ICSC names Wisconsin Place one of four finalists in mixed-use retail project category

Wisconsin Place was recently named by the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) as one of four finalists in the mixed-use retail project category of the 2011 U.S. Design and Development Awards. The program recognizes outstanding achievement in design and development of retail properties and retail store design in the U.S. Arrowstreet is the project's master planner and retail architect, with a development team led by New England Development with Archstone and Boston Properties. Wisconsin Place located in Chevy Chase, Md. is a 1.1 million s/f development including The Shops at Wisconsin Place, featuring 305,000 s/f of retail anchored by Bloomingdale's, Whole Foods, and The Capital Grille; a 300,000 s/f office building; a 432-unit luxury apartment building; a 21,000 s/f community center; a 1765-car underground garage; two parks; and a public plaza. The development's location adjacent to the Friendship Heights metro station makes it highly accessible to public transportation. Arrowstreet's design for the site relocated an existing department store from its corner location at the entrance of the site to a visible and prominent location farther back, creating a long, attractive ribbon of storefronts and a public plaza that draws pedestrians into the site. Three public art pieces by artist Athena Tacha reinforce a path through the heart of the development. The winner will be announced December 1 at the ICSC Centerbuild conference in Phoenix.