Chapter 2. WATKINS REGIONAL PARK MASTER PARK DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2. The Park Today Background Location and Site Description Watkins Regional Park is a jewel in Prince George’s County. More than 839 acres in size, it is located near Upper Marlboro, between MD 214 (Central Avenue) and MD 202 (Largo Road), east of Interstate 495 and west of MD 193 (Watkins Park Drive). Founded in 1964, the park is named after The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission’s (M-NCPPC) former chairman, Robert M. Watkins. It is one of four regional parks operated by M-NCPPC in the county. Attracting more than one million visitors a year, the park offers the following activities for visitors: Playgrounds, including the recent addition of the Wizard of Oz Imagination playground $WKOHWLF¿HOGVLQGRRUDQGRXWGRRU tennis courts and basketball courts Group picnic shelters and family picnic areas $PXVHPHQWIDFLOLWLHV±&KHVDSHDNH Carousel, mini-golf and train Watkins Nature Center (WNC) Old Maryland Farm (OMF) Watkins Regional Park, red line indicates Paved walking paths, woodland trails, and boardwalks park boundary $FUHVRISURWHFWHGQDWXUDODUHDVDQGOHDVHGIDUP¿HOGV Chelsea Historic Manor Largo/Kettering/Perrywood Community Center Camping Special events and programming The Department of Parks and Recreation’s system is divided into three major recreational planning and operation areas: Northern, Central, and Southern.1 Seven sub-areas were outlined in Volume 2: 2040 Vision and Framework. Watkins Regional Park is located in the Central East sub-area of the county. This sub-area has the highest population of all sub-areas in the county.2 It is surrounded by established 1 M-NCPPC Volume 2: Vision and Framework. Page 91. 2 M-NCPPC Volume 1: Needs & Resource Assessment. Page 22. 2-1 Final Draft - December 2018 M-NCPPC DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION neighborhoods of single family and town homes, it is within a mile of the Prince George’s Community College Campus on MD 202 (Largo Road). Riverdale Baptist School, a private school serving nursery through 12th graders, is located across Largo Road from the park’s southern entrance and First Baptist Church of Glenarden is across MD 193 (Watkins Park Drive) along the park’s southern section. The park is bifurcated by property owned by Pepco, an Excelon Company, that runs from the park’s northeastern corner at the dead end of Old Enterprise Road to the park’s southern edge on MD 202 (Largo Road). Pepco has strict requirements for which activities can and cannot take place on its property. Site History Watkins Regional Park is on land that was part of the former Chelsea Plantation. There are current standing structures associated with the plantation and structures associated with the 19th and 20th centuries, including the Old Maryland Farm which is located on what remains of an early 20th century farm. The bulk of the park was acquired during two different time periods between the 1960s and 1990s, and totals approximately 840 acres. The northern portion of the park was acquired in 1964 and many of the park’s current features were in place in the northern portion by 1970. The southern portion of the park was acquired much later, with the last parcel in 1996. Home to the Chelsea Historic Site3, the Largo/Kettering/Perrywood Community Center and the Perrywood Elementary School, much of the acreage in the south is currently leased to a local farmer. 6LWHSODQGDWHG0DUFKVKRZVWKHQRUWKHUQSRUWLRQRIWKHSDUNLQPXFKWKHVDPHFRQ¿JXUDWLRQDVUHPDLQV today. A 1979 site plan indicates an intent to move the park infrastructure from a dependency on well water and septic systems to pubic water and sewer. One restroom remains on septic service today in the northern portion of the SDUNDQGZHOOZDWHULVVWLOOXVHGIRULUULJDWLRQRIWKHDWKOHWLF¿HOGV 3 Noted Antebellum Plantations in Prince George’s County, Maryland on page 78 in Table 8; MIHP ID PG:73- DQGLGHQWL¿HGDVEHLQJRIWKH1DWLRQDO3HULRGGXULQJWKH\HDUV± 2-2 Final Draft - December 2018 WATKINS REGIONAL PARK MASTER PARK DEVELOPMENT PLAN A master plan for the park was proposed in the late 1990s, but was not adopted. It included a new entry drive that connected the spur road with the covered bridge and the northern section of the park. The plan focused on four big additions to the southern portion: the development of a botanic garden; the addition of a large pond just east of the Pepco property and water features in WKHVRXWKDEDOO¿HOG and group use area; and the relocation of Old Maryland Farm. Three of these proposals DUHUHÀHFWHGLQWKHFXUUHQW Watkins Regional Park Master Park Development Plan recommendations for improvements in the southern portion of the park: the focus on gardens and agriculture; the addition of athletic facilities; and the relocation of Old Maryland Farm. The pond and added water features Image of earlier master plan, with proposed botanic garden and Old Maryland are not feasible due to Farm located in the southern portion of the site environmental restrictions. Tree Conservation Plans (TCP) are in place for the northern DQGVRXWKHUQSRUWLRQVRIWKHSDUN7&3¶V¿UVW GRFXPHQWDWLRQZDVRQDQG7&3¶V¿UVWHQWU\ was on 7-11-95. Areas subject to the restrictions in place from these documents are noted in the master park development plan. What is a Regional Park? Prince George’s County Department of Parks and Recreation LGHQWL¿HGVHYHQPDMRUW\SHVRISDUNVIRULWVPRUHWKDQ acres of parkland. These are: Neighborhood Community ParkPark Boundary Boundary Feet PEPCO property 0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 WoodlandPEPCO Preservation property (TCP, April 2013) ¯ Regional Afforestation Regeneration (TCP, April 2013) Natural Regeneration (TCP, April 2013) InconsistencyWoodland in Data Sets (LKLA)Preservation (TCP, April 2013) Countywide Afforestation Regeneration (TCP, April 2013) Natural Regeneration (TCP, April 2013) Source: Esri, DigitalGlobe, GeoEye, Earthstar Geographics, CNES/Airbus DS, USDA, USGS, AEX, Getmapping, Aerogrid, IGN, IGP, swisstopo, and the GIS User Community Special facilities Inconsistency in Data Sets (LKLA) Natural areas/Conservation areas Portion of Watkins Regional Park regulated by Undeveloped parks TCP and owned by Pepco 2-3 Final Draft - December 2018 M-NCPPC DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION Prince George’s County has four SCAGGSVILLE RD GLEN BURNIE BYPASS DORS EY RD ASHTON RD Howard WASHINGTON BLVD JESSUP RD NORWOOD RD PAT UXENT F RWY RIDGE RD COLUMBIA PIKE County regional parks as shown on the Fairland Regional OOD RD R D VETERANS HWY MUNCASTER MILL R CA SPENCERV REECE RD ILLE RD Regional Parks RD D RDD SAVA GE RD 2ND ST GORMAN AVE adjacent diagram. Park in Laurel TELEGRAPH RD M-NCPPC Properties FairlandFairlanairlanda anda SANDYSAND SPRING RD ST198 NORBECK RD RegionalRRegRegionaRegionegionagion BALTIMORE WASHINGTON PKWY ParkP k PAT UXENT F RW ANNAPOLIS RD +,-95 Y MontgomMontgomeryontgomtgomomeryryy LAUREL Fairlandrlaan RegionalReRegR g na Park GENERALS HWY RRO CouCountynty PAT UXENT HWY O 200 ± ± ± ± ± ± ± CKVILLE PPIKE Å ± Fairland Regional Park VEIRSVEIR MILL RD /(1 PATUX ENT NATIONAL YHILLY RD +,-295 LAYHILL RD WILDLIFE REFUGE 197 ROCKVILLE PIKE ST BALTIMORE AVE LAUREL BOWIE RD 212 UNIVERSITY BLV COLUMBIA PIKE ST Walker Mill Regional Park D W BELTSVILLE STATE HWY 3 N GEORGIA AVE BELTSVILLE AGRICULTURAL CONNECTICUT AVE RESEARCH CENTER Anne Arundel +,-95 +,-495 CAPITAL BELTWAY County 11 TH S T FLOWER AVE Watkins Regional Park Walker Mill GREENBELT ST212 UNIVERSITY BLVD 16TH ST GODDARD SPACE 201 GR ST EENBELT FLIGHT CENTER BRADLEY BLVD RD DEFENSE HW WISCONSIN AVE 193 STATE HWY 3 S RIGGS RD RIGGS ST DLEY BLVD ISCONSIN LE 197 O COLLEGEG ST Y VE PA R K LANHAM SEVERN RD LIS RD W GREENBELTB D N AVE DALEGLEN BLVD NW ORTH AVE ANNAPO HIRE AVE Cosca Regional Park Regional Park in PPSH LANHAM M 450 N 564 ST HAM 410 E WEST HWY KENILWORTHKENILWOKEN AVE ST 3 RIVER RD ST ST W CHILLUMCH RD OR NEW HAMPSHIREHAMPSH AVE EOE LU 410 GEORGIAG AVE N W HYATTSVILLEH SV /(1 ST COLLINGTO E /(50 Districtt 450 USU HWYHWWWYYY5 50 E N RD HAHAI ST DAVIDSONVILLE R District Heights INNB BRIDGE RD RIDG of KENILWORTHKKE AVE LandoverL 193 BOWIE GE ST D RD N CoCColumbiaolo umbiumbbibia PITOLP STNE 201 PRATT ST 95 G RD NE TST +,- ST 202 S C CHEVERLY UR ST D N CA CAPITOL ST NE N MILITARY RD 704 ENTERPRISE RD ST 495 I 495 495 N N /(50 +,-494 995 LA LANDOVERLAN RD W BLADENSBURG RD NE Y 50 W “Regional parks focus on providing W CENTRAL AVE USSHS HW D ALM VVER RD E RD K ST NWNW N EEP PALMER HWY D RDR 214 WYY ST E HWY H Y295 N EORGE P LEEEE HHWY GEORGE PALMER HWY ST214 978 USU HWHWYWWY 550 ST STATESTS HWY 295 N ST214 WatkinsWatW tkinsiinns RegionalRegionn Park FRWYWYY 322 N GLEBEG RD SWSW FRWY ST GLEBEGL RD (/301 service to the surrounding community S 202 KENEN 29 ST T DR Y WY 2 D STATETATTA HWY 295 S LARGO RD R KE WalkerWalWal er MillMilM RegionalReRegegigionalioionnannal Park PIKIK E Y r LUMBIA PIKE W 4 COOL ST e SUITLANDANA iv EEE V 218 R ESBURGSBU PI ST BURURGU PI DAVIS HWY Princerin George'sGeooorr RG ST458 PENNSYLVANIAP AVE E SUSUITLANDTLTLAT KE SE and regions of the county. These parks E JEFFJE DAVIS FFHWY FEDEFEDERAFFEDERALEDERALDERALERALRRAAAL Y VE WYW CENTERCENTCENTEC TERR Countyty t L HHWYHW n 202 e MEE ST x LEYLE MEMORIAL SOUTHERNSSO AVE SE u HHIHIRLEHIR r 5 t SH ST RDR e N a BranchBr WNW R UPPER HENRYHEN SHIRLEYSH MEMORIAL HWY v i 218 MARLBORO P KING ST 414 Avenueen ST MARLBORO RD ST LEEENTOW R STATE HWY 4 E 95 ALLENTOWNALLAALLEAL RD +,-+,-495 WY BA YY4 also include the most components of STATE HWYY 4 W SOUTHERN MARYLAND BLVD OXONOX N HILLHI BRANCH AVE ST4 FARMFARARMM B DUD T NC UKKEK STST NATIONALTIONAT