Dunkirk Park Tennis Complex Design and Site Engineering

Calvert County set out to enhance recreational opportunities at Dunkirk Park with a new tennis and pickleball complex that could serve the growing community.

The selected 4.5-acre expansion area presented significant constraints. Steep slopes, specimen trees, and a surrounding forest limited the available footprint. Soil conditions further restricted where an on-site sewage disposal system could be located to support a new restroom facility.

The County needed a site layout that maximized functionality and user experience while minimizing impacts to sensitive environmental features. The project also required planning commission approval and variances related to environmental impacts. The solution had to balance recreation, constructability, permitting, and long-term site performance.

GFT provided civil and structural engineering, landscape architecture, architecture, and surveying services for the design and permitting of the new Dunkirk Park complex. Our team delivered an integrated site solution that aligned recreational programming, environmental constraints, grading strategy, and supporting infrastructure.

Adapting the design to the challenging site, the team developed a layout that optimized circulation, minimized impacts to specimen trees, and reduced unnecessary earthwork. The new courts were carefully positioned within the terrain and supported by coordinated grading and stormwater management to promote long-term performance.

The design also incorporated the infrastructure required to activate the complex, including a parking lot with loop road access, a restroom building, an on-site sewage disposal system with sanitary pump station, extension of the park water system, and site lighting to enhance safety and usability.

The team guided the project through planning commission review and secured required environmental variance approvals, positioning the project for successful construction and sustained operation.