Prince George’s County Department of Parks and Recreation responded Friday to homeowners concerns about a park being built in their Upper Marlboro, Maryland, neighborhood.
The response comes a week after a group of neighbors voiced frustrations over plans to build a public park on a 25-acre parcel in the middle of the Canter Creek area.
“I’m still devastated right, by the fact that a park is being developed in our quiet community,” homeowner Anjelica Muhammad said. “There’s been an increase in crime in the Upper Marlboro area.”
On Friday, Parks and Recreation representative Sonja Ewing spoke about the Canter Creek Park project.
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“The process that we go through is a pretty standard one. Every residential development in the county has a requirement to provide for parkland,” Ewing said.
Several residents told News4 they were misled about the size and scope of the park during the buying process. That they hadn’t heard anything about the park since the last public meeting in 2020.
“It was all one development approval before anyone lived here,” Ewing said.
Ewing also addressed worries about the park increasing crime in the area.
"Our statistics truly bear that out, that the parks are some of the safest places in the community,” Ewing said.
“There was a murder, like I said last year in Holloway Estates Park, that’s about five minutes away from here," Muhammad said. “There was also a curfew last fall for juveniles in this community. There were 24 homicides in the month of August of last year, so you know crime has increased.”
County officials said despite the park's foundation being laid, nothing is set and there is not yet a date to break ground. They also said feedback received in 2020 was incorporated into the park's planning.
Muhammad said she is hopeful and is looking forward to joining the conversation. If the park comes to Canter Creek, she would like to see fencing, security cameras and no basketball court.
“Now that we’re here, we want to make those changes and ensure the safety of our community,” Muhammad said.
