres. It was recommended for a renovation in the 2006 Plan (which did not occur - though the tennis courts were resurfaced and old benches were just replaced; and the old playground should be replaced in the future). Expanding it would require acquiring single family homes (shown as dark green along the southern edge of the park) and/or redevelopment along Battery that enhanced the park connection to NIH.
Canopy Corridors
Canopy corridors were included in the design guidelines of the new plan. It remains to be seen if new developments along those streets will incorporate better and additional plantings. Or if they will leave space for healthy trees to grow.
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Trend is to cantilever buildings to add more square footage.
Ginkgo tree by Element 28 with little upward and outward growing space. |
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New trend is to use more hardscape and leave less room for trees
as seen here along Battery Lane by the Stonehall building. |
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| Older buildings on Battery Lane with green space and trees in front. |
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