Community Advocacy Leads to Removal of Perryman Park Project from County Capital Program
Sometimes the system works.
After years of sustained community engagement, careful review, and direct dialogue, the proposed Perryman Park project in the Critical Area at the end of Fords Lane has been withdrawn from review and removed from the County’s capital program.
We first learned about the project more than five years ago at a community picnic. At the time, it was described as a done deal. When we asked to see the plans—and whether there was still an opportunity for review—we were told it was likely too late to stop it.
That proved not to be the case.
Following the 2022 election, District F residents began working with the Cassilly administration to take a closer look at the project. During each budget cycle, members of the community consistently asked that funding be removed from the capital program. In response, we were repeatedly told the project was no longer moving forward.
In 2025, however, residents on Fords Lane noticed something that did not align with those assurances: a posted “Notice of Construction in the Critical Area.” The notice described plans for multi-use sports fields, parking, road improvements, and stormwater facilities at Perryman Park.
We raised it immediately. We were told the notice had been posted in error. It was removed.
Even so, the project had not disappeared.
By early 2026, the community learned the proposal was again under active review by the Critical Area Commission, including a bird study to assess impacts on habitat and species presence. For many in this community, that alone underscored what was at stake.
At the same time, there were discussions about using MS4 stormwater credits tied to other projects to support the proposal—credits intended to reflect real improvements to water quality, not to offset new impacts in sensitive areas.
Accordingly, 3P formally requested a meeting with County Executive Bob Cassilly and asked for direct intervention.
Today, we received confirmation: the project has been withdrawn from review and removed from the County’s capital program.
We are grateful to County Executive Bob Cassilly for taking the time to listen, to engage directly with the facts, and to respond in a way that reflects both the concerns of the community and the importance of the resource. Decisions like this—especially on projects that have been in motion for years—require judgment and a willingness to reassess. We appreciate that leadership.
This proposal would have placed additional pressure on a sensitive environmental area while offering little direct benefit to the surrounding community. Stepping back reflects careful consideration of both the resource and the people who live nearby.
More broadly, this outcome is worth noting.
Projects like this can take on a life of their own. Once set in motion, they move through layers of planning, design, and review that are not always visible to the public—and not always easy to stop.
This result did not happen by accident. It reflects sustained engagement by residents who paid attention, asked questions, followed the details, and remained involved over time.
That effort carries weight. And it makes a difference.
The video below was taken in March 2022 from the shoreline of Perryman Park.
Today—April 28—it looks the same. The shoreline remains undisturbed. The trees are beginning to leaf out, and the air is filled with the sound of hundreds of nesting birds.
That is worth protecting.
