Baltimore County presents two concepts for 22-acre Gerst Road park; residents push for passive, walkable design

Baltimore County officials on a public call presented two concept layouts for the 22-acre Gerst Road Park site in the Perry Hall area and said roughly $1 million is allocated for planning and design. County staff said they plan to hire a design consultant in the spring and aim to show consultant-developed concepts in fall 2025; construction, if funded, was estimated to begin in summer 2027.

The presentation, led by Bob Smith, director of the Department of Recreation and Parks, walked through two internal concepts — one largely passive with meadows, pollinator gardens and walking paths, and a second that added a concentrated active area with parking and multiple pickleball courts. "We have about $1,000,000 allocated toward design and planning for this site," Smith said, and noted the county has additional supplemental bond funding for design posted to the capital projects page.

Residents who spoke during the Q&A repeatedly urged a passive design and improved pedestrian access. "I believe that this space should just stay mostly green," resident Joe Augustine said, arguing that the area already has multiple active recreation sites nearby and that active courts or fields would increase traffic and noise. Several residents asked that any courts be sited away from Newgurst Lane and that hours and lighting be limited. Smith replied, "No. I have no intent to light up the park, lit courts or anything like that."

Speakers raised safety and neighborhood impacts tied to parking and traffic. County staff said a traffic study would be done if more active amenities are proposed and that vehicle access and parking levels will depend on the final amenity mix developed with a consultant. Several residents and a Glenside Farms HOA representative said the neighborhood prefers limited parking and greater walkability; others asked the county to consider pedestrian connections from dead-end streets adjacent to the site.

Mowing and habitat management emerged as a recurring local concern. Residents described tall grass and thistle near driveways and said seasonal mowing practices had left some frontages overgrown. Bob Smith said staff would review the seasonal mow designation and, if there is no vocal opposition, could move certain sections to the regular 14-day mowing cycle. "We can certainly look to change the seasonal mow areas onto the regular 14-day mow that the rest of the property — where the buildings in the front end of the property on Gerst Road — is on a 14-day mow," Smith said. County staff also cautioned that less frequent mowing can allow wildlife habitat to establish and said prior mowing had caused concern when nest areas were disturbed.

County staff stressed the concepts shown had been developed internally to prompt discussion and that the next step is a formal consultant-led design process in which the public will have additional opportunities to review and comment on three or more refined concepts. David O'Dell, landscape architect in the capital projects division, and other staff noted constraints on the site including a stream buffer and a utility easement that limit the buildable area. The county said entrances in the concepts were aligned with proposed development entrances across Gerst Road to reduce impervious area and to support future pedestrian connections.

Timeline and funding details provided in the meeting: the county closed on the property Sept. 23, 2021; removed structures in summer 2023; received partial FY24 design funding and additional supplemental fiscal-year bond funding in summer 2024; and expects to engage a consultant in spring (county staff did not specify the calendar year), present consultant concepts in fall 2025, carry out design and permitting over roughly a year and, if development funding is approved, begin construction in summer 2027. The county posted sketch concepts online and provided a capital projects email for further comment.

What happened next: county staff said they will forward comments collected in the meeting to the consultant when engaged and will follow up on mowing requests and on clarifying pedestrian access options. No formal decisions or votes were taken at the meeting; staff described the session as an early design-phase public input meeting.