Below are images and drawings illustrating the impact of Maret’s proposal on the ECC field in Chevy Chase. They give a sense of the scale of the proposed sports complex, and the extensive excavation required to flatten the hillside for athletic fields. Note how the fields would dwarf the dozens of nearby single-family houses, and how tall the netting would likely be.
The footprint of the proposed fields would be huge. This image highlights Maret’s concept plan showing more than 161,000 sq ft, or approximately 3.7 acres, of artificial turf. For comparison, surrounding house lots average about 5,000 sq ft.
The same area of artificial turf is here cookie-cutter copied onto an aerial image of the ECC fields. The Maret plans pushes close to the property lines in all directions. The northwest corner is reserved to receive transplanted heritage trees.
Here the area of the playing fields is overlaid on the slope to highlight the 34-foot elevation drop across the proposed fields. The contour lines are .6 meters apart, about 2 feet.
The scale of netting installed around the fields at St. John’s College High School
The official plat of the lot Maret leased from ECC. At 213,964 square feet, it is just under five acres.
This is the most recent revision to Maret’s plans we’ve seen, dated December 15, 2021
This detail from the August plan set shows potential threats to heritage trees very close to the proposed fields and parking lot. Deep excavation and construction would be required here, in the root zone, inside the dripline of ancient trees. The dripline is the area directly under the outer circumference of branches and leaves.
