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It takes a community.

The Clarksburg Yard is a placemaking space with a coffee bar, outdoor green space, and opportunities for multigenerational engagement in Clarksburg, MD.

 

The Clarksburg Yard has been intentionally designed with our community in mind to promote social interaction, cultural expression, a sense of identity, and foster a vibrant, inclusive community connection.

Through funding by Nature Sacred, a community engagement and design process was completed in May of 2023 resulting in an overall property Master Plan and the 2.6 acres facing Frederick Road.

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The Clarksburg Yard Vision
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The Master Plan for the property promotes human engagement with nature via a series of outdoor community spaces linked by a measured, meandering path system from the Church’s buildings through the wooded stream valley. The existing woodland is preserved and enhanced with additional edge tree plantings and intentional stream crossings, while existing expansive lawns are envisioned as large swaths of meadows. Open-air and woodland learning center amphitheaters will continue to promote gathering, education, and health through interactions with nature. 

The Clarksburg Community
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The Sacred Space is designed to maximize nature-based landscape solutions and will include: 

● beautiful native gateway and backdrop planting areas tied to gathering spaces, 

● low-maintenance native meadows replacing currently mowed turf lawn, 

● and green infrastructure to treat stormwater runoff on site. 

 

This space will serve the community through intentionally placed gathering and resting areas 

with a variety of seating types, amenities, pervious paving materials, and shade, with options for 

both socialization and meditation or contemplation. The gathering spaces will be connected by 

an accessible walking and bicycling path that connects the Frederick Road bike path to the 

interior of the property, and providing places for walkers, cyclists, and students alike for rest, 

socialization, and nourishment.  

Nature based landscape solutions
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Upon completion of phase one, multi-faceted benefits from an environmental/watershed,

community, and fiscal standpoint will be met, including: 

● Reduction of long-term maintenance costs; 

● Reduction of emissions and noise due to reduced maintenance and mowing (once 

established, native meadows are mowed once every three years versus weekly for a 

maintained lawn); 

● Elimination of pesticide, fertilizer, and other chemical use; 

● Increased biodiversity and habitat to attract beneficial species such as pollinators; 

● Increased soil permeability and stormwater infiltration due to the various species 

having various root depths; 

● Increased cooling caused by a meadows ability to absorb heat, and 

● Increased connection and engagement of community as they seek to gather in a 

beautiful natural space. 

Introducing Phase One.
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The Sacred Space at Clarksburg Yard will be implemented in multiple phases.

The first phase, for which this grant application is being submitted, includes: 

● the establishment of 14,000 square feet of native meadows, 

● mow paths, 

● planning and establishment of an ongoing engagement and outreach program with the 

community; including 3 outreach events during the planning, implementation, and first 

growing season, 

● onsite educational signage and informational webpage and grading required to establish a meadow framework and mow paths around the 

communal lawn and future pedestrian path in the Sacred Space area of the plan. 

CGE Community Outreach
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We are designing educational outreach for the community to be immersed in learning about all of the incredible benefits of a native meadow. Please visit our booth at the next Clarksburg Yard farmer's market!

Ask about SLEEP, CREEP, LEEP! Learn how to native garden at home and help improve your own community's environmental health. And don't forget to explore plant cells under a microscope!

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