Robin Godwin: Rash Field Concepts to be Revealed at Public Meeting on March 29th

Mahan Rykiel Associates, the Baltimore-based landscape architecture firm chosen for the redevelopment of Rash Field, will be holding its second public meeting next Tuesday at 6pm at the Maryland Science Center. Approximately 200 people met in January to give ideas and feedback about the project. The public will start to see a vision for the future of the park as this meeting’s agenda includes:

Share concept drawings for the park based on the first public meeting, focus groups and online surveys.
Solicit feedback on concept drawings.
Share a summary of the public input process.
Discuss next steps for the project which include: finalizing the design by this summer and working towards a groundbreaking by summer or fall 2017.

There will be a $4 million budget for Phase 1. A larger budget for improvements is expected in Fiscal Year 2018 and 2019.

Over the last 15 years, many plans have been proposed and discussed in regards to the future of Rash Field at the south shore of the Inner Harbor. When the Inner Harbor 2.0 Plan was released in November 2013, ideas for a redeveloped Rash Field included things such as water and sculpture gardens, a barge pool, a public beach, a carousel, a children’s science garden, and playgrounds, but no mention was made of a space for beach volleyball. However, the Waterfront Partnership released a request for qualifications (RFQ) for a Rash Field improvement plan in July and beach volleyball was front and center as a requirement.

The chosen firm had to include the following uses and design principles in the redesign of Rash Field:

Beach volleyball
Outdoor exercise equipment and uses (e.g. jogging track)
Active health and wellness, fitness space for organized or informal activities
Remove berm separating field from the Promenade and add shade swings
Upgrade South Shore promenade
Provide flexible programming space for activities including bocce, ping pong, etc.
Provide flexible outdoor events space
Recommend treatment for safe use of remaining areas (e.g. wood bleachers)
Potential Concession – seasonal, locally owned and operated outdoor café
Relocate Pride Memorial, Carousel, and Kawasaki Garden (alternate locations are currently being identified)
Add shade
Storage for Rash Field programming and event activities
Upgrade bathrooms
Other uses brought forward by design team, stakeholder meetings, or the Advisory Committee

“Rash Field is a unique civic space at the interface of land and water. It connects nature and culture, commerce and residence, active and passive recreation, and provides vistas of two of the City’s most iconic and evolving urban environments – the Inner Harbor waterfront and City skyline,” said Richard Jones, President of Mahan Rykiel Associates. “Our collaborative engagement process – on this and all of our projects – grounds our approach to design and planning; thus providing a window into community needs and desires, and ultimately, contributing to an enriched environment that better serves Baltimore.”

“We’d like to build on the popularity of beach volleyball. We’ve seen many fitness programs, such as November Project, use the current space as well,” said Laurie Schwartz, president of Waterfront Partnership, in July after the release of the RFQ. “The removal of the berm (separating the park and Inner Harbor promenade) will increase sight lines, hopefully leading to more people participating in the activities.”

At the first public meeting, the group in attendance was filled with neighbors from nearby communities, Digital Harbor staff and students, and a large contingent of participants from Baltimore Beach Volleyball and the November Project, two popular groups that utilize Rash Field. Those in attendance were asked to complete an online survey upon entering and were later split into 11 groups to discuss the future of Rash Field and share key points of their discussion with the audience.

Nearly everyone in attendance, as revealed through the survey results, agreed the space should remain an active recreation park. The love for beach volleyball was apparent in the group presentations from both those who play and those who do not, but a popular sentiment was the space should be more flexible so multiple activities or events can take place at once without disruption. Nearly every group stated a desire for the return of a winter ice rink at Rash Field, which has been in place in recent years at McKeldin Square and Harborplace. Most groups also noted Rash Field felt like a community space and not a “tourist attraction like the rest of the Inner Harbor.” One group led their presentation with “don’t change it, enhance it,” which led to a positive reaction by the audience.

Ideas presented for Rash Field in the presentations included a farmers’ market, vendors, outdoor cafes or food boats, a better running track and fitness equipment, more shade, improved bathrooms, a dog park, better lighting, gardens, artwork and scuplture gardens, permeable surfaces, bike parking, better signage, a skate park, kayaking and sport rental facilities, climbing walls, fountains, spaces for dancing, education spaces, and more connectivity to Federal Hill. There were varying opinions about whether the feeling of separation from the rest of the Inner Harbor was a good or bad thing.

Mahan Rykiel’s work includes Pierce’s Park at Pier 5; East Baltimore’s Eager Park, which is now under construction; and, a master plan for Patterson Park. The firm is also currently working with the Downtown Partnership on a redevelopment of McKeldin Square adjacent to the Inner Harbor.