In a year marked by changes to nearly everything, the emergence of new construction projects was a constant.

Among the most read stories about development in 2020 were one about a multi-million-dollar project in Rockville that includes a Wegmans grocery store and one about a plan to overhaul Westfield Montgomery mall in Bethesda.

The future of Lakeforest Mall and the possibility of an Amazon distribution center, both in Gaithersburg, also caught readers’ attention.

The 20 most read development stories of the year were:

• Developers hope to break ground in 2021 on a major building project along Rockville Pike that will include a Wegmans grocery store.
• Aventon Cos. broke ground this year on a $100 million, 386-unit apartment building in the Crown community in Gaithersburg.
• In July, the Montgomery County Planning Board approved plans to add nearly 3 million square feet of new development at the Westfield Montgomery mall in Bethesda.
• The United States national champion crab apple tree was relocated to make way for a new project in Rockville that will bring 203 new apartments to the city.
• In October, a South Carolina developer released initial plans for a mixed-use development on the site of Lakeforest Mall in Gaithersburg that includes townhomes, condominiums and apartments, along with a grocery store and restaurants.
• A proposed development on Hampden Lane in downtown Bethesda called for up to 500,000 square feet of mixed-use space, including office space, retail and multi-family residences.
• The Planning Board in late March agreed to pay $9.6 million to purchase two downtown Bethesda properties to create a new “civic green” across the street from Veterans Park on Woodmont Avenue.
• A developer pitched demolishing a 73-year-old apartment complex in Silver Spring and replacing it with a new five-story complex that nearly doubles the number of residences on the property.
• A project was proposed to overhaul the site of a CitiBank branch at 8001 Wisconsin Ave. in Bethesda with up to 375,000 square feet of mixed-use development.
• Construction began this summer on a 366-unit apartment building on Wisconsin Avenue, about one block south of the Bethesda Metro station.
• In August, when a plan to build a possible Amazon distribution center site in Gaithersburg fell through, developers changed plans to include multiple buildings with various uses on the property.
• A plan for 215 senior housing units, 96 apartments and 102 townhomes was pitched by EYA and Finmarc Management for a property on Fortune Terrace in Rockville.
• After a residential building moratorium stifled a large development in North Bethesda, project leaders returned to the Planning Board this year to expand their plan.
• In August, the Gaithersburg City Council voted to impose a maximum of a 12-month moratorium on redeveloping the Lakeforest Mall property.
• Ritz-Carlton Residences is partnering with Greenbelt developer Bozzuto on a 65-unit condominium building in the Chevy Chase Lake development scheduled to be completed in 2021.
• Plans for a new Wawa gas station and convenience store in Gaithersburg were put on hold because a group of residents took the issue to court, arguing the development application didn’t comply with the city’s master plan.
• Developers proposed transforming the Marriott International headquarters in Bethesda into a senior living community when the company moves to its new location in 2022.
• A development proposal for a project on Hampden Lane in Bethesda includes a 262-foot-tall building with ground-floor retail, along with residential and office space above.
• A dentist’s office on Chevy Chase Drive in Bethesda could be replaced with a 70-unit condominium building.
• In April, the Planning Board gave early approval to a multifamily development on Edgemoor Lane in Bethesda that will include 77 condos.