The City of Gaithersburg started planning for its newest park last year, a 2.99 acre parcel located at the corner of Decoverly Drive and Steinbeck Avenue in Crown. The park will occupy a portion of the original 175-acre property that was annexed into the City in 2006. While the parcel is a generous size, after accounting for required easements and stream valley buffers, the usable park space will be about 1.5 acres.
Design for the Crown Farm Park is nearing its final stages. A Request for Proposals (RFP) for construction will be issued this fall, with work anticipated to begin in early 2026. The park is expected to open to the public by fall 2026. The 2.99-acre parcel located at the corner of Decoverly Drive and Steinbeck Avenue in Crown will feature walking paths, a playground, native species landscaping, and open space for community enjoyment.
The 19th century Corn Crib Barn is the oldest surviving structure from the former England-Crown Farm and recently underwent preservation. Additional info from in-depth feature article in the spring, 2021 edition of inGaithersburg Magazine: “Just 15 years ago, the Crown neighborhood was a farm, the last one in Gaithersburg. The 175-acre property was annexed into the City in 2006, and it’s now a vibrant (and still growing) community with restaurants, retail shops, commercial space, and thousands of condominiums, apartments, town- houses, and single family homes. It’s also home to a future high school. Most of the expansive property is in the hands of private developers, but a few acres were deeded to the City for use as a park.
Technically called the England-Crown Farm, it operated as a dairy farm by the England, Garrett and Crown families in the 19th and 20th centuries. The little piece that will become a park includes two silos, a concrete block garage with an attached storage shed, a corrugated metal grain bin, and that intrigu- ing corn crib. Also on the site, but privately owned and in the process of being renovated, are a 19th century Manor House, a smoke house, and an early log house. All of these structures have been officially designated by the City as historic resources.”