Allen Pond Park is the premier park in the City of Bowie and home to major festivals and events for the community. An 85-acre facility, with a ten-acre pond, it provides both passive and active recreational opportunities to the surrounding community.

With the assistance of Lardner/Klein Landscape Architects, PC, the City of Bowie undertook a comprehensive review of Allen Pond Park.

As part of that process, the consultants evaluated the current state of the park and assessed future needs of the City and those who visit the park and use its facilities.

City Council reviewed the draft master plan during their January 25, 2011 work-session and the final plan was completed in May 2011.

View the Master Plan (82 pages - pdf document)

Whitemarsh Park is a 200-acre park. Most of the park is passive, but there are 30 acres which are heavily used. This 30 acres is home to active recreation, the Bowie Playhouse, the historic William Plains house and SportFit Bowie, a private athletic club.

In 2011 with the assistance of Lardner/Klein Landscape Architects, PC, the City of Bowie completed a comprehensive review of Whitemarsh Park.

As part of that process, the consultants evaluated the current state of the park and assessed future needs of the City and those who visit the park and use its facilities.

Some of the questions addressed in the review were:

• Should uses stay in their current location?
• Should some uses be removed?
• Should other uses be inserted or be transformed to year-round activity?
• How can the existing facilities better share infrastructure investments such as parking and restrooms?

These questions, and others related to costing, phasing, and alternate access points for vehicles and pedestrians were considered in the planning process.

Upon completion of the review in May 2011, a master plan for the park was completed and the final plan was accepted by City Council on August 5, 2011.

View the White Marsh Master Plan (103 pages - PDF)

The 2005 - 2010 Recreation Master Plan was written in 2005 by citizen volunteers of the Community Recreation Committee and was intended to be used by City staff and others involved in developing recreational facilities and programs for Bowie in the future.

It highlighted the need at that time for additional baseball/softball fields, soccer fields and indoor gyms and identified the most pressing need City-wide to be for gymnasium facilities for indoor activities, lacrosse fields, lighted soccer fields and football fields.

View the 2005 - 2010 Recreation Master Plan (76 pages - pdf document)