Background
The Action Sports Park is a renovation project in Wheaton Regional Park’s Rubini Athletic Area. The project was envisioned during the Wheaton Regional Park (WRP) Master Plan when the community identified a skate park as one of the most desired amenities not currently available in the park. This community feedback aligns with a growing regional demand for skateboarding and biking. As a result, the Action Sports Park project was the hallmark recommendation of the Master Plan.
The project is also guided by the findings of the Montgomery Parks Countywide Skate Park Survey, which gauges the needs and interests of skaters and skate park enthusiasts. The Skate Park survey informs skating priorities and skate parks throughout the county. The collective community feedback received during the Master Plan, Skate Park Survey, and project-specific outreach has helped shaped the vision and design.
Project Description
The Action Sports Park will provide a safe, accessible, and engaging sports experience for all ages, abilities and interests. It will also include spaces for social connection and environmental improvements. Proposed amenities currently under design include:
- skate park
- pump track
- bike jump line
- bouldering and extreme fitness
- kid’s action play area
- kid’s wheeled play area
- activity track for jogging, strolling and spectating
- multipurpose event lawn
- supporting amenities such as gathering and spectator areas, shade/picnic structures, water misting station, and ADA improvements.
- environmental improvements such as reforestation areas, landscape trees, stormwater management
Existing Conditions
The project encompasses Fields 4, 5, and 6 and covers approximately nine acres. The site is bounded by Field 3 to the north, the park entry road to the east, a tree stand to the south, and forest to the west.
While the site provides important recreational facilities, it also faces several challenges. The construction of the athletic fields in the 1960s and 1970s cleared forest, regraded the site, and encroached upon a stream valley buffer. Steep slopes limit accessibility. Stormwater management best management practices are not present. The entry drive and parking lots do not provide protected separation for pedestrians and bicycles. This area experiences lower levels of activity during some weekday daytime hours. The Action Sports Park project presents an opportunity to improve these existing challenges.
Other amenities in the Rubini Athletic Complex include the tennis bubble, ice rink, courts, Fields 1-3, sports pavilion, trails and dog park. The Action Sports Park will not alter these facilities and public access to them will continue throughout construction.
Status/Project Update
Montgomery Parks will host an online/virtual Community Meeting for this project on November 17! We look forward to sharing the latest project updates, including site layout, circulation, environmental improvements, amenities, and gathering spaces. An online survey is open through December 18. Following this community outreach, the project will advance towards the detailed design phase. Please continue to check this website for future updates.
Current Design
During the 2024 outreach, the community expressed strong support for the project and its proposed amenities. After the outreach effort, the Parks team incorporated community feedback to improve the design. These improvements include:
- Designing an abundance of action sport amenities alongside gathering spaces and environmental features.
- Distributing shade structures throughout the site.
- Locating the restroom in the northern edge of the project for convenient public access.
- Improving bicycle and pedestrian connections to Nairn Trail, Orebaugh Avenue, and nearby parking areas.
- Incorporating traffic-calming measures along Orebaugh Avenue and the park entry road in coordination with adjacent projects.
- Protecting the existing forest edge, planting new trees, and integrating sustainable stormwater management practices.
- Creating large natural grass areas that support community events and free play.
- Separating spaces for kids from the most intense amenities.
The east side of the updated concept includes a renovated entry drive, a shared-use path, a sidewalk connection to Orebaugh Avenue, and parking. These improvements connect the Action Sports Park to the rest of the Rubini Athletic Complex. A proposed loop turnaround can be used for visitor drop-off and food trucks. Spectator areas provide views into the park and connect to walkways that lead downhill to the action amenities.
The most intense action amenities – the skate park, pump track, and bike skills track – are at the northern edge of the project area and adjacent to spectator areas. The Activity Track provides a walking/running loop for visitors. The Kids Action Play Area, Kids Wheeled Play Area, and fitness areas are along the perimeter, with convenient access to park walkways, lawn areas, the restroom and mister. Amenities are envisioned as a regional destination that can serve visitors from throughout Montgomery County and the surrounding area; however, the sizes and locations will need to be further studied based on site needs and budget considerations. Parks will engage qualified design-build firms to design action amenities.
Except for trail connections to Nairn Trail and storm drain outfall improvements, the project does not encroach into the surrounding forest. Large open turf spaces, bi-annual mowed areas, reforestation, riparian restorations, tree planting and other environmental improvements help blend the new park into the adjacent forest.
The final design and amenities are subject to change. The project will continue to evolve as it advances to a greater level of detail. Factors such as permitting, maintenance, and budget will continue to inform the design.
Project Timeline
*Dates and times are subject to change.
| Date | Project Stage and Resources |
|---|---|
| 2022 | Wheaton Regional Park Master Plan (including an Action Sports Park at the Rubini Athletic Complex) was approved by the Montgomery County Planning Board. |
| 2023 – 2024 | Program Development and Preliminary Concept Design Phase: Internal project initiation work, including topographic survey, site analysis, programming research, concept studies, and initial public outreach. |
| Early 2024 | Public engagement (e.g., meetings, surveys, presentations) with several local groups, including: Youth Town Hall at Wheaton Library/Recreation Center, Commission on People with Disabilities February meeting, and the Latin American Advisory Group (LAAG), among others. |
| April 3, 2024 7 pm – 8:30 pm | Virtual Community Meeting #1 – presentation of two design concepts. View the recording Vea la grabación |
| 2024 – 2025 | Concept Development View the post-community meeting revised concept |
| 2025 | Refinement of Preferred Concept View the October 2025 concept plan |
| 2026 | Hire a landscape architecture consultant Advance Preliminary Design Latest concept posted at the top of the project page! |
| November 17, 2026, 7:00-8:30pm | Virtual Community Meeting #2 – presentation of latest design and general update. Zoom link: MoCoParks.org/ASPzoom Online community survey live from November 1 through December 18! Survey link: mocoparks.org/ASPsurvey |
| 2027 | Detailed Design. Hire a design-build contractor for skate/bike areas. Outreach to focus groups regarding skating/biking/bouldering areas. |
| Late 2028 (anticipated) | Begin construction. |
