Bow Creek Recreation Center | Virginia Beach, Virginia

The City of Virginia Beach Department of Parks and Recreation planned to replace the previously aging recreation facility with a new 67,700 square foot building, golf pro shop, golf cart storage, parking lot, and associated infrastructure.

During the planning phase, it was determined that the project would impact an existing water feature; which in turn, provided tremendous design direction for the new center. As the facility name implies, the Bow Creek Recreation Center property contains a portion of the Bow Creek tributary to the Chesapeake Bay. Given the CBPA Resource Protection Area (RPA) jurisdictions associated with the creek, encroachments on the RPA called for mitigation.

As a result, plans for the recreation center include an enlarged stormwater wetland Best Management Practice (BMP) that would treat onsite stormwater, as well as a portion of approximately 113 acres of offsite drainage area that currently flows untreated through the site from the residential neighborhoods to the north and east. In addition to managing pollutant and sediment loading, the proposed wetland design contains a muli-use path providing a connection to the on-site neighborhood playground and park, and creating an opportunity for recreation and environmental education for the surrounding community.