The City of Gaithersburg is developing a 9.54-acre park at 10901 Darnestown Rd. with parking, community gardens, a bicycle skills course (pump track), open space, pavilions, a playground, fitness pods, and a welcome plaza. A progress video is available below.
The park will be called Pleasant View Park is named after the nearby Pleasant View community, one of the first free black communities established after the Civil War. The park’s name honors the historic significance of that community and also reflects the beauty of the natural surroundings. The land was acquired through the Federal Land to Parks Program of the United States Department of the Interior National Park Service. From 1955 to 1975, this location served as a fire control radar site for the U.S. Army NIKE missile system. After 1975, the site was used by the Consumer Product Safety Commission as the National Laboratory Campus for testing consumer products.
A new parking lot will be constructed at the park’s west boundary. Vehicular access to the park will be through the drive that extends from Darnestown Road. Pedestrians will be able to access the site from Darnestown Road via a path that will be located parallel to the access drive into the park. Pedestrians will also be able to access the park from Marsh Lane. A Ride-On bus stop is located on Darnestown Road at the park entrance.
Status update: Pleasant View Park Construction is in progress; Marsh Ln. pedestrian connectivity is completed, the playground constructed, fitness pods and pavilions installed, the bike pump track constructed, and Phase-I rough grading completed. Overall site progress can be seen in the January 30, 2023 video under the Watch header.
Phase-II construction is in progress; belowground utility rough-in work and stormwater structures installed, visitors plaza concrete work completed, community garden constriction in progress, parking lot’s concrete curb and gutter installation in progress, concrete walkways constructed.
Phase-III Construction is in Progress; Park’s main entrance road (from Darnestown Road) stormwater structures installed, and concrete curb and gutters installation is in progress.