Harrisonburg City Council has agreed to further explore an unsolicited proposal to build a downtown park from Build Our Park, a community-led nonprofit organization committed to facilitating the creation of a public park in downtown Harrisonburg.

Full disclosure - I serve on the board of Build Our Park.



This new downtown park would be built on 1.2 acres of City-owned property directly adjacent to the Harrisonburg Farmers Market pavilion and the City Hall Building parking lot, featuring amenities including:

• Second Pavilion
• Village Green
• Discovery Playground
• Splash Fountains
• Donor Garden, Wall and Fountain
• Grand Promenade
• Set up for Portable Stage
• Pergolas, tables and seating
• Atrium Plaza
• Multiple unique activity spaces
• Landscaping featuring native trees and flora
• Sustainably designed park amenities with educational signage
• One-eighth-mile multi-use path (that can one day link the Northend Greenway and the Bluestone Trail)

View renderings of the conceptual design for this downtown park.

During the next 45 days, City staff will review the proposed project and can receive additional competing proposals for building this downtown park. After 45 days, the City will decide to either proceed with the second review stage or to not proceed further with the proposal. If the City ultimately decides to work with Build Our Park on the project, they will enter into a comprehensive agreement where details will be determined regarding potential bonds, insurance, and terms and conditions.

A group of Harrisonburg stakeholders formed in 2013 with the goal of facilitating the creation of a public park in downtown Harrisonburg. Originally known as Plan Our Park, the group rebranded and formed the nonprofit organization Build Our Park. In 2017, in order to balance parking needs and the desire for a community recreation amenity, the City directed Build Our Park to redesign its park concept to fit in the space behind City Hall between the Turner Pavilion and the tree line south of the Pavilion. Local architects who are members of the Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance Design Committee, Adam Steiniger of Eugene Stoltzfus Architects and Randy Seitz of Blue Ridge Architects, volunteered to create the final concept design plan that the PPEA proposes.

The Build Our Park Board of Directors has been working with City staff to plan the park’s new design and would continue to work with them to plan the park’s construction as well as on-going maintenance and operations. During this process, fundraising for the park has been on hold. On April 18, the organization looks forward to restarting its fund- raising effort in conjunction with The Community Foundation’s Great Community Give. The Great Community Give is a single day of giving aimed at promoting charitable giving in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County. Through this initiative, the entire community will be invited to support Build Our Park and other nonprofits that meet needs, enrich lives, and build a community we can all enjoy.

As Harrisonburg’s downtown continues its reemergence as a dynamic environment in which to live, work, eat and shop, the thoughts of many have turned to the need for more public green space for gathering in the City’s core. The downtown park’s concept features a multi-use path, expanded pavilion, open space, play area designed to resemble nature, pergolas for shade, and splash fountains. It will incorporate the area adjacent to the Turner Pavilion that currently is used for community programming and events. The park would be designed to be flexible to accommodate a growing farmers market, public events, community gatherings, and wellness.

Learn more about this potential future downtown park at BuildOurPark.org.