Western Grove Urban Park

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Western Grove Park Now Open


The Opening Event was held Sunday, November 5, 2017 2:00- 4:00 p.m. and the park is now open for use.

Local government officials, Friends of Western Grove Park Committee Members, Village residents and Montgomery County Park and Planning Staff came out to celebrate the opening  of the park. Descendants of the Wohlfarth family were on hand as well.  Activities included musical accompaniment by the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Jazz Band, food provided by local restaurants and a bulb planting activity for all ages. Despite the misty weather the turn out was good- click here to see photos from the event.


If you have any questions regarding the project, please do not hesitate to contact the Village office at (301) 654-7300 or via e-mail at ccv@montgomerycountymd.gov. For information regarding fundraising efforts, or the Friends of Western Grove Park, please contact Meredith Wellington at mkwellington@gmail.com.
Western Grove Park Development

Created to be a tranquil oasis on the edge of a bustling urban center in our nation’s capital, Western Grove Park was established with preservation in mind. Acquired through the unique Legacy Open Space program that protects undeveloped land, this rare 1.9 acre parcel is focused on the protection and enjoyment of nature: natural landscape, harmonious features, areas for contemplation, and a natural playspace, constructed without metal or plastic, with textures and elements to unlock a child’s imagination.

Western Grove Park Plan
A pioneering project for the Montgomery County Parks Department, in a local partnership with neighboring Chevy Chase Village, Western Grove celebrates green space in an urban setting. Upon completion, it will be the first urban park of its kind in all of Montgomery County.

The park’s unique concept design interweaves the latest in 21st century sustainable materials and amenities like WiFi with protection of the land. Construction is slated to begin in June 2016 and finish in six to nine months.
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Construction is almost ready to begin on Western Grove Park, nearly two acres of rare open space, preserved for perpetuity. This park will be the first of its kind in Montgomery County, an urban park dedicated to protecting open space and natural landscape--a tranquil oasis for the larger community. Please join us to make the entire vision for this park a reality.

To complete the full park design, so that it has a natural playspace built without metal and molded plastic; an in-ground stone human sundial; a specially hewn water feature; a bluestone seating plaza; and full tree and shrub plantings, Friends of Western Grove Park needs to raise an additional $120,000 by the end of June. Already, the Chevy Chase Village Board of Managers and generous members of our community have pledged a total of $80,000 to complete this park. Please help get us the rest of the way there.

We are asking friends and neighbors to join us in taking this last step. If each Village household contributes $200 (or whatever amount works for you), our park will be a model for the entire county and a park that all will enjoy—young, old and in-between. All contributions, of any size, are tax deductible, payable to the Montgomery Parks Foundation, 501(c)(3). As you probably know, Friends of Western Grove Park was established by the Chevy Chase Village Board of Managers.

Please join us by becoming a Friend of Western Grove Park. Thank you for your time and consideration. We look forward to seeing you amid the green of our new and very special park. For more information, please see below.

Three levels of donors will receive special recognition within the Park.

  • Red Oak—$10,000
  • Magnolia—$5,000
  • Flowering Dogwood—$1,000
Donations below $1,000 will be recognized as members of “The Grove” for Friends of Western Grove Park and will be honored in the Montgomery County Parks Foundation’s publications and at a special ceremony in the completed Western Grove Park, as well as on the Park’s dedicated website.

A fourth category, naming rights, allows larger donors to permanently name a specific feature of the park. This is a wonderful way to honor a family member or other loved one or simply to leave a beautiful, lasting legacy.

Features available for individual naming:

  • Natural Playspace (already named, thanks to a generous donation)
  • Human Sundial - $25,000
  • Bluestone Seating Plaza (already named, thanks to a generous donation)
  • Waterfall Feature (already named, thanks to a generous donation)
  • Grove Street Welcome Entrance - $15,000
Please support Western Grove Park today, so that this exciting park can be completed with all design elements added during the original construction.

Virginia Leachman & Lyric Winik, Co-Chairs
Friends of Western Grove Park

Members: Nina Bang-Jensen, Diane Kartalia, Virginia Leachman, Lyric Winik, Peter Yeo
*Established by the CCV Board of Managers to work with Montgomery County Department of Parks and the Montgomery Parks Foundation

Summary of Park Features
Park Feature detail drawings
Gift Commitment/Donation Form

Western Grove Park PowToon

Final Construction Plans for Park
Archived Materials
  1. Western Grove Park Facility Plan (PDF)
  1. Park and Planning Powerpoint Presentation Regarding Updated Concept Plan (PDF)
  2. Updated Concept Plan for the Chevy Chase Open Space Park (PDF)
  1. Annexation Resolution (PDF)
  2. Chevy Chase Open Space Committee Presentation to the Board of Managers - January 9, 2012 (PDF)
  3. Chevy Chase Open Space Urban Park Update - May 2011 (PDF)
  4. Chevy Chase Open Space Visioning Meeting Minutes - June 15, 2011 (PDF)
  5. Membership Form for Village Commissions (PDF)
  6. Memo of Understanding between Montgomery County, Maryland and Chevy Chase Village (PDF)
  7. Memorandum of Understanding between Montgomery County, Maryland and Chevy Chase Village (PDF)
  8. Montgomery County Department of Park and Planning Vicinity Map (PDF)
  9. Visioning Meeting Public Notice (PDF)