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Annapolis officials unveil concept to restore Carr's Beach at Kahrs Beach, prioritize shoreline resilience and cultural interpretation
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Summary
City presenters laid out a community-driven concept plan for Kahrs (Carr's) Beach that pairs shoreline restoration — including living headlands and dunes designed for sea-level rise — with cultural interpretation, a visitor center and managed access; officials said $4 million is committed for shoreline work and the full park could cost $11–12 million.
Rosalind Johnson, the city’s director of recreation and parks, opened a work-session presentation by calling the proposal “not recreation and parks plan. This is the community’s plan,” and introduced a consulting team that included Mitchell Silver and SCAPE designer Rickarius.
Gabe Coley, director of programs for the Resilience Authority of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County, said the Authority helped the city procure expertise and steer the shoreline-design work because Kahrs Beach is “experiencing some heavy erosion and is really susceptible to future inundation events.” He said the Authority’s role was to ensure the shoreline design accounted for sea-level rise and future storm surge.
Mitchell Silver reviewed the concept-plan goals and engagement, saying the team conducted listening sessions, stakeholder workshops and open houses and sought to elevate the site’s history as part of the design. “We wanted to co-create a plan and not have a top-down plan that was forced on the community,” Silver said, noting the effort honored the legacy of Carr’s Beach and incorporated seven art-and-design principles, including accessibility, cultural-heritage amplification and an ethic of care.
Rickarius of SCAPE presented the shoreline-restoration design that would widen the beach and slow erosion with two vegetated “living headlands,” backshore dunes to replenish sand after storms, and terrace seating and a kayak launch to support outdoor learning and public access. The design also calls for relocating an exposed manhole and setting beach elevations to accommodate projected sea-level-rise scenarios.
Funding, timing and partnerships were discussed. Johnson said permits for shoreline and coastal restoration have been filed and the city currently has a little more than $4,000,000 identified for the shoreline component, described as largely federal and city capital funding. “We call it funny money until you get a contractor who says we can do it for this amount,” she said. The team estimated the full park — design, construction and build-out — could cost about $11–12 million. Coley named additional potential sources: roughly $1 million through a watershed partnership proposed for FY 2027, about $1 million pending from National Fish and Wildlife Foundation programs, and roughly $1 million tied to national-park-related funding. Presenters said they are hopeful permits could be approved around July and that shoreline work could break ground in 2026 with a park opening targeted by 2028 if funding and permitting align.
Council members and neighbors asked about access and operations. Alderman Alsop Johnson and others praised the public engagement and urged pursuing state, county and federal grants. An alderman asked whether the pier could be designed with slips to allow boats to tie up for day visits; presenters said the pier shown is a conceptual placeholder and that permitting will determine allowable size. Alderman Smith Brown raised equity concerns about boat access and prioritization: “If you are a person of color…how would we go about that?” she asked, urging mechanisms to ensure descendants and the historically connected community benefit from access. Presenters said they have discussed linking the site to an electric ferry service to improve equitable water access and are considering managed short-term parking, attendants and pay-to-park time limits — approaches that would be refined during the park-design phase.
The team emphasized community stewardship and cultural interpretation: the plan would include story walls, art installations and a visitor center to tell the history of Carr’s Beach and recognize performers and community leaders. Blacks of the Chesapeake and neighborhood partners were acknowledged repeatedly during the presentation and a Juneteenth unveiling and annual event were cited as part of near-term programming.
Next steps, as stated by staff, include permitting follow-through, continued pursuit of grants, moving from concept to detailed park design, and continued neighborhood engagement; no formal vote or adoption occurred during the work session.
