Howard County Executive Calvin Ball Announces Recreation & Parks Has Preserved More than 10,000 Acres of Open Space and Parkland

ELLICOTT CITY, MD – Howard County Executive Calvin Ball today announced that the County’s Department of Recreation & Parks has permanently preserved more than 10,000 acres of open space and parkland. The key to this major milestone was the recent completed purchase of the nearly-100-acre Longwood property in Glenwood, which the County plans to transform into a premiere Public Garden destination.

Since taking office, we have remained committed to preserving what makes Howard County such a great place to live, work, play, grow, and thrive – its mixture of suburban living and natural beauty. As our county continues to grow and change, the preservation of our land – no matter how big or small, becomes even more important, especially as a vast majority of our residents live within five miles of one of our County parks. This major milestone highlights our pledge to protect our environment by preserving as much land as possible from future development.

Calvin Ball

Howard County Executive

Recreation & Parks preserves park and open space land that allows for the protection of wildlife habitat, trees, and meadows, maintains natural and manmade ecosystems, enhances recreational opportunities, creates community gardens, and conserves historic structures.

We are working to expand the parkland system in Howard County in two key ways. We're always looking for larger properties that add significant natural and recreational areas like the recent Longwood acquisition. At the same time, we are focused on identifying locations for smaller, accessible neighborhood and pocket parks to ensure all residents have convenient access to green spaces.

Nick Mooneyhan

Director, Department of Recreation & Parks

In addition to the purchase of the Longwood property at 3188 MD 97 in Glenwood, Howard County also recently acquired:

6365, 6371 and 6379 Old Washington Road in Elkridge for the new Elkridge Community and 50+ Center
The Lawyers Hill property at 5819 Lawyers Hill Road in Elkridge
Mount Ida at 3691 Sarahs Lane in Ellicott City
Camp Ilchester at 5042 Ilchester Road in Ellicott City
The Cole’s property at 12155 and 12195 Old Frederick Road in Marriottsville

Since Ball took office in 2018, Recreation & Parks has acquired 206.8 acres of open space and parkland, bringing the grand total to 10,104 acres. To ensure Recreation & Parks’ parkland system continues to grow, the department is continuously identifying locations where pocket and neighborhood parks near homes can be built and where gaps exist in park facilities.

Howard County Executive Calvin Ball Announces Recreation & Parks Has Preserved More than 10,000 Acres of Open Space and Parkland

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