SILVER SPRING, MD—The Montgomery County Planning Board today heard testimony and Department of Parks staff recommendations for amending the facility plan from September 2005 for North Four Corners Local Park to include a new large athletic field and improved parking at the park.
“We’re really trying to create a better park,” said Department of Parks Landscape Architect Heidi Sussmann, “while balancing the need for athletic fields in the county with the need to maintain the integrity of the surrounding park neighborhood.”
Department of Parks staff presented an overview of four alternatives to the Planning Board today for North Four Corners Local Park. One, which reduces activity on the park’s existing field, adds a new large field for use by all ages and improves parking at the park—a modification to the existing facility plan for the park which calls for two large fields for use by all ages; another which renovates and makes larger the existing park field, adds open space and improves parking; and a third alternative which includes no fields at the park and makes no improvements to parking. The alternative recommended by parks staff today at the Planning Board includes replacing the existing park field with open space, seating areas and paths, adding a new large park field for use by all ages and improving parking at the park.
“Our recommendation today is really a compromise,” said Sussmann. “This change to the renovation and expansion plan for the park addresses park neighbors’ expressed concerns about how increased use of the park might impact the surrounding neighborhood, but does not add an additional park field to an area that needs it.”
More than a dozen community members signed up to testify at today’s Planning Board meeting about this park project. Public testimony was limited to one hour and community feedback provided about the project was mixed. Several park neighbors and the Northwood Four Corners Citizens Association asked the Planning Board to reject the parks staff’s recommended alternative and to keep the park’s new large parcel—where the recommended new athletic field would be developed—as open space, an area the community has affectionately named “Rachel Carson Meadow.” Others, including a Blair High School student and a representative from the Takoma Park Neighborhood Youth Soccer League spoke in support of renovating and expanding the park and the need for more athletic fields in the Silver Spring/Takoma Park area.
The Board acknowledged the need for more soccer fields in the county. At the County Council’s request, over the past year parks staff has analyzed the need for athletic fields in the county. Based on data in the County’s approved 2005 Land Preservation, Parks and Recreation Plan there are almost no opportunities available to meet an estimated year 2020 need for nearly 11 additional large athletic fields in the Silver Spring area.
After much discussion and consideration of the testimony provided today by the community, the Planning Board directed parks staff to develop a new alternative for the park which rotates the position of the proposed new athletic field, reconfigures parking at the park, provides additional buffers from field activity at the park for some of the adjacent community and leaves a portion of the new park area in its existing state.
Before concluding today’s discussion on this park project, Chairman Hanson asked parks staff to bring this item back to the Board as quickly as possible so that the Board might take action and get this project scheduled for design and construction in the FY09-14 Capital Improvements Program (CIP).
It was also noted that the parks staff recommended alternative presented today has not been ruled out.
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Contact:
Kelli Holsendolph
Media Relations Manager
Montgomery County Department of Parks
301-650-2866