Skip to main content

Unfortunately, you can't participate in this project anymore because it has been archived

King Park Renovation

King Park is getting a makeover!

On November 1, 2022, Robert J. King Park on 4205 Gallatin Street closed for a major renovation. Work includes improved stormwater management, replacement of the playground structures, updated landscaping, and a restored pavilion area. The park is expected to reopen in 2024.

Phases

Phases overview

Phase 1: Share your ideas

Share your ideas

Phase 2: Review and analysis of ideas

Review and analysis of ideas

Phase 3: Comment on the proposed park plans!

Comment on the proposed park plans!

Phase 4: Final design and construction

Final design and construction

Comment on the proposed park plans!

February 22, 2023 5:00 AM - March 7, 2023 5:00 AM

Thank you for your suggestions! The comment period is now closed. All feedback posted here has been shared with the project design team for consideration.

View the concept plans for a re-imagined King Park!

Use the Comment button in the upper right hand corner of the page to share your thoughts by March 6, 2023.

You can also attend an in-person community feedback workshop on February 23 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at the City Building, 4310 Gallatin Street.

Proposed park elements include:

Shifting the playground area to the park's central circle.
Nature-inspired playground equipment, targeted at the 2-5 year old age range
The area alongside the Masonic Building will be transformed into a grassy play field with new picnic benches. Plantings will be placed alongside the building to provide a buffer between the park and the historic structure.
The area to the right of the playground will be transformed into a "reading garden" with new native plantings and benches. This will assist with stormwater management in the park and provide a buffer between the playground and the neighboring homes.
Public art elements, like a painted retaining wall and a family-friendly sculpture will be added.
The pavilions, pathway, and trees will remain. The pathway will be repaved to be permeable.

Have questions? Check out our FAQ above!

36 issues

Lindsay Myers3 years ago I think the play equipment should remain off to the side for several reasons: There’s no clear sight line in the park when it’s in the middle. It’s important for keeping toddlers safe to be able to easily see where they are. Moving the okay equipment to the middle turns this space from a park into a playground. Lots of adults without kids use King park as a gathering space to chat under the pavilions or on the bench by the LFL, but adults without kids won’t gather if it feels like just a playground. It serves more people to keep it a park that has play equipment in it. The city hosts events at this park sometimes, swearing in ceremonies, time with Nola the dog etc, and without the middle gathering space the function is lost. The open space is a nice place for dog owners to unleash a dog (when no one else is using the park) and give the pups some exercise with a ball. There aren’t a lot of areas in Hyattsville where you can safely unleash a dog. I know it’s not a dog park, but I’ve always thought it was nice that in the dusky hours when kids have cleared out people taking their dogs out for walks after works can use the space this way. Big kids often used the green space for soccer or running games. This is good for families with mixed age groups to still be able to play together. The shade provided by the Masonic lodge kept the play equipment cool for the first half of the day. Not only is the shade important for sun protection, but littles can’t play on physically hot surfaces. We have to avoid Hyatt park in the afternoons during the summer because of this. The placement of the play structure is my biggest concern for the redesign. Otherwise, I’m really looking forward to the landscape and aesthetic updates proposed - with the one suggestion that sturdy native plants are chosen since flowers are so tempting to little hands.

Annalee Seath3 years ago What a thoughtful park design for our littlest Hyattsville residents and their families! While my own children will have aged out of the demographic King Park primarily serves by the time it reopens, I am happy the focus remains on kids 5 and under. No other park serves this age group in the same way. I love the mix of slides, climbing structures, art, and music-making. I'm happy to see the path, fence, and green space with landscaping space will remain.I want to echo other comments that I hope there will be a secure gate and fencing separating the park from Gallatin. I also agree that a surface other than mulch would be ideal; throwing handfuls of mulch is irresistible to preschoolers and toddlers. I love seeing a slide, but I think a slide as wide as the one pictured might be difficult for little ones who need 2 sides to hold onto. A narrower slide path would guide toddlers and preschoolers to the bottom without tumbles or collisions on the way down. I'd also like to see sufficient shade over park benches as well as the playground structure so the park can be used fully during the hot summer months. Thanks for a great redesign! Our family is excited to see the renovation progress over the next year!

Michael Lucki3 years ago

Paul Swerdlow3 years ago

Julia Dezelski3 years ago This is a great start to an even better King Park! Thank you, Hyattsville, for investing in our small neighborhood park. Although the overall concept looks promising, there are a few elements and suggestions - many made by others - that I would echo: consider adding swings to the play structure - swings that accommodate more than one child are particularly fun (like 38th Park) consider adding a small seasonal 'water element' like a spray for the summertime and water fountains for drinking turf ground surface; not mulch! necessary to add a secure gate by the street; and it is necessary to keep a line of vision for parents to the street (moving the play structure to the center might hinder that line of vision) please ensure shade for the play structure and seating areas the reading area is a wonderful idea - please leave or renovate the free library Looking forward to spending much time there!

Elizabeth Turcan3 years ago

Sarah O'Brien3 years ago

Maria Cecilia Ulrickson3 years ago I am also excited about the plans for equipment focusing on the 2-5 range. This space is small, so I imagine it would only accommodate one age range, and this is the only park I know of in the area dedicated to this age range. A few suggestions: Shade, either synthetic-canopy or trees, against afternoon sun for the central playground region 10 (placed in the west perimeter of the central playground or east perimeter of 8). The same for the picnic area if that existing pine tree were to be lost. In my experience, this playground has always been deserted in the summer afternoons because of lack of shade. A sturdy gate, to keep kids safe from traffic on Gallatin A slide, because without one, verbal little people complain

Caitlin Timmerman3 years ago This looks like a great plan-- I agree with the comment by Maria Cecilia that this park is a small one, so the 2-5 age range feels appropriate, and I personally have appreciated in the past not having to worry about my wee ones climbing onto equipment that is beyond their age range (that need, for higher and more exciting equipment, is met by several other local parks, e.g. 38th ave., Heurich). I also agree with the comment about shade. In the morning the Masonic building provides some shade, though I don't know if it would extend across the central portion now designated for the playground, and in the afternoon there is no shade at all, making this park a no-go on summer afternoons.

Claire Panak3 years ago I think this looks great! I’m really excited about retaining play structures for Hyattsville’s youngest residents, especially that nice big slide. The only thing I would add is a baby swing or two if there’s space, because it’s nice to have something for the under 2s to enjoy while the preschoolers are running around the playground. What are you planning to put beneath the playground? I like the surfacing underneath the Hyatt and Heurich park playgrounds, and I think it could be a good fit for a tot lot where some of the children are still learning not to eat mulch.In the reading garden, it would be nice to have a few child-sized benches (or a variety of bench sizes in general) to accommodate readers of all ages.

Leah Sargeant3 years ago I love the look overall, and I can't wait till it's open again. I'd love for the surface to be a non-mulch one, so that I can put down a crawling baby without her cramming her mouth full of wood chips. If there's any way to retain the fire truck freestanding structure, that would be wonderful. The new playground structures look lovely, but my daughter particularly loved the fire truck, and I'm sure she's not the only one.

Chris Davidson3 years ago

Debbie Van Camp3 years ago

Isabel Vander Bleek3 years ago I think this redesign is very promising! I’ll echo the need for some shade around the new picnic area. I will also join many commenters here in saying how grateful I am that this park is still focused on small kids! The fact that it is a small, fenced-in park makes it ideal for toddlers, and it really is unique in this respect. I know many families who love bringing their little ones here. It is truly benefitting the Hyattsville community!

Monica Gorman3 years ago I like the new design! The arrangement of the seating and playground would make it easy for parents to supervise our kids while they play. Especially since this is one of only a few parks that's enclosed by a fence (and city officials at the meeting last year said that the gate would be repaired/upgraded) I think it's important to maintain the park's suitability for young children. I'm also excited to see native plants! :)

Rachel Noyce3 years ago 1) The playground structures need shade: the Masonic lodge provides some morning shade in summer, but moving the playground away from the wall means that it will be in full sun. There is no other shade in the park; the playground will be virtually unusable in summer if it is in the center. If it is moved to the center, it MUST have some sort of built-in shade roof. Water misters would be a nice touch too - that whole area is baking in the the afternoon summer sun. 2) I understand that littles need a place to play, but so do their slightly older siblings so that their parents don't go crazy trying to manage the needs of multiple kids. The best playgrounds have at least a few features that appeal to kids of multiple ages. Even if the playground is mostly geared towards younger children, please include at least one structure that can be enjoyed by older kids: for instance, a structure that has both stairs (for littles) AND a few rope ladders/rock walls/fire poles/etc; at least one reasonably tall structure for the slightly biggers to climb up; a decent length slide; etc.3) Kids of all ages, from the tiniest crawlers to 7-year-olds, love both slides and swings. Please consider including at least one structure with 3 swings and at least one decent-sized slide!4) I hope that the lack of water fountain in the design is just a drawing oversight. Please make sure that there is drinking water available!!5) Will the surface of the playground be mulch, or rubberized? 1-year-olds love to try to eat the mulch while their 4-year-old siblings play... a rubberized surface in the main playground area would be preferable - and it would also be more accessible for wheelchairs, strollers, tricycles, etc.

Nathaniel Tombes3 years ago I am really excited about this proposed design for my family’s favorite local park. It promises to leverage the small square footage in an intentional, inclusive way. In particular, I’m noticing the additional, better distributed seating and the thoughtful play equipment tailored to smaller children. I’ve always loved this park’s proximity to local restaurants and shops too - redesign will make it even more of a destination for us.

Ashley Geisendorfer3 years ago

Sean Carlson3 years ago The changes to the playground in particular are a bit of a step backwards. The playground equipment doesn’t have anything that might keep an older child’s interest like swings, or things to climb on, or a slide. The park as it was before seemed a nice balance for littles and largers. One of our family’s favorite aspects of the park before was the open green space, which this is lacking as well. Will the design allow for open space to run around? Seems a bit crowded as designed. It seems like this design is prioritizing the needs of families with littles (and nearby childcare centers) rather than considering how it might be used by slightly older kiddos. Love the reading garden concept! Major props for the safety aspects as well.

Sophie Oriani3 years ago I don't live very near King Park and don't have strong feelings about what goes into it, but I live near Hyatt Park so I want to say a word of warning about the music toys like we have at Hyatt Park. They are surprisingly loud and the sound carries. When multiple children are banging away unmusically, as children tend to do, they are actually quite unpleasant sounding. I think it would be a mistake to put them close to houses.I also think putting a rubbery surface like Hyatt Park is only a good idea if it can be fully shaded--the surface of Hyatt Park gets so hot in the summer that it has given my children actual burns when they crawl on it.

Phil Koshute3 years ago

Jessica Taylor3 years ago Love all the thought that is being put into this - thank you! Many of the aspects are great such as the reading garden and the desire to keep the play equipment in line with nature. The plantings as a noise buffer against the Masonic building will be super helpful to those of us living nearby. It would be nice to have some adult space for pulling up some green grass too. In line with the sentiment that it’s a local park/shared space seems like restricting to little ones is great and agree with others that maybe the play equipment could be off to the side to allow for lounging. And agree that it should not be used as a space for kickball or other games, as there are bigger spaces to accommodate that! Including the unused green area by the court building. And also agree that it should not be used for school outings as the wear and tear is just too much for a community space. Thanks again!!

Monica Keith3 years ago I agree shade is very important and a water/misting feature would be lovely. What about one of those shade canopies over the play structure? I would love to see a large shade canopy connected to permanent posts that are incorporated into the play structure. For example, a couple posts that get the most sun could have sprayers for a little bit of water play (with run-off toward one of the landscape features?); another post could have a drinking water station; another post could have a garden station with mini gardening tools; that sort of thing.Overall I like the playground in the center. I would like to see King Park really become a playground and garden for the smallest littles. The center grassy area encouraged older kids to do things like play ball games, which inevitably led to littles being bumped / knocked down, hit with a ball, etc. But, does moving the play structure to the center and changing the landscaping make the overall "playable" space smaller? Have you done any sort of capacity study, whether the park/playground can sustainably accommodate the number of residents who would use it regularly? My subjective observation is there are more young families in Hyattsville now than there were 10 years ago.Will the landscaping be child-friendly? Have you considered things like pathways through the plantings that could encourage curious kiddos to explore without trampling the landscaping? Or aluminum raised beds for the more fragile flowers? Could there be a designated spot where tiny kids could scratch at the dirt with mini garden tools, maybe somewhere with sturdy shrubs?

Kristen Wares3 years ago

Filters

Total posts: 36

There are 36 projects available.

Selected zero tag filters.

Selected zero tag filters.