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A proposal by a group of Capital Crescent Trail advocates would turn a dirty, empty lot off of River Road into an urban oasis for joggers, bikers and rollerbladers.

The Coalition for the Capital Crescent Trail, a volunteer organization of trail users that advocates for trail upgrades, has presented a plan to turn the empty lot, located north of the intersection of River Road and Landy Lane in Bethesda, into a public park, complete with resting areas, water fountains and bike racks. The proposal is currently working its way through the Montgomery County Department of Parks.

"This will help connect the neighborhoods along River Road to the trail better, and is a much better use of the land," said Coalition Chairman Peter Gray.

The project would cost approximately $145,000, with the Coalition dedicating $75,000, Gray said. The remainder of the cost would be picked up by The Citizens Coordinating Committee of Friendship Heights, Washington Episcopal School and other individuals.

The Department of Parks would provide maintenance of the site once it is completed, said Terry Brooks, chief of the Special Program Division of the parks department. Complicating the project, Brooks said, is the land's owner: Montgomery County.

"Since [the Coalition] doesn't own the property, we're going to have to make sure the County Executive has no problems with it," he said. "The same is true with the trail now: the county owns it, but we have an agreement to operate it."

Brooks said his office is working on the proposal right now. He plans on having a public meeting with Department of Parks and Coalition officials in October. He will then present the project to the Montgomery County Planning Board sometime after that.

Chevy Chase resident Shaun Petersen, 22, walks his sister's dog, a cocker spaniel named Teca, every day on the trail. He said he would support the project, with one caveat.

"I'd rather have a park here for sure," Petersen said Monday. "But, I mean, it would be nice to have some parking, too."

The site is currently used as an ad-hoc parking lot for nearby businesses.

Gray said the site could include seating walls, bike racks, sculptures, a pergola, a map case and a water fountain for thirsty travelers.

The park could be a centerpiece for a redeveloped Westbard area, said Bob Cope, chairman of the Westbard committee of the Citizens Coordinating Committee on Friendship Heights. The master plan for the area is scheduled to be rewritten by the County Council in 2010 and the park would be the first new development in the neighborhood in years.

"This would just be a lot nicer than what's there right now," he said. "There's so much encroachment on the trail. You see trucks going down the damn trail."