UPDATE ON OUR DOWNTOWN PARK
DECEMBER 2019
It has been an eventful year for the Build Our Park organization, and we are excited to share the following updates about the positive steps forward in the park planning process.
Throughout this year, representatives from Build Our Park’s (BOP) Board of Directors and Harrisonburg City staff members from multiple departments have met in collaboration to plan for the downtown park. Through these meetings we have begun to address details to chart a path toward making the park a reality.
Two important steps forward kicked off these collaborative meetings. The first was BOP submitting a PPEA proposal to initiate a public-private partnership for building the park. When BOP submitted the proposal, City Manager Eric Campbell, who was relatively new to community at the time, asked the question about where the park fits into the larger plan for Downtown Harrisonburg and if the proposed location and the proposed park were the best options for our community.
To answer these important questions, Mr. Campbell brought in expert analysts through the Urban Land Institute’s Technical Assistance Panel (TAP) program. During a two-day visit to Harrisonburg, the team assessed the park proposal and other ideas related to downtown’s development. At the conclusion of the visit, the team agreed that a park behind City Hall was feasible and proposed considering a larger footprint with additional amenities.
“City staff have been working with members of Build Our Park for several months on this initiative,” said Eric Campbell, Harrisonburg City Manager. “We look forward to applying recommendations from the ULI visit and data from the parking study to inform how the park fits into the downtown and including the park concept in the downtown master planning process that we will launch next year.”
The TAP team also conducted a quick assessment of parking in the Water Street Deck and Municipal Lot, as well as looking at traffic flow. The team indicated there could be additional parking through redesign or re-striping of parking in the Water Street Deck, but this was evaluated by City staff and found not to be viable. The City, in partnership with Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance, has initiated a downtown parking study. This study will result with strategies for managing parking holistically throughout all of downtown and will be completed by the end of this year.
The team also recommended exploring modifications along Main and Liberty Streets. This could make room for additions like on-street parking, improved sidewalks and dedicated bike lanes. The City is about to commission a study to look at the feasibility of potential lane reductions, to be completed by year’s end.
With results from both studies in hand, next year the city will then embark on a downtown master planning process, with an expected completion by the end of 2020. A downtown master plan will become the road map to our future.
We are energized knowing that a park will be included as a feature in downtown’s future development. The data that will be collected and the informed recommendations that we will receive through all three plans will pave the way for determining the ultimate size and configuration of a downtown park.
It has been a few years since we involved the community in identifying the key amenities for the park’s plan. We intend to revisit those conversations with new opportunities to ensure we still have our finger on the pulse of what is desired in a downtown park.
We thank our donors and supporters for continuing to back this project. We are excited that we have a plan and a timeline for determining the final park concept in partnership with the city government. We expect these steps will allow a favorable recommendation to be brought forward by city staff to City Council for approval. At that time, we will celebrate with you and reignite fundraising. We look forward to breaking ground on this community amenity that we have been dreaming about for years!
BUILD OUR PARK Great Community Give inspires composer
March 16, 2019
The Build Our Park fundraising campaign was on his screen for just a second, but something about its combination of words struck Douglas Byler as vaguely musical. "Over the next few days," he says, "this piece began to take shape almost subconsciously as the carefully crafted words morphed themselves into musical ideas."
Through his composition, Byler celebrates the potential of a group of people coming together to accomplish a task. "Not only can such collaborative action bring about positive change in the town - in this case hopefully a new park - but the process draws people together in such a way as to create something even more valuable...a human community."
Working together, our community can transform a piece of the downtown into a beautiful urban park and gathering place. Today, we are closer than ever before, and invite you to join in the movement. Make your donation. Together let’s build our park!
BUILD OUR PARK PRESENTS info at harrisonburg city council meeting
April 25, 2018
Harrisonburg, VA – At the April 24th Harrisonburg City Council meeting, Build Our Park and Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance Design Committee volunteers reported on the project status and presented updated conceptual designs.
News Channel WHSV3 featured coverage of the presentation, viewable here. The complete presentation to City Council is viewable here on the City of Harrisonburg website.
City Council Agrees to Further Examine Build Our Park’s Unsolicited Proposal to Build a Downtown Park
March 27, 2018
Harrisonburg, VA – 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. Build Our Park submitted a Public-Private Education Facilities and Infrastructure Act (PPEA) proposal for City Council’s consideration for a privately funded park on City property behind City Hall in the heart of downtown.
The Commonwealth of Virginia enacted the PPEA process in 2002 to allow public and private entities to work in partnership on projects. According to the Virginia Department of General Services, the Act “enables public bodies to partner with private entities to bring private sector expertise to bear on public projects and encourage innovative approaches to financing construction and renovation.” The Build Our Park proposal is considered unsolicited, as the City of Harrisonburg has not issued a Request for Proposals for a downtown park. However, Build Our Park has been working closely with members of City staff and City Council to plan and design the park.
With the understanding that Build Our Park and the City of Harrisonburg need to formalize the process for bringing these plans to reality, city staff recommended that the Build Our Park organization move forward by submitting a formal proposal to proceed with the project via the process outlined in the Public-Private Education Facilities and Infrastructure Act of 2002.
“Build Our Park is excited to be taking a step forward in turning the community’s vision for a stunning gathering space into a reality,” says Andrea Dono, a board member for Build Our Park and the executive director for Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance. “The PPEA process allows us to work in partnership with the City and take the lead on developing a public amenity that will boost quality of life for residents.”
City staff presented City Council with the PPEA proposal during “Other Matters.” In a procedural context, City Council members agreed to further examination of the proposal. This move allows the project to enter into an interim-planning phase with City staff. The City is now required to publish notice of the unsolicited proposal and accept competing proposals during the next 45 days. By accepting the Build Our Park proposal, City Council is not approving the park project, but is triggering the next step in the process. During this time, City staff may review the proposed project and may negotiate an interim agreement with Build Our 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.
On April 18, as part of the Great Community Give, you are invited to point, click, and give to support the mission to create a privately funded park in downtown Harrisonburg.
Throughout this exciting day of giving, Build Our Park has the opportunity to earn extra funds from a list of Great Community Give prizes. You can help Build Our Park earn a $2,000 prize by getting the Most Donors between 7-8 a.m. Later in the day, Build Our Park can earn a $2,000 prize by aiming for the Most Dollars Raised between 7-8 p.m. At the end of the day, additional prizes of up to $8,000 will be awarded to the organization with the most dollars raised and with the most number of donors. Every dollar and every donation helps!
Ready to help? Point. Click. GIVE!