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A project 10+ years in the making is finally coming to fruition. Organizers, leaders, and city officials broke ground on the future Town Branch Park.
“You may think of Joni Mitchell or the Counting Crows when you hear the lyrics, ‘They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.’ This project puts that song in reverse,” said Alllison Lankford, executive director of Town Branch Park.
Timeline
As the park inches closer to reality, let’s take look back at some key moments:
- October, 2011 | The first mention of redesigning the area is brought up at a community meeting.
- November, 2015 | New York firm Scape/Landscape Architecture was selected to design the park.
- June, 2017 | The park hits $5 million in funding
- 2018-2022 | Throughout this time, millions of dollars were raised and donated to the project and ~16,000 community members submitted their thoughts on what they’d like to see included in the space.
- September, 2022 | Finalized renderings + plans were unveiled
- June, 2023 | Phase 1 funding, totaling $39 million, was completed — giving the green light for construction.
Something for everyone
In the words of Bill Hader’s SNL character Stefon, “This place has everything.” Here a few highlights you can expect to experience at the 10-acre park:
- 4,000-person amphitheater + high tech stage
- Children’s playground
- Educational and interactive water play area
- Food and beverage options
- A butterfly garden
- Dog parks for small and large dogs
- Art installations
- A recreation lawn
- A reading room
Directions
If you’re like us, you might be little confused as to where exactly the park is going to be, but here are some directions:
- If you’re driving down Oliver Lewis Way towards Newtown Pike, look to the right of the overpass.
- If you’re driving into downtown on Main Street, right before the Central Bank Center, look to the right.
