Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Park Design topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Design concepts offered for downtown Waterman’s Park; council told Chesapeake Bay Trust funded design phase
Summary
Bayland consultants presented three preliminary concepts for Waterman’s Park—full park (no parking), a hybrid park/parking option preserving about 20 spaces, and a rehabilitated parking-lot option—after the city secured a nonfinancial Chesapeake Bay Trust design grant and intends later engineering and community charrettes.
Bayland consultants presented a completed design-phase report for Waterman’s Park to the Crisfield Mayor and Council on March 25, saying the Chesapeake Bay Trust-funded effort produced three conceptual options and public engagement guidance.
Jake Schafer of Bayland described the grant as supporting the design/feasibility phase, not a final engineering package. "There are three concepts," he said, summarizing: a full-park option focused on green stormwater infrastructure and a central cultural element with no on-site parking; a hybrid option that retains roughly 20 parking spaces while creating a distinct park area and cultural elements; and a parking-lot rehabilitation that increases plantings for stormwater treatment but is not a park per se. Schafer emphasized the concepts respond to community feedback, local flood conditions and Chesapeake Bay Trust preferences for green infrastructure.
Schafer said Bayland held a kickoff in December 2024, a charrette on June 10, 2025, and a final committee update on Jan. 30, 2026. He described elements such as boardwalk connections to the city dock, stormwater treatment areas designed to drain the site, and flexible plan components to preserve Main Street sidewalks and existing entrances to adjacent buildings. Schafer noted that the design phase provides preliminary budget numbers and schedules to help secure future engineering and implementation funding.
Council members discussed parking trade-offs, the donor who gave the property and next steps. The mayor said the city has about a year before applying for the engineering portion of grants, and that staff will continue public outreach and work with the property donor on engineering committee membership.
The Bayland report is intended as a planning reference to aid future grant applications and engineering work; Schafer and staff urged continued community input as the project moves toward a formal engineering phase.
