COMMUNITY FACILITIES PLAN

PARKS AND TRAILS

The Upper Rock Creek Planning Area includes more than 4000 acres of public forest. This
parkland provides recreation and trail opportunities and preserves important natural and historic
resources. A primary component of the park system is Rock Creek Regional Park in the
southern portion of the Planning Area. Two lakes, recreational facilities and trails make the park
one of the most popular recreation destinations in the County. The Agricultural History Farm
Park in the northwest portion of the Planning Area provides visitors insights into the County’s
farming heritage. The balance of parkland includes recreational parks, local parks, and stream
valley parks along Rock Creek and its North Branch.

The challenge is to provide recreational opportunities while protecting the parks’ natural
environment. Balancing these two objectives requires careful stewardship of the natural
environment by assuring environmental issues are given careful consideration at all levels of
park planning. The primary objective of this section of the Plan is to recommend expansion of
the park system based on an evaluation of needs related to: recreation opportunities, resource
protection, trail corridors, and settings for historic, cultural and archeological resources.

Recreation Opportunities
Recreation needs in Upper Rock Creek are currently served by one developed local park, four
schools, and one developed regional park. These parks and schools provide a total of eight
athletic fields available for community use, 10 tennis courts, six basketball courts and five
playgrounds, as well as water recreation and picnic playground areas at the regional park. The
Agricultural History Farm Park encompasses 439 acres of parkland and includes farm buildings,
agricultural fields, and meeting rooms.

The 1998 Park, Recreation and Open Space Master Plan indicated that existing recreation
facilities will meet needs of the Upper Rock Creek Planning Area through the year 2010. A new
local park may be needed after that time, particularly as residential areas adjacent to Upper Rock
Creek develop and the demand for park facilities increases.

Park Development
Local Parks: The following local parks are recommended for future park development:

• A new Upper Rock Creek Local Park, approximately 20 acres in size, is proposed at
Muncaster Road and MD 108. The land is already publicly owned. This local park
offers long-term development opportunities for ballfields and other recreation facilities to
serve future needs of the Upper Rock Creek and Olney Planning Areas. Trails, picnic
areas, and a playground should be provided.
Upper Rock Creek Area Master Plan 81 Approved and Adopted – April 2004
 Existing Recreation Facilities at Parks and Schools in Upper Rock Creek

Name of Park or School Ballfields Tennis Basketball Playgrounds

Courts Courts
Bowie Mill Local Park 2 Soccer 2 1
Sequoyah ES 1 soccer, 1 1
(softball
overlay)
Candlewood ES 1 small 1 1
softball field,
soccer overlay
Redland MS 2 softball, 4 2
1 soccer
Magruder HS 2 community 4 2
use fields
Rock Creek Regional 2 lakes, boat rental, visitors pavilion, fishing, nature center,
Park picnic areas with shelters, 2 playgrounds, trails
Agricultural Farm Park Meeting rooms/office building, barn, farm buildings, fields

• Winters Run Local Park is proposed for development of a soccer/lacrosse field and
playground to supplement the fields and recreation facilities at the adjacent Redland
Middle School.

• Bowie Mill Local Park and Sequoyah Elementary School should be expanded with a
small dedication of adjacent land from the Casey Property at time of subdivision. This
would permit the existing ballfields to be enlarged for community use.

• Muncaster Manor Local Park should be kept in agricultural lease, but reserved for future
long term park use.

Regional and Recreational Parks: The following recommendations are suggested for future
development of Regional and Recreational Parks in the Upper Rock Creek Planning Area:

• The majority of the 105-acre Muncaster Recreational Park, which is located adjacent to
the Pope Farm Nursery, can not be developed for active recreation because it falls within
environmental buffer areas. An approximately 11.8-acre area adjacent to MD 124 is
suitable for active development and should be considered for lighted, high/impact
facilities because it is adjacent to an industrial area and has access from an arterial. This
facility could include indoor soccer or indoor tennis. A skateboard park and roller
hockey rink could be considered as well. Picnic areas, a playground, trails and nature
areas could be located in the wooded areas. An additional six acres of developable land
is adjacent to the Pope Farm and may be considered for future local recreation use to
serve the adjacent subdivision.

Upper Rock Creek Area Master Plan 82 Approved and Adopted – April 2004
 • The future development of Gude Recreational Park is questionable because it is a former
landfill site that is still settling and producing methane gas. There is a contract for the
removal of the gas that extends to approximately 2005. A schematic development plan
completed for the park included five ballfields, an amphitheater, picnic playground areas
and gravel parking. No paved facilities or structures were recommended because of the
potential for damage from settling. At the conclusion of the methane recovery lease, an
engineering assessment should be done and a revised plan prepared for the park. The
plan should include a trail system with connections to the adjacent Upper Rock Creek
Regional Park and Gude Drive.

• A plan has recently been approved for the Laytonia Recreational Park that includes four
athletic fields, a basketball court, roller hockey court, playground and natural areas. The
plan is consistent with recreation goals and needs in this part of the County.

• Rock Creek Regional Park, an already-developed regional park, encompasses 1778 acres
in the southern portion of the Planning Area. It includes two lakes and many recreation
facilities. The western portion of the Park is developed with active recreation areas
including Lake Needwood boating area, picnic/playground areas, trails, archery, and a
golf course. Conversely, the Lake Frank section of the park to the east is a predominantly
undeveloped natural area with a nature center, nature trails, and shoreline fishing. A
master plan developed for the Park in 1999 proposed additional trails and renovation of
older park facilities.

• The Agricultural History Farm Park continues to provide an opportunity to interpret

Montgomery County’s rich agrarian heritage while demonstrating current trends in
agricultural technology. The Park’s programs, facilities, displays, and demonstrations
combine the expertise of the Montgomery County Department of Park and Planning, the
Montgomery County Cooperative Extension Service, the Soil Conservation Service/
Montgomery Soil Conservation District, the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation
Service, as well as the Friends of the Agricultural History Farm Park. Important issues
for future consideration include the need to prepare a limited amendment to the park
master plan reflecting additions of a tank house, corn crib, saw-mill, and a Friends-
funded antique equipment storage building to the site; the need to protect the park’s
boundaries and surrounding viewscape, especially north of the Activities Building on the
site of the Hoover Farm; and the need to pursue funding for facility planning and
construction of a maintenance yard. It has also been suggested that a small area east of
and adjacent to Airpark Road might be suitable for propagating trees, thereby providing
an opportunity for future expansion of operations associated with the Pope Farm Plant
Nursery.

Open Space Under the RNC Zone

The RNC Zone requires that a minimum of 65 percent of the property be preserved as open
space. There are a variety of mechanisms to ensure that the open space will be preserved in
perpetuity. One option is to have the land dedicated as a new category of parkland that will
remain open space in perpetuity. Under any circumstances, the land must not be considered for
active recreational uses or other public purposes (e.g. a school).

Upper Rock Creek Area Master Plan 83 Approved and Adopted – April 2004
Natural Resource Protection

Protection of the environmentally sensitive Rock Creek and North Branch Stream Valley Parks
is essential. The Environmental Chapter of this Plan discusses important natural areas in the
Parks as well as other portions of the Planning Area. It identifies properties that should be
added to the park system to assure long-term protection and preservation of specific resources.
Additional properties are recommended to be added to the park system to provide buffers for
these resources and areas for forest or wetland restoration. These additions will enhance the
stream valley park system and protect the stream valleys as development occurs in the Planning
Area. These recommendations are keyed to the Parkland Recommendations map in the
Implementation Chapter.

The Freeman property and the eastern portion of the Fraley property are identified as Class III
sites in the Legacy Open Space Functional Master Plan. This Plan amends the Legacy Plan to
add the proposed park acquisition areas on these properties as Class I Natural Resource sites.
This Plan anticipates that these natural resource areas can be protected through park dedication
during the development process.

Trail Corridors

The 1998 Countywide Park Trails Plan and the Master Plan for Rock Creek Regional Park
propose trail systems in the Planning Area. The Countywide Park Trails Plan shows a natural
surface trail through the Rock Creek Stream Valley Park, linking Rock Creek Regional Park to
the Agricultural History Farm Park, Muncaster Recreational Park, and ultimately extending north
to the Patuxent River. The Countywide Park Trails Plan shows both a hard surface and a natural
surface trail corridor in the North Branch of Rock Creek. To provide more opportunities to
avoid environmentally sensitive areas when these trail proposals are studied in more detail at
some time in the future, acquisition of additional parkland is recommended outside of the stream
valley buffers whenever possible.

Trails are one of the county’s most popular park recreation facilities. They accommodate a wide
range of users, including walkers, hikers, cyclists and equestrians. In the Upper Rock Creek
master plan area, equestrian trail easements on private land help provide connections from
equestrian facilities to park trails and contribute to an extensive equestrian trail system.
Opportunities to enhance and expand the network of equestrian trail easements will be explored
during the regulatory review process.

The role of the ICC right-of-way in trail planning is also addressed in the Countywide Park
Trails Plan, which recommends that a hard surface trail be provided in the vicinity of the right-
of-way whether or not the highway is built. The Plan states:

If a highway is built on any portion of the ICC right-of-way, a bike/pedestrian path will
also be provided. This path will provide east-west connectivity between the I-270
Corridor/Gaithersburg area and Rock Creek Regional Park, Martin Luther King
Regional Park and Fairland Recreation Park. This Plan recommends a trail throughout
the length of the ICC (with or without a highway). However, its exact location and design
should remain flexible in order to minimize its environmental impact.

Upper Rock Creek Area Master Plan 84 Approved and Adopted – April 2004
PARK DEVELOPMENT, EXISTING SCHOOLS AND TRAIL CORRIDORS

Upper Rock Creek Area Master Plan 85 Approved and Adopted – April 2004
Trail Related Guidelines for Roadway Projects
At-grade road crossings are one of the most dangerous features of trails. Many such crossings
exist in the Upper Rock Creek Planning Area. This Plan recommends that opportunities for
providing safe trail crossings be included in any planned improvements for the following
roadways: 1) Bowie Mill Road; 2) Muncaster Mill Road; 3) Muncaster Road; and 4) MD 108.

Additionally, the blinking light now located at the entrance to the Oaks Landfill should be
retained to help provide safe crossing of MD 108 for trail users. As usage of this trail increases, a
pedestrian activated crossing light should be considered.

Trail Recommendations include:

• Needwood Road Area between Rock Creek Park and the ICC Right-of-Way: The
Countywide Park Trails Plan anticipates that the bike path proposed to be built in
conjunction with the ICC will provide a much needed east-west connection among parks
in the eastern part of the County, including Rock Creek Regional Park. As previously
mentioned, this connection is so important that the Countywide Park Trail Plan proposes
that the ICC right-of-way be considered for a hard surface trail whether or not the ICC is
built. For this reason, providing a safe trail connection between Rock Creek Park and the
ICC right-of-way is important. An area is designated for parkland south of Needwood
Road to allow this connection.

• Muncaster Mill Road and Emory Lane: The Rock Creek Trail Corridor identified in
the Countywide Park Trails Plan traverses both the Upper Rock Creek and the Olney
Planning Areas. The Olney Master Plan will recommend a Class I bikeway along Emory
Road near its intersection with Muncaster Mill Road. This bikeway should accommodate
users of the North Branch trail corridors. If it cannot, land at the intersection may need to
be acquired for a park trail in this area.

Trail Related Guidelines For Review of Development Proposals

When new development occurs in the Planning Area, a major concern should be how residents
will access parkland without using their automobiles. This can be accomplished by providing
sidewalks, bike paths or trails from new subdivisions to parks. This is especially important in the
Rock Creek Planning Area because of the extensive amount of parkland in the area and the many
opportunities to enjoy trails in both Rock Creek and the North Branch. Providing connections to
these park systems will be a major concern in the review of private development.

Legacy Open Space

The Hendry property is identified as a Class III site in the Legacy Open Space Functional Master
Plan. There is a potential trail link on a portion of the property between the Rock Creek Trail
Corridor and developed or developing areas north of Bowie Mill Road. This Plan amends the
Legacy Plan to remove the Hendry Property because more appropriate locations for this trail
connection have been identified in this Plan.

Upper Rock Creek Area Master Plan 86 Approved and Adopted – April 2004
Settings for Historic, Archeological and Cultural Features

Historic and archaeologic sites provide important links to our County’s heritage. Parkland
acquisition is often desirable to preserve settings for historic, archaeological, and cultural
features. These settings are a major part of the historic feature’s origin and its sense of identity.
They should be retained. Historic Sites are shown on the accompanying map of Parkland
Recommendations.

Recommendations

• Research is currently underway on the operations of the Underground Railroad and other
aids to escaping slaves in Montgomery County. Rock Creek was used as a route by
escaping slaves and several sites in the D.C. section of Rock Creek Park have already
been marked. Dorsey Spring (22/1), the headwaters of Rock Creek should be given top
priority, and the condition of this resource should be assessed. Also, the marsh called
Blue Mash is known to have been a hiding place for escaping slaves. Because of this
historical connection between Rock Creek and Blue Mash, priority should be given to a
trail connecting them. Between the two, on MD 108, was an African American village
called Claysville (22/3), which is no longer there, but which should be noted as a possible
link. Blue Mash should then be connected with Rachel Carson Park and the Northwest
Branch Trail. This connection would create a trail loop on the Underground Railroad in
the area, and a link to the Patuxent River, the gateway to Pennsylvania and freedom for
escaping slaves.

• The Agricultural History Farm Park is an important historic resource. Views from trails
and main public areas of the park should be consistent with the agricultural character of
the park. The Bussard Farm House and Barn (22/7) interpretive area is planned to be a
Living History Museum of a 1910 farmstead. These 40 acres are especially sensitive and
the viewscapes from the house and barn should be assigned special importance in order to
maintain the historical cultural landscape for educational purposes.

• Another park planning concern is to protect the historic location of the Bowie Mill,
located adjacent to present-day Bowie Mill Road on the west side of the North Branch of
Rock Creek. The M-NCPPC has already acquired both the head race and tail race
leading to and from the actual mill site. Acquisition of the footprint of the mill
foundation would complete the preservation of this historic cultural resource, which has
given its name both to the road and local neighborhoods and would enhance
interpretative opportunities.

• The Muncaster Mill site and the Horner’s Mill site, already in parkland, should also be
protected and interpreted.

• Signage - Historical interpretive signage should be placed at all historic sites along trails.
These include: Bussard Farmstead, Newmantown site, Dorsey Spring (headwaters of
Rock Creek), Muncaster Mill site, Horner’s Mill site, Bowie Mill site, and others relating
to the Underground Railroad.

Upper Rock Creek Area Master Plan 87 Approved and Adopted – April 2004
GREENWAYS
Greenways are linear open spaces set aside for recreation and conservation uses. Greenways link
people, communities, and the natural environment. The greenway concept is a unifying
approach that uses existing regulatory and voluntary programs to create a county-wide network
of green spaces. The network will provide for protection of stream valley habitats and links for
human and animal movement throughout the County. The greenway concept will be
implemented through a variety of techniques that include regulation and acquisition, such as the
creation of private conservation easements or the purchase or dedication of land for parks.
Greenways can be on public or on private lands. Private land in greenways may be protected
through conservation easements to provide open space and wildlife habitat, and may afford
public access in cases where the property owner has given special permission. Greenways on
public land may provide differing levels of public access, depending on the sensitivity of natural
resources and physical constraints imposed by steep slopes, wet soils or floodplains.

Recommendation

• Designate the Mainstem and North Branch Rock Creek Greenways for purposes of state
and federal funding for park acquisition or trail construction.

SCHOOLS

Public schools are an integral part of the fabric of any community. Montgomery County’s public
schools are divided into 21 clusters that are based on one or more high schools. Cluster
boundaries are generally drawn to serve surrounding residential communities and maintain
socio-economic balance among the populations of the elementary, middle, and high schools.
Students in Upper Rock Creek attend schools in three clusters: Magruder, Sherwood, and
Gaithersburg.

Most of the Master Plan area lies within the Magruder Cluster. Two of the Cluster’s elementary
schools, one of its middle schools and the high school are within the Master Plan area’s
boundaries. Students in the northernmost portion of the area attend schools in the Gaithersburg
Cluster, while students in the northeastern part of the area, between North Branch and Bowie
Mill Road, attend schools in the Sherwood Cluster.

One new elementary school, Sequoyah on Bowie Mill Road, has been constructed since approval
and adoption of the 1985 Master Plan. Montgomery County Public Schools owns two sites in
the Planning Area: a 28-acre parcel near the intersection of Warfield and Woodfield Roads in the
northern part of the Planning Area and a newly-acquired site on Wickham Road north of the
Norbeck Grove community. There are no immediate plans for construction on either site. The
need for new schools is determined by the capacity of existing schools and projected increases in
enrollment. This Plan recommends that the Wickham Road property, Sherwood Elementary
School #6, be developed with housing if MCPS does not build a school.

The County’s Annual Growth Policy sets guidelines for determining local schools’ ability to
accommodate ongoing development. The County Council “evaluates available capacity in each
high school cluster and compare[s] enrollment projected by Montgomery County Schools for

Upper Rock Creek Area Master Plan 88 Approved and Adopted – April 2004
each fiscal year with projected school capacity five years out. If insufficient capacity is
available, the Council determines whether an adjacent cluster or clusters has sufficient capacity
to cover the projected deficit in school capacity.”

The Board of Education programs capital funds for modernizations, expansions, and new
construction. It can also modify service areas to accommodate policy goals or balance
enrollment with facility space. This Plan supports the Board’s Capital Improvement Program.

LIBRARIES
Upper Rock Creek’s relatively small population forces residents to travel to nearby Olney or
Gaithersburg for some services. The area is served by the Olney Library, on MD 108 outside the
town center, and the Gaithersburg Library on Montgomery Village Avenue. There are also
libraries in Aspen Hill and Rockville. Montgomery County Public Libraries has recognized that
an additional library will eventually be needed to serve this part of the central County. Facility
planning for Laytonia Recreational Park, at Airpark and Muncaster Mill Roads, includes space
for a library of up to 40,000 square feet to serve this area.

PUBLIC SAFETY
Public safety services are provided to residents by the Montgomery County Police and by
volunteer fire and rescue companies. Police Officers from the First District in Rockville, the
Fourth District in Wheaton and the Sixth District in Gaithersburg/Montgomery Village serve the
Planning Area.

The Montgomery County Division of Fire and Rescue Services, in conjunction with the
volunteer fire departments provides fire and rescue services. The Upper Rock Creek master plan
area is served primarily by four fire stations: Station 17 on Route 108 in Laytonsville, Station 28
on Muncaster Mill Road in the Redland section of Gaithersburg, Station 40 on Georgia Avenue
in Olney, and Station 3 on Hungerford Drive in Rockville. These four stations provide fire
suppression, rescue and emergency medical services. Fire-rescue units from other nearby
stations respond into this area, as well, when needed.
Because of their small size and overall condition, Laytonsville Station 17, Gaithersburg-
Washington Grove Station 28, and Rockville Station 3 may be renovated on their present sites or
relocated to nearby sites within the next 10-15 years. Sandy Spring Station 40 is expected to
remain at its present site and not require any major renovation over the next 10-15 years. No
additional fire-rescue stations are anticipated within the Upper Rock Creek Master Plan Area
within the next 10-15 years, however, the redeployment of certain fire-rescue units may occur
based upon changing needs of the area.

To enhance fire suppression capabilities in areas that lack fire hydrants, the Montgomery County
Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) urges builders and property owners to voluntarily install
underground water tanks for use by the MCFRS as part of housing developments. The size of
these underground water tanks should be based on the fire fighting water flow requirements of
the property to be protected. The tanks should hold 20,000 gallons or more and should meet
requirements of National Fire Protection Association, including appropriate connections for
hook-up to MCFRS pumpers and a roadside sign or pavement marking identifying the tank’s
Upper Rock Creek Area Master Plan 89 Approved and Adopted – April 2004
location to fire fighters. Properties that include ponds can be made readily accessible to fire
fighters by installing “dry hydrants” and providing improved access to them, such as paved or
gravel roadways with turnaround areas for MCFRS vehicles.

This recommendation should not preclude builders and property owners in rural areas from
voluntarily installing fire sprinkler systems within single-family homes and small businesses as
the primary means of structural fire protection.

Upper Rock Creek Area Master Plan 90 Approved and Adopted – April 2004