Implementation of Monroe Park plan still up in the air
Monroe Park plan update
Monroe Park's spring break will be extended a week due to the new coronavirus. Photo by Jon Mirador
Stephen Nielson
Contributing Writer
Richmond Parks and Recreation, in association with other local organizations, is continuing plans to renovate Monroe Park. Dates for the beginning of construction and completion of the project are still unknown.
“The plan has been accepted by the mayor and the community at large … now we’re fundraising,” said Tesha Davis, Parks and Recreation public relations specialist. The Monroe Park Master Plan was adopted in 2008.
The estimated total cost of the first two phases, including the majority of construction, is over seven million dollars. While the fundraising is progressing, a true timeline won’t be made until it’s completed, according to Davis.
The park, a prominent city feature for VCU students, will undergo extensive construction intended to improve park use.
The planned changes “fall into two main categories: physical changes to Monroe Park and programmatic site elements introduced into the Park” according to the Master Plan posted on the city’s website (www.richmond.gov). The construction will come in multiple phases, the first two containing the major alterations.
Those will include changes to the paths, improved lighting, removal and new additions to vegetation and other park-wide additions. After that, construction will focus on the Checkers Building, renovating the bathrooms, upgrading the existing facilities and adding new areas like a plaza and playground. After that, construction efforts will focus on smaller additions like information kiosks and more lighting.
Programmatic elements include changeable additions meant to give visitors a reason to attend events and stay to enjoy the park. Some ideas that are intended for the renovated park are seasonal market stalls, a temporary stage and a carousel.
Since its adoption, there has also been vocal opposition against the park renovations. Opponents of the plan worry that the construction will close off the park for an extended time, displacing the many homeless people who rely on the park for a place to stay.
“The homeless presence in Monroe Park poses an impediment to increased park usage,” states the Master Plan, highlighting the complication the homeless would present in improving park attendance by updating both the facilities and programming, thus overshadowing a long-standing reputation for crime and vagrancy.
“You’ve got the folks that are against displacing the homeless, but no one doesn’t want the park renovated,” Davis said.
Davis, however, said that “we take into consideration everyone.”
Davis said the renovations are important because they address the dangers that Monroe Park currently represent, such as safety at night.
Photos by Kyle Laferriere
