Greenbelt's Indian Creek Park Master Plan Takes Shape After Community Input

After months of community meetings, survey responses, and resident emails, the master plan for a new park along Indian Creek in Greenbelt West is within reach of a final vote. Landscape architecture firm Mahan Rykiel Associates and city planning staff presented a preferred concept plan at Springhill Lake Recreation Center on February 17, and Assistant Director of Planning Jaime Fearer told attendees she expected the plan to "likely go forward, with only minor revisions."

The February 17 presentation was the second major public touchpoint in the planning process. Mahan Rykiel had updated the concept based on feedback gathered at a November 2025 community meeting and through resident emails submitted in the months that followed. The city described the February session as an opportunity to further refine the concept "to provide a functional and sustainable park plan for the community."

The site itself poses real design challenges. Wedged in Greenbelt West, the roughly 11-acre parcel is bounded on the west by Indian Creek, the Greenbelt Station neighborhood, and the Concrete Institute property; on the east by Cherrywood Lane and the Prince George's Scrap facility; on the south by Branchville Road; and on the north by woodlands south of the Greenbelt Metro station. The land currently holds an open field and the paved Indian Creek trail running along its eastern edge, connecting to paths at Greenbelt Station's north end and to Cherrywood Lane. Indian Creek's floodplain and the narrow configuration of the parcel constrain how much of the community's wish list can realistically be built. Planning materials presented at the February 17 meeting included maps depicting a dog park, a garden area, and a sports complex, though city sources have not confirmed which features will survive into the final plan.

The project carries a $275,000 budget under the Maryland Department of Natural Resources FY2026 Program Open Space, with $247,500 coming from state funds and $27,500 in local dollars. The DNR identifies the project as "Greenbelt Station South Core Recreation Amenities (Indian Creek Park)" and traces its origins to a Greenbelt Station Green Spaces Visioning Plan developed by the Neighborhood Design Center.

From here, Mahan Rykiel will incorporate feedback from the February 17 meeting into an updated concept plan. A joint session of the Advisory Planning Board and the Park and Recreation Advisory Board is scheduled for March or April, followed by a City Council work session in June. Formal Council approval is expected in summer 2026. Once the Council signs off, the Planning Department will identify additional funding sources, including grants, before moving into engineering and construction scheduling.

Residents who want to weigh in before the plan reaches advisory boards can email Jaime Fearer directly at jfearer@greenbeltmd.gov or send comments to the general planning inbox at planninginfo@greenbeltmd.gov. Presentation materials from both community meetings are posted at greenbeltmd.gov/indiancreekpark.