Parkside Plaza is a 250-unit community located at the top of a hill, only 300 feet from Sligo Creek Park near downtown Silver Spring, Maryland. The project included removing and replacing 2,000 sq ft of parking lot asphalt with two bioretention areas.

Jordan Gochenaur, Senior Green Infrastructure Projects Manager, Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, explains the features of Parkside’s new bioretentions.

The bioretention areas are now complete and the Alliance is planning our community outreach events! We recently hosted a “Garden Watering Ceremony” with the residents and local community organizations, including:

Representatives from the Chesapeake Bay Trust, Senator Van Hollen’s Office, and MoCo DEP spoke on the importance of the installations and how it affects the entire community. Bioretention areas can improve water quality by filtering pollutants, reduce stormwater runoff, beautify the environment, and provide habitat for local wildlife.

Ed Murtagh discusses his work with Weed Warriors.

Two other events are currently in the works as well – one will focus on maintenance training for the community and the other will be a beautification event.

  • A community volunteer invasive removal is scheduled for Saturday, Sep 19, 2026, from 9am-11am.
  • Maintenance Training, led by the Alliance, will be held on Friday, October 9, 2026, from 9am-11am.

Left, the small bioretention area and right, the large bioretention area installed at the site.

The Alliance is committed to improving the streams and waterways in the Chesapeake Bay watershed by designing and installing green infrastructure practices that reduce storm water runoff, beautify the environment, and create beneficial habitats.

Learn more about the bioretentions at Parkside Plaza

This project was funded through a grant from the Chesapeake Bay Trust to support the Clean Water Montgomery program which supports community-based stormwater improvement initiatives.

Learn More About the Alliance’s Green Infrastructure Efforts