An overgrown and fenced-off portion of James River frontage has been transformed into a modern green space with trails, a future education center and water access.
A grand opening for the Dock Street Park is planned for Tuesday to celebrate the new facility after a soft launch a couple of weeks ago.
The park sits just south of Great Shiplock Park along Dock Street in Richmond. It abuts the Virginia Capital Trail that runs to Williamsburg, and includes a launch for small boats like kayaks or paddleboards. Organizers say more is coming in the future, with public input to further shape Dock Street Park.
There was talk in the past of the land being developed into office or apartment buildings. Now, the land is under a conservation easement, meaning it is preserved for outdoor and recreational uses in perpetuity.
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Its existence also protects the overlooking Libby Hill Park’s view of the James River, which is also known as the “View that named Richmond.”
William Byrd II was a surveyor in the 1700s who was responsible for establishing Richmond. While standing on the grounds of what is now Libby Hill Park, he remarked that it was a strikingly similar view to sights over the Thames River in the Richmond section of England, hence the “view” moniker.
Purchased for $5.1 million
Parker Agelasto, executive director for the Capital Region Land Conservancy, said Dock Street Park is an important addition because while Richmond has an exceptional park system around the James River, the city could still use more park space.
Compared to peer cities such as Arlington, Virginia, or Charlotte, North Carolina, Richmond lags in overall park space, Agelasto said. Richmond has around 6% of its land set aside for parks, compared to 11% in Arlington and 12% in Charlotte.
“Part of it is because we are such an old city and, in the original planning layout, it was mostly private land. So in order to make more public land, we have to go and acquire private land,” Agelasto said. “And that’s what the Dock Street Park project has done.”
The land was purchased for around $5.1 million and totals about 5 acres in size. The Capital Region Land Conservancy worked with the city of Richmond to get the conservation easement, then transferred the property to the city.
The park itself has been a project of the Capital Region Land Conservancy and several other groups, including the city of Richmond, The Conservation Fund, the James River Association, Friends of the James River Park and over 500 individual donors.
The Richmond-area population is expected to keep growing over the coming years, which Agelasto says makes the mission of adding park space that much more important.
Around three-quarters of an acre from the project was set aside for the James River Association’s educational center building, which opens in mid-July.
The entire park system itself includes a wealth of outdoor activities. There are Class 3 and 4 rapids within the boundaries of the city. as well as mountain biking and hiking routes, rock climbing areas and an array of slow-moving, and faster-moving, river waters.
“What most cities feature and prize as their riverfront is oftentimes just old industrial land on a flat, calm body of water,” said Bill Street, executive director of the James River Association. “Yet, Richmond is now taking advantage of what other cities would just love to have as the jewel of their Riverfront.”
Seeking public feedback
The James River Park System began formally developing in the 1980s. Its first superintendent, Ralph White, slowly built the park system and cut his own trails over 30 years into what is now over 600 acres of public space.
“You can think of the river as a sort of artery running through the city, bringing in tourism dollars and recreation and all these really great things for people. I think it’s probably the most important thing about Richmond,” said Josh Stutz, executive director of Friends of the James River Park.
The future of new features for Dock Street Park is yet to be decided. The Capital Region Land Conservancy is looking for public feedback on the park to shape what is done with it going forward.
The group has a survey that could see such aspects as nature, fishing, connectivity to the Capital Trail, water access or general views of the James take on a more central role in the park’s use.