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Town Center Public Space - Village Green
In 2018, the City purchased 6-acres (two, 3-acre parcels of ground), immediately west of City Hall, to be used for public space. At the time of the property acquisition, a citizen committee was completing the update of the City’s 2018 Parks and Recreation Action Plan (PDF) and included, as part of their final work, a main Action Point of the Plan (Action Point #5) dedicated to the future use of this property. This plan was subsequently approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission and adopted, via Resolution #2019-22, by the City Council.
Location Map
Aerial of Public Space
The City Council issued a Request for Proposals to begin the process of assessing the property for use as a Village Green and to undertake the planning and design process for this property in June 2019. In late 2019, the City entered into a contract with Human Nature, who was awarded the contract via the RFP process. Human Nature led a process throughout 2020, which will culminate during 2021, and result in a Final Master Plan for the property’s development. The planning process can be reviewed online.
Results of Public Input
The three (3) phases of this planning process were completed in 2021. The Awareness, Exploration and Vision Phase results are provided via the links below.
- Awareness Phase (Phase 1) Public Input Results
- Exploration Phase (Phase 2) Public Input Results
- Vision Phase (Phase 3) Public Input Results
The Village Green Vision
The third and final phase of the public input process was concluded in April 2021. This robust planning process provided Human Nature, the City's consultant, the information it needed to utilize its expertise to develop a final version of the Village Green Master Plan presented to the City Council in early Summer 2021.
Click on the images below for virtual video tours of the Village Green!
Phase One of Construction - Coming Soon!
Given the overall cost of the project, the Department of Planning and Parks worked with Human Nature to determine an approach that can utilize funding currently budgeted for the first phase of implementation. This phasing plan was based upon a number of assumptions relative to the City's needs in this regard, including:
- The Village Green would function on its own, even if no other future improvements are to be made thereafter.
- The Village Green's first phase would include infrastructure, conduit, etc. to accommodate future improvements without backtracking.
- The Village Green would be robust enough to support community events.
- The Village Green's first phase would be used to set the precedent for materials and quality for subsequent phase.
These assumptions, along with input of the Planning and Parks Committee and City Team Members, led to the development of the following Phase One Construction. It won't yet have all of the amenities, such as the observation tower or play area, but it will be a beautiful space for anything from a family picnic to Wildwood event! Start of construction is anticipated to begin in 2023!
Future Location of the Essen Log Cabin
The Village Green will also be the future home of the City's Essen Log Cabin. The Essen Log Cabin was built in the 1870's and had stood atop a hillside along Eatherton Road (Highway 109) for more than 140 years prior to its donation to the City. The Historic Preservation Commission is seeking donations to offset some of the expenses to the City for this project. no amount is too small and all donations will go directly to this exciting project!