Stepping Up For Residents

By René M. Albacete and Brenda J. Iraola

Largo Town Center Park is located in Largo, Md., a rapidly growing suburb in Prince George’s County, outside of Washington, D.C. with a population of approximately 11,000 people. The site is owned by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC). The park is surrounded by residential communities adjacent to a large pond that serves as a regional storm-water management facility. The pond resembles a lake due to its large size and meandering beauty bordered by mature woodland trees. The residents who live adjacent to this park site requested the addition of an upscale park for this rapidly urbanizing area through the M-NCPPC Capital Improvement Program. The two-acre park property and large lake provided an excellent setting for an urban park. The concept envisioned for the project was to maximize the views of the lake, provide seating areas, enhance trail connections, create accessible access, and provide a setting for entertainment opportunities. The project scope involved:

  • Designing an 800-foot boardwalk to cross the pond
  • Adding asphalt trails to connect to the existing residential trail system
  • Linking to an accessible pathway
  • Providing an entertainment area near the pond
  • Enhancing the site entry with a terrace garden
  • Providing a pedestrian bridge to link to a new children’s water play area.

A local homeowners association owns and maintains the majority of the land around the lake, with loop trails linking several playgrounds, gazebos, and neighboring housing. The citizens requested a water feature and pedestrian link to complete the loop trail around the lake. To accomplish this, I proposed an 800-lineal-foot, “S-shaped” timber boardwalk across the pond to connect the park site to the residential trail. The focal point of the boardwalk was a fountain with a 30-foot-high water spray. On land, the boardwalk meanders through the woodland area close to the water’s edge. In order to create glimpses of the lake from the boardwalk, a cable-railing system was provided to offer unobstructed views through the mature trees. Fishing is a favorite boardwalk pastime for the nearby senior citizen housing residents; the boardwalk also provides leisurely strolls along the lake for exercise.

Stepped Terrace Addresses Slope
One design issue that had to be addressed was the site’s steep slopes. I decided on a stepped-terrace concept to provide park opportunities. The construction of an upper and lower terrace was designed using a grand staircase located on a focal axis with the water-fountain feature. The upper terrace served as a transition from the street edge into the park. The upper terrace is designed with a hardscape brick plaza in running bond style and is accented with radial stone-patterned concrete bands. Bordering the terrace is a100-lineal-foot arbor with custom-fabricated, ornamental vine-patterned metal columns supported by stone piers. Views of the lake and fountain below are focal points of the terrace area. It was also important to replicate the upscale tone along the streetscape edge, so I provided an ornate vine-patterned metal fence with stone piers.

The design of the grand staircase or “Terrace Garden” was inspired by the stately Italianate stairs of Meridian Hill Park in nearby Washington, D.C. The staircase has 20 grand steps and four terraces—all aligned with the views of the lake and fountain. It serves as a social gathering and performance space with overlooks and vistas that provide multiple photo opportunities. The staircase was designed with a low, wide stone-wall parapet and planter walls to provide ample informal seating. The terraces feature herringbone-patterned brick with sand-swept joints that adds to the upscale feel and provides ease of maintenance.

Child’s Play
A children’s water play area, located off the main activity area, is accessed by a 200-lineal-foot asphalt trail connected by a 40-foot, self-weathering steel, pedestrian bridge. This water feature was also requested by the citizens to provide fun and relief from the area’s steamy summers. Children ages five to 15 can chase random water sprays. Children must navigate around giant, randomly placed boulders to reach the water column. Parents and children can gaze at the activity while resting on the perimeter stone-seat wall that encloses the play area. A laminar flow technology was used for the water spray spouts, which are emitted from nozzles embedded flush within a 2,000-square-foot concrete pad. The water play system was ecologically designed with sustainable green technology for low maintenance. The push-button, time-activated system minimizes water consumption, and the use of potable city water eliminates the need for a complex filtration system. This interactive water feature does not have pooling water, therefore, does not require staff monitoring, and features handicap accessibility as an added benefit. 

Include A Margin For Error
Given that the site is steeply sloping, complying with the federally mandated ADA guidelines was a major challenge. As originally designed, the trail and bridge, which provide direct access to the children's play area directly from the upper terrace, was to be ADA-accessible. However, due to a construction error, the play area was constructed at the wrong elevation, making accessibility impossible. Rather than mandating that the concrete slab, stone wall, and related plumbing be torn down and rebuilt, the asphalt trail alignment from the boardwalk was adjusted, and a system of railings were installed to allow for maximum 8.33-percent slope. As an extra measure of safety, since the elevation of asphalt pavement is difficult to control, the ramp was designed for a maximum slope of 7.5-percent, leaving a comfortable margin of error. Accessibility to the boardwalk was achieved via an asphalt trail on the opposite side of the stepped terrace garden. The lesson learned: Provide a comfortable margin of error when designing with asphalt, preferably .5-percent, if possible. This rule of thumb has saved time and money in subsequent projects and has become agency standard procedure.

Go Local For Low Maintenance
With greatly reduced budgets being a current reality, the landscaping—an important element of the design—had to be low maintenance. To achieve this, the majority of the plants—with a few exceptions—are native species. Perennial flowers of black-eyed Susan (Maryland state flower) and purple coneflower carpet the ground plane, along with non-native, low-maintenance supplements of Fountain Grass and Big Blue Lilyturf. The use of perennials eliminated the need for seasonal flower rotations. Native White Flowering Dogwoods, purple Eastern Redbuds, and Serviceberries provided colorful understory trees alongside ornamental purple Crape Myrtles. Overhead, the tree canopy was enhanced with native red maples, which provide intense fall color. Sycamores and river birches were planted to naturalize around the perimeter of the lake. The trunks and branches are attractive in the winter when the bark exfoliates (peels away from the tree naturally), creating tan and cream curls of bark that contrast with the creamy, light-colored bark below. A key part of designing low-maintenance gardens is observing surrounding natives and building on this landscape by specifying plant cultivars that accentuate ornamental characteristics or have more resistance to insects and diseases. One such example, the river birch cultivar ”Heritage,” provides exceptionally more ornamental bark over that of the naturally occurring native species. To complete the design, the original wooded site, necessitated a 1:1 tree replacement for any woodland disturbance. In Maryland, the woodland tree-replacement program requires the use of all native reforestation plantings. The site reforestation included various trees of maples, Black Gums, Red Oaks, American Hollies, loblolly pines, Sassafras, sycamore, and beech. The use of natives to reduce maintenance cannot be overemphasized, as well as their ability to establish quickly and survive.

The Largo Town Center provides active and passive recreation for all ages. The added amenities to the park have contributed to the physical comfort of the space, increased the attractiveness and value of the park, and provided health benefits, enjoyment within a natural setting, and opportunities for social interaction. The park is a focal point for the area and a destination for visitors.

René M. Albacete, RLA, ASLA, is a Landscape Architect for the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission’s Department of Parks and Recreation, Park & Planning Division in Riverdale, Md. Reach her at Rene.Albacete@pgparks.com.

Brenda J. Iraola, ASLA, PLA, CPSI, COAA, NRPA, MRPA, is a Landscape Architecture Supervisor for the Park Planning & Development Division. Reach her at brenda.iraola@pgparks.com.

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Largo Town Center Park
Owner: The Maryland-National Park and Planning Commission
Contractor:  Highway Safety Services, Inc.
Consultant: PELA, Inc.
Landscape Architect:  René M. Albacete
Landscape Architect Supervisor:  Brenda J. Iraola

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