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to the City of Bowie's
By serving as a model for other community agencies, businesses, developers, architects, contractors, and homeowners, the City of Bowie will illustrate responsible land use, habitat protection, and resource conservation through the sustainable design and construction of a 12,000 square foot Parks and Grounds building that will incorporate Pollution Prevention (P2) techniques such as Low Impact Development (LID) and BayScapes Conservation Landscaping. In order to achieve this objective, this demonstration project aims to significantly reduce stormwater runoff and associated non-point source pollutant loading to the Western Branch and the Patuxent River, and minimize water consumption, construction site waste, and energy usage while enhancing existing non-tidal wetlands. Collaboration with County planning agencies through out this project may establish a new precedent that would influence future development standards.
It is appropriate to use the Parks and Grounds Facility, sitting adjacent to the largest park and pond in Bowie, as the City's first Green demonstration project. Allen Pond Park encompasses 40 acres of natural areas of wildlife habitat, trails, recreational fields, and ten-acre storm water management pond. This park serves as the recreational focal point in Bowie. The close proximity of the Parks and Grounds Facility to the park will further enhance the visibility factor of this demonstration project.
This project has been pushed back two consecutive years due to lack of capital funds. Once the City began looking towards grant funding, and developing the partnerships that would not necessarily have otherwise been formed, the proposed project has taken on an entirely new perspective. The original project did not incorporate LID, Environmental Design or Green Construction. The process of developing and promoting this project has had some unanticipated results such as Bowie City Council committing to modeling energy cost reductions, water conservation, and pollution preventing by adopting LID/Green Building policies.
History
Since 1996, the City's Parks and Grounds Division has occupied a 1950's single-family home located on Mitchellville Road, near Allen Pond Park. The demands on the Parks and Grounds Division have grown substantially since then.
In 1999, the City commissioned a feasibility study of the Parks and Grounds Facility. The evaluation sited 11 key areas in which the facility was deficient or insufficient in conducting the daily operations of this division. The second phase of the feasibility study conducted an analysis for three potential sites for a new facility. The study recommended that the existing site be redeveloped, but that the present structure is demolished. The existing building does not meet Code and it would be cost prohibitive to conduct the required renovations as well as construct the additional space needed. The feasibility study further recommended construction of a new 12,000 square foot administrative and maintenance facility on the existing site to replace the existing 5,200 square foot structure.
The City owned building has been adaptively reused since its purchase in 1995. Redevelopment of this site is consistent with Smart Growth policies. In the redevelopment of the site, the City will have to remove the existing septic system and make provisions for a public sewer connection, as the current septic system is insufficient to meet current or future demands.
Proposed Project
Following LEED™ protocol, City staff and the Project Partners will work in conjunction with a LEED™ certified design firm (comprising the Project Team) to ensure that extensive and thorough consideration is made to the overall sustainability and replicability of this demonstration project. This demonstration project hopes to achieve defined goals, which include significant reductions in energy usage, construction site waste, water consumption, stormwater runoff, and non-point pollution.
City staff, in collaboration with the Project Team, will produce building and site design plans through a series of Pre-Design meetings, Site visits, and Final Design meetings, which will achieve at a minimum Silver LEED™ rating. Throughout the design and permitting phases, areas where the existing code does not accommodate LID and Green Building methods will be documented, and the alternative method for meeting the code standard will be determined. Monitoring project results will be instrumental in establishing sound basis for code revisions. The LID/BayScapes component may include volunteer participation, although the public will be involved throughout the design phase through a series of informational presentations and educational workshops.
Although the project is not entirely contingent on receiving grant funding, additional resources will absorb costs incurred with using LEED™ protocol and encouraging code revision, such as the commissioning and monitoring necessary to produce documented results. Because the City of Bowie wants to promote the project, the technologies, and the overall achievements and services of our partners, there will be additional costs in producing follow-up, promotional/how-to materials. Support from grant programs will ensure that this project is no longer delayed, and that the City's first Green/LID project remains affordable.
Special Project Features:
Low Impact Development (LID) techniques serve to reduce or eliminate the input of contaminants from all controllable sources to levels that result in no toxic impact on the living resources or on human health. Prince George’s County Department of Environmental Resources staff believes the site can be designed for the exclusive use of LID techniques for stormwater management. LID is an innovative new approach to stormwater management that provides superior environmental protection by restoring, maintaining and enhancing the pre-development hydrologic cycle within the project site. LID techniques can include bioretention, green roofs, street tree filters, and permeable pavements. LID can also provide lower initial and long-term capital and maintenance costs then conventional development. By taking measures in the design phase to restore the natural hydrology on this site will have minimal environmental impact on the site and the adjacent property. LID techniques eliminate the construction of a stormwater management pond.
This project will be among the first opportunities for the United States Fish and Wildlife Service BayScapes Program staff to realize its goal by designing an entire site with Conservation Landscaping Techniques. Typically, the BayScapes Program has supported or conducted conversion or retrofit ‘demonstration gardens’ at developed sites mainly for educational purposes. For this project, Service staff has agreed to provide the technical expertise in designing the site’s landscape plan with Conservation Landscaping Techniques. LID techniques may be incorporated into a BayScapes site plan, and vise versa, as the two go hand-in-hand. Consequently, this project offers the unique opportunity for city, local and federal government agencies to partner in establishing a demonstration site that can effectively illustrate the environmental benefits of an entire site being fully “BayScaped”, using LID.
The Present Structure:
In the last twelve years, there have been approximately 20,000 new homes build in Bowie, with another 5,336 housing units gained through annexations. The demands on the Parks and Grounds Division have grown substantially due to these annexations. A feasibility study commissioned by the City in 1999 sites 11 key areas in which the facility, which does not meet code, is deficient or insufficient in conducting the daily operations of this division. The study recommended that the existing site be redeveloped, the present structure be demolished, and a new 12,000 square foot administrative and maintenance facility be constructed.
The project site is within the Patuxent River watershed. Non-tidal wetlands exist on the property and will be preserved and enhanced as a result of sustainable redevelopment of the site. The site is adjacent to a City-owned public park used for both active and passive recreation by area residents. This park provides 40 acres of woodland areas of wildlife habitat. Existing vegetation at the project site will be preserved and expanded through the use of Conservation Landscaping techniques at the recommendation of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff.
Original Site Plan Design
Photos of original; project site
Map of project site
Project Timetable:
Monitoring:
Monitoring will be conducted in order to assess the effectiveness of LID by testing samples from the receiving stream that drains the project for water quality and quantity. A reference stream may also be selected and monitored. Commercial/institutional sites that have no stormwater (SWM) controls and/or conventional SWM may also be selected for comparison. The main purpose of implementing a monitoring plan is to demonstrate a reduction in runoff rates, an increase in the removal of pollutants as compared to conventional SWM techniques, and improvements in stream health as related to water quality, biology and hydrology. This plan may include the following components: Biological assessment for benthos and fish; Water quality assessment; Hydrologic Assessment; Physical monitoring that will employ the Rosgen Level II and III assessments; and Water quality assessment for LID techniques (e.g. bioretention)
