Quiet Waters Park an inspiration for protecting natural world
Long-time residents of Anne Arundel County might remember when former County Executive Jim Lighthizer staved off private developers and acquired the land for Quiet Waters Park 35 years ago. They might also remember how his efforts to buy the land and implement the park infrastructure modeled after Central Park were met with some controversy.
However, there is no doubt his vision and perseverance resulted in one of the most beloved parks in Anne Arundel County, attracting nearly 1 million visitors a year and helping to make our county one of the best places for all.
When Quiet Waters Park opened in 1990, 19 acres of the original farm adjacent to the park remained in private hands. In 2016, when the last resident of the property decided to move, developers set their sights on building an exclusive cluster of luxury homes on this heavily wooded waterfront parcel.
Chesapeake Conservancy, a nonprofit based in Anne Arundel County dedicated to preserving and protecting the Chesapeake Bay, worked for several years to piece together various sources of federal, state and private funds to save the land from further development and expand
Quiet Waters Park.
The plan was to refurbish the five existing structures, including the large farmhouse located just 88 feet from the shoreline, to become the Earl Conservation Center, a shared space for environmental nonprofits to work together to protect and restore our natural world, particularly the Chesapeake Bay.
They could gather for classes and meetings, with open areas and conference rooms for their use (see “Our Say: Expanding Quiet Waters Park a good opportunity”).
In December 2019, the county acquired the property with the help of funding coordinated by Chesapeake Conservancy. The county entered into an “Agreement To Lease” for the Chesapeake Conservancy to operate the Earl Conservation Center. However, plans to refurbish the existing buildings were disrupted in September 2020, when one of the structures was damaged by a tornado and an arson fire destroyed the large farmhouse.
The extensive damage to the structures required demolition for safety reasons, leading the partners to pivot to new construction plans. Fortunately, this presents an opportunity to make the Earl Conservation Center a model of sustainability, specifically through Zero
Carbon and LEED Gold certification, and by moving the construction 40-50 feet farther from the shoreline and into a much less-sensitive area. The new center will also have a smaller footprint of 8,278 square feet, compared to 14,680 square feet for the previous structure’s footprint.
The construction of the Earl Conservation Center fits into the story of Quiet Waters Park, which is one of preservation and protection of public access to beautiful waterfront and wildlife.
Instead of losing this land forever to private development, Quiet Waters Park was expanded by 19 acres. Where there would have been as many as 14 luxury homes with no public access to the waterfront, the public can now enjoy beautiful views of the Chesapeake Bay, South River and Loden Pond, with new access to this beautiful part of the park.
Habitat for our precious wildlife has been protected and will be improved by removing and replacing invasive plants with native species. A standard non-native grass lawn will be replaced with a natural meadow with native grasses and shrubs. There will be extensive new ADA-accessible trails for outdoor recreation, an education pavilion, restrooms for the visitors to the new trails and a possible bird-viewing structure on Loden Pond.
Local waters will be protected as all partners will adhere to the most-stringent environmental controls. While some trees will be removed during redevelopment, mostly because of trail and road construction, the county and the conservancy commit to ensuring a no-net-loss of forest area through reforestation and preservation efforts.
In response to the community’s feedback during the public comment period after a public meeting held on Oct. 31, and as a part of the new park master plan, the county intends to modify some design details, such as the access road to the new park expansion.
We will present these modifications at a second public meeting hosted by the county on Feb. 13 at 6:30 p.m. at the Blue Heron Room at Quiet Waters, where we will welcome additional public input and suggestions for improvements. We are committed to this public-private partnership and look forward to the grand opening of the park expansion, and to the positive impact it will have on our community.