Pembroke Woods: Lessons Learned in the Design and Construction of an LID Subdivision

The Pembroke Woods Subdivision is a ½ acre residential development located in northern Frederick County, Maryland, near the state line with Adams County, PA, and is not only the first Low Impact Development (LID) subdivision permitted in Frederick County, but also the first subdivision designed and under construction using the LID Design Manual developed by Prince George's County, Maryland. LID is an innovative approach to stormwater management (SWM) that attempts to mimic the pre development hydrology of a development site thus maintaining the hydrologic functions of the site and precluding the environmental impacts especially the water quality degradation of receiving streams, lakes and estuaries that are normally associated with land development activities. Because LID is a relatively new technology that substantially changes a number of the design paradigms used for stormwater management, one can anticipate a substantial learning curve for stormwater practitioners to understand and apply the technology. The Pembroke project site, being one of the first subdivisions designed and built with this technology, provides a valuable case study related to the issues that will be encountered in the application of this technology.