Green Network: Pilot Projects

  • Ilustrational Site Plan of Cab Calloway Legends Park -- A full-block square with curving pathways lined with trees, an oval-shaped lawn area, and children's play area.
  • Photograph of play equipment (a curving slide and climbing structures) for young children in a neighborhood park, with trees and townhouses in the background.

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Pilot Projects

During the Green Network planning process, sites were identified in each of the four Focus Areas as locations for “pilot projects” that would result in new permanent green spaces based on a community’s vision. As of 2024, Rachael Wilson Park and Cab Calloway Legends Park are two projects involving the conversion of formerly vacant properties into permanent, public open spaces to be maintained by the Baltimore City Department of Recreation and Parks (BCRP).  

Racheal Wilson Memorial Park is a Green Network Pilot Project located at 145 South Calverton Road in the Boyd-Booth neighborhood of Southwest Baltimore. Community residents advocated for more than 15 years to dedicate a park in honor of Firefighter Racheal Wilson at the site where she was killed in a training exercise. The three quarter acre park opened in April 2022, home to a playground, horseshoe pit, and memorial signage that were planned in collaboration with residents. The project was realized with City capital funding and outside grants secured by the Department of Planning, and the park is maintained by BCRP.   

Project Status: The park was largely completed and dedicated in 2022. Additional funds were secured from the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development for fencing, which was installed, and a new swingset -- expected to be installed in May or June 2023.

Cab Calloway Legends Park will provide 2.5 acres of public open space in the Druid Heights neighborhood of central West Baltimore. Community residents first envisioned a park at this location in 2008 as part of a plan to renovate existing houses and build new infill development around a public square. Druid Heights Community Development Corporation is leading this effort. The park will include a playground, community garden, heritage walk, and performance stage. City capital funds were used to acquire and consolidate the 81 lots that make up the park. The Department of Planning secured grants for the park’s design and construction, which will be overseen by BCRP.

Project Status:  Cab Calloway Legends Park is now fully funded through a combination of City capital dollars and grants from the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development. Construction is anticipated to begin late summer or fall 2024 for completion in spring 2025.

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