A revised concept plan for the Odessa Park project has been added to the City website on the Project page in the project documents section. Please click this link

The plan is listed as Odessa Park Concept Plan.

The proposed park will be located at the end of Odess Rd. Please see below.

City hosted a community meeting early this year to get input from residents living near the park. This happened after the MDOT/SHA released its plan to widen I495 beltway, potentially affecting some portion of the proposed park close to the beltway. The MDOT wanted to create a 30 ft buffer from the property line. Accordingly, the City conducted a new survey and adjusted the design.

The access path from the street to the play area is a fairly direct connection to encourage users to follow the path. This direct pathway will limit the amount of new impervious surface that will require stormwater treatment. As more square footage of impervious service is installed in a project, the requirement for additional stormwater treatment components increases. These required stormwater components add to the overall cost of the project. Therefore, limiting the amount of new impervious surface in a project will help to control the project cost.

The perimeter landscape buffer includes evergreens for year-round screening as well as flowering trees for interest.

There are 2 options for play surfacing material under the play equipment; engineered wood fiber (EWF) mulch, like is used at other City playgrounds, or rubberized surfacing. The EWF is less expensive initially but needs to be replenished annually, which will entail a significant amount of time to move the material from the street to the play area. In addition, any remaining bamboo rhizomes will be able to regenerate through the EWF surfacing and require control treatment. A rubberized play surfacing option is initially more expensive but requires less routine maintenance. Another benefit is that it will help prevent the re-growth of any remaining bamboo in the play area.

Play equipment selection has been revised to include a swing for 2 users that face each other, turning bars at various heights for different aged users, and a rock log for inspiration play. The play structure shown is very open to allow for easy visibility.

The cost estimate for the plan is in line with the project budget.

Please review the plan & provide comments, as live meetings are still discontinued.