Improving Children’s Play Spaces in River Hill

Residents have come to the River Hill Community Association (RHCA) Board meetings requesting that a community playground be built in River Hill, as they offer more modern and larger play environments than the existing tot lots. Also, many pointed out that most other Columbia Association (CA) villages have community playgrounds in addition to their tot lots, and questioned why River Hill lacks this amenity. Therefore, the Board explored the idea of a community playground in an effort to improve our children’s play spaces and respond to resident requests.

A review from CA’s open space team found only two spaces large enough to support a community playground because very little accessible and usable open space was left after the River Hill community was built. Neither of the sites identified by CA are centrally located, such as near the outdoor swimming pool, which is where most other villages have their community playgrounds. One site under consideration was the grassy open space area on the western side of Indian Summer Drive between Sunlit Water Way and Flowing Water Trail. The second site was between Linden-Linthicum United Methodist Church and the Whistling Winds Walk tot lot.