Less than a mile from Washington, DC, the planned 20-acre Washington Square residential subdivision will create a gateway from the District into Suitland, Maryland, once constructed in 2024.
In existing conditions, the site is largely forested with new growth trees and is bisected by a perennial stream with two ephemeral tributaries discharging to the main reach. Surrounding the perennial stream are a wooded floodplain and wetlands. Though undeniably urban, the site’s environmental features create an idyllic focal point for planning and site layout. Through creative design, ATCS is preserving these environmental features to meet state forest conservation standards and to provide additional land dedication to the existing community park that abuts the site to the north.
The proposed development includes 134 three-story, two-car garage townhouses in three phases of development. In addition to the townhouses, the site includes a robust amenity package and a focus on multimodal connectivity. Pedestrian sidewalks are designed to connect each of the phases to shared-use paths along the state and county roads that front the site.
Preserving the numerous environmental features on site presented unique challenges for access and roadway improvements. Improving the adjacent right-of-way to match the County standard would result in the costly relocation of adjacent utilities. The relocation was deemed financially untenable for the project’s viability, so ATCS collaborated with the local jurisdiction to develop a comparably safe and effective roadway section that would minimize the utility, save the developer money, and ultimately keep the project viable.
