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Committee votes 2–0 to recommend historic master‑plan amendment for Timberlawn, linking the site to Special Olympics’ origins
Summary
The committee recommended (2–0) that the council forward a master‑plan amendment to designate Timberlawn for historic preservation; staff said the site met four county code criteria, citing its role as the founding location of Camp Shriver and its association with Eunice Kennedy and Sargent Shriver.
The Planning, Housing and Parks Committee recommended on Oct. 27 that the County Council consider a master‑plan amendment to designate Timberlawn as a historic site.
Rebecca Balo, historic‑preservation staff, told the committee that staff, the Historic Preservation Commission and the Planning Board found the Timberlawn property met four designation criteria under the county code, including being the site of Camp Shriver — the local program that grew into Special Olympics — and its association with Eunice Kennedy Shriver and Sargent Shriver. “The site is identified with persons who influenced society,” Balo said, and she highlighted the camp’s racially diverse approach and the role local young counselors played in shaping later careers and community leadership.
Committee members praised the proposal and the property owner’s request for designation. The chair noted prior public comment and the October 14 council briefing and said the item would be transmitted to the full council with the committee’s recommendation. The committee’s recorded recommendation vote was 2 to 0 in favor of forwarding the master‑plan amendment to the full council for action.
The committee’s recommendation is a step in the county’s preservation process; final designation will proceed through the full council agenda and any required formal actions there.
