Questions remain about Crownsville Hospital Memorial Park

Traffic, security, costs among concerns raised by residents at meeting

Traffic, security measures, timelines and costs for the Crownsville Hospital Memorial Park were among the chief concerns voiced by residents Wednesday at a meeting focused on future plans for the former hospital grounds.

Following months of input, a draft master plan for the roughly 500-acre property was released in October, laying out the vision for what officials hope will be a place of healing, education and remembrance. Inside the plan are the county’s recommendations for renovation and reuse, as well as conceptual ideas of what the property’s open spaces could become.

While many residents have expressed support for the ideas in the plan, they’re still seeking answers to questions on traffic, security, costs and timelines.

David Perry, a former Maryland state trooper, was one of several people who questioned the lack of infrastructure to support additional traffic coming through the area, including emergency vehicles.

“Throw in Renaissance Festival, the Anne Arundel County fairgrounds, along with any accident or any crash or collision that occurs on [Route] 50 or [Interstate] 97 — we’re overburdened right now,” Perry said.

The draft master plan, however, says Route 178 and Crownsville Road, the main roads that border the hospital grounds, provide “adequate capacity” to accommodate typical weekday traffic. Historic data shows major events like the Renaissance Festival add “considerable weekend traffic,” though daily and peak hour traffic during that time remain below typical weekday peak levels.

The plan’s traffic analysis isn’t complete yet, said Cecily Bedwell, a planner for the Design Collective. Additional data was collected during this year’s Renaissance Festival, and a traffic study will be included in the final master plan.

Susan Cline, speaking on behalf of the Friends of the Crownsville Hospital Patient Cemetery, said the group was worried about protecting the cemetery and Farm Road, which cuts through the center of the grounds and provides access to the cemetery through a bridge over Interstate 97.

“We’re gonna need trail cams, we’re gonna need monitoring of facilities; there’s a lot to be considered ahead of the installation of any of these beautiful things,” she said. “I don’t know whether there’s been accommodations made for security, but it’s critical … it’s going to be a nationwide thing that people are looking at, it’s not just a little local community project.”

Crownsville has received heightened attention this year following the release of “Madness: Race and Insanity in a Jim Crow Asylum.” Written by NBC reporter Antonia Hylton, the book details the hospital’s troubled history as a place where mentally ill Black Marylanders were forced to carry out manual labor and undergo medical experimentation.

Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman said security had been provided by the state in the past, and the county has a contract for security now. As the land develops into a park, it will have security that other county parks have, he said.

Cline also asked for transparency as the county considers nominating the property to be added the National Register of Historic Places. That’s something the county is open to exploring, Bedwell said.

Toni Pierce, the state liaison for the American Descendants of Slavery Advocacy Foundation’s Maryland chapter, called for the county to commission artwork from descendants of slavery, as well as keeping those voices central to future efforts.

“Intentionality and equity should also take the form of issuing government contracts and hiring employees who are American descendants of slavery … to work at all levels of the park, from construction to groundskeeping and maintenance to executive decision making and management,” she said. “These contracts and hiring practices should be proportionate to the number of victims that suffered and were mistreated at the hospital.”

David Bunn, a lifelong Crownsville resident whose grandparents worked at the hospital, asked when implementation of the master plan will begin.

“Is this a year or two years, 10 years, 20 years?” he said. “A lot of the residents, a lot of the people that are directly affected by this, just want a ballpark timeline.”

Developing the land and buildings into a memorial park will come in stages, Pittman said, adding that the county has started cleaning up around the structures on the property. Though he did not provide a specific timeline of when work will begin, Pittman said he believes it will start before the end of his term in 2026.

Questions on costs were raised as well, with several residents worrying taxpayers would shoulder the burden of paying for the redevelopment.

Some federal funding has already been earmarked for the property, and Pittman said it will be possible to raise “outside money” for it, too.

“We don’t see Anne Arundel County government rehabbing every single one of the buildings and covering the costs and taking responsibility — we see partners coming in,” he said.

The county expects organizations to enter long-term leases on the property and rehabilitate some of the buildings themselves, taking the expense off taxpayers, Pittman said. Those tenants would also be responsible for operations and maintenance.

The county is continuing to solicit feedback from residents before finalizing the plan. Comments can be submitted to the county through Nov. 24 at [e-mail].

A final master plan is expected to be published by early next year.

Have a news tip? Contact Natalie Jones at [e-mail], 443-679-7818 and x.com/nataliemjones.