Landscape Architect Articles

LASN January 2016 Playground: Bonnie View Park Playground01-05-16 | Department

Bonnie View Park Playground

By Michael Miyamoto, LASN / Landscape Architecture by Daft McCune Walker, Inc.,Towson, Md.

Bonnie View Park, Pikesville, Md., is an important source of recreation and relaxation for the neighbors who live nearby, and its focal point is the playground that sits in the middle of the open space. The park and playground are part of a 327 single-family home community called The Parke at Mt. Washington, built by Beazer Homes, of Columbia, Md. Playground Specialists Inc., Thurmont, Md., installed the playground. Urbanscape/Wabash Valley made and installed the benches and trash receptacles.
*Photos courtesy of Daft McCune Walker, Inc., Landscape Architects*

Bonnie View Park, just north of Baltimore, is less than an acre in size, and its playground is even smaller, tucked in the middle of the site. They might be modest in scope and scale, but it took the combined effort of two private entities and a government agency working cooperatively to make them happen.

The players in this project are: Beazer Homes, the developer; Daft McCune Walker Inc. (DMW), Landscape Architects, Planners, Civil Engineers, Environmental Professionals and Surveyors; and Baltimore County and its Department of Parks and Recreation.

Sidewalks meander through Bonnie View Park, connecting neighborhood streets to the playground. Bonnie View Park is about a half-acre, while the playground is 2,800 square feet. Barlow Concrete, of Curtis Bay, Md., constructed the network of sidewalks. Abbey Fence, of Baltimore, installed a 4-foot-tall fence that encloses the park. Steel benches are maintenance free, but exterior faux wood gives them a soft look.

First, a brief bit of background.

Bonnie View Country Club was built in the 1930s, and it didn't take long for the homes surrounding the 18-hole private golf club to become known as Bonnie View Estates.

In its heyday, Bonnie View Country Club was well respected and enjoyed an air of prestige in Pikesville, Md., an unincorporated community of about 31,000 people, just north of Mt. Washington. It went through decades of widespread use and became something of an icon in the view of townsfolk. But then the economy went into a tailspin in the early 2000s. The national economic turmoil, coupled with competition from other golf clubs, pretty much sealed Bonnie View's fate.

The playground features a wide range of age-appropriate play equipment for children ages 5-12, all of it manufactured by Playworld Systems Inc. Rainbow Turf Products' pervious, poured-in-place rubber surface is 3.5" thick and placed on top of 6" of crushed stone. Its design minimizes runoff of rainwater. Timber edging is also an appropriate safety measure.

Beazer Homes bought the 140-acre property, took steps to convert the land use to a single-family home subdivision, and gave its soon-to-be built community a new name: The Parke at Mt. Washington. The homebuilder began constructing the first of its 327 homes in 2008. Before that, Beazer was required to include an open space amenity in The Park as one of the conditions of development. At about the same time, community members and others lobbied to prevent the name Bonnie View from going into extinction, saying it should somehow be kept alive.

"The intent was that it (Bonnie View Park) serve the residents of the larger surrounding community as well," said Edward Tom, landscape architect and project manager at Daft McCune Walker.

"Beazer agreed, hence, the name Bonnie View Park," Tom, RLA, said. So while the housing subdivision is called The Parke at Mt. Washington, the nearby park is named Bonnie View.

Bonnie View is rectangular-shaped, about a half-acre in size, and is surrounded by a 4-foot-tall steel picket fence. Public streets and landscaped areas line three sides of the park, while Beazer's relatively new homes flank the fourth.

And in the center of this open space with nicely manicured lawns sits the Bonnie View Park playground, about 2,800 square feet in size.

Outside Unlimited Inc., Hampstead, Md., installed the landscaping. A mix of trees are visible in the photo: (from left to right) Acer saccharum, or silver maple; Betula Nigra Duraheat, river birch; Quercus acutissima, sawtooth oak; Picea abies, Norway spruce; Acer saccharum, silver maple; Pyrus calleryana, Callery pear; Cercis Canadensis, eastern redbud; Quercus rubra, or northern red oak. The turf is a Maryland certified turf-type tall fescue.

"Access walks lead into the park from sidewalks on adjacent streets, meander through open lawn and shade trees, and connect to the playground in the middle of the park," Tom said.

Tom headed the team from Daft McCune Walker that was in charge of the design-and-build phases of the park and playground. Beazer paid DMW for these services, and also to plan and design the 327-home community.

"The park's heavy use speaks to its success in bringing together generations of the original families of Bonnie View, along with the "new' neighbors of The Parke at Mt. Washington," Tom said. "Or put another way, the park serves to connect residents of the older adjoining community with those of the new one."

After passing inspection by the Baltimore County Department of Parks and Recreation, the county took over ownership, operation and maintenance of Bonnie View Park, including the playground, Tom said. Were there any challenges that had to be overcome during this process?

"Just the normal ones associated with maintaining high standards of construction and workmanship," Tom said. "The design, review and approval process went smoothly overall.

"Beyond the smiles of happy kids "?u the ultimate reward "?u I'm happy to report the park is holding up well to use, with the maple trees providing increasing shade," Tom added.

What did you enjoy the most about this particular project?

"Bonnie View Park is a successful example of adaptive reuse of land, converting a private recreation resource into a more accessible one, and a public-private partnership," Tom noted.