Overview: The Stony Run, nestled in North Baltimore, is a vital tributary within the Jones Falls and Chesapeake Bay Watersheds. Originating north of Northern Parkway within Baltimore City, it winds its way southward, merging with the Jones Falls in the Remington Community. Along its route, it gracefully passes by prominent educational institutions like Johns Hopkins University. The Stony Run serves as the centerpiece of a linear park system that intersects with over a dozen communities, with Wyman Park being the largest. Notably, Wyman Park lacks a master plan or strategic guidance for its preservation and enhancement.
Purpose: The Strategic Plan serves as a framework to streamline stewardship along the Stony Run. Efforts to nurture the stream and adjacent park spaces have burgeoned organically, but a coordinated approach is needed to bridge existing gaps, enhance community accessibility, preserve woodland ecology, promote responsible park use, and synchronize stewardship initiatives.
Baltimore Waterfront Partnership
The Lower Stony Run, nestled in the Jones Falls watershed and alongside Johns Hopkins University, features diverse open spaces across multiple neighborhoods. It is a key Baltimore stream valley park recognized by the Olmsted Brothers for inclusion in the city’s park network. Following the model of Upper Stony Run, the strategic plan aims to address gaps in accessibility and connectivity. The Plan has already leveraged $1.5 million in state funds.
Active volunteer groups have maintained the park through multiple community led initiates but not in a coordinated way. Without a Master or Strategic Plan, community efforts sustain Lower Stony Run, encompassing cleanups, tree plantings, and invasive plant removal. Amid COVID, it became a refuge for Hopkins students and locals, with usage spiking tenfold, highlighting its vital role as an open space corridor.
Prior to the development of the Strategic Plan, Baltimore City embarked on two major stream restoration projects to address more intense storms resulting from climate change. Prior to the restoration, the culverted section of the stream would get blocked with debris and fallen trees from upstream, resulting in flooding as deep as 60’.
The public engagement process confirmed a broad consensus that completing gaps in the walking path, establishing stronger connections to the adjacent community and protecting the natural environment while accommodating diverse user groups were some of the most important considerations.
The Stony Run Walking Path is the primary recreational feature of the Stony Run. During the preparation of the Upper Stony Run Strategic Plan, two major gaps were addressed with the construction of two pedestrian bridges; one linking the Upper and Lower Stony Run areas. With these gaps addressed, usage of the trail increased dramatically, connecting multiple communities.
Open Spaces and User Groups: Along the periphery of the Stony Run Park spaces are numerous open spaces used by different user groups and serving as important community gathering spaces. A focus of the strategic plan is to enhance these spaces while protecting them from well-meaning special interest groups that have expressed interest in re-foresting them.
Prior to the development of the Strategic Plan, Baltimore City embarked on two major stream restoration projects to address more intense storms resulting from climate change. Prior to the restoration, the culverted section of the stream would get blocked with debris and fallen trees from upstream, resulting in flooding as deep as 60’.
The Stony Run provides an important habitat for a wide variety of wildlife, birds, and other pollinators. The strategic plan recognizes and builds upon volunteers’ efforts to plant and maintain more pollinators, native vegetation, and special projects such as the construction and installation of bird boxes.
In spite of being a great resource for Baltimore, many in the community don’t know about Stony Run or even that it is a park. A key project of the strategic plan is to provide signage and orientation maps at key park entrances as well as interpretive signs. Friends of Stony Run garnered funding for a prototype sign.
While the scope of the strategic plan focused on the Lower Stony Run, it was important to include recommendations for coordination with broader citywide efforts including the Green Network Plan, master plans for adjacent neighborhoods, City and State climate action plans, etc.
Implementation of the plan is already underway with 5 key Capital Projects that will address the remaining gaps in connectivity. These projects were identified during the planning process and submitted to the State, leveraging $1.5 million in implementation funding.
Implementation of the plan is already underway with 5 key Capital Projects that will address the remaining gaps in connectivity. These projects were identified during the planning process and submitted to the State, leveraging $1.5 million in implementation funding.
