Valley Court Park to Get Major Makeover with New Amenities and Design

The Valley Court Park and Connectivity Plan approved by City Council aims to update the park to include an amphitheater, public restrooms, new landscaping, public art, signage and more.

The proposed new layout features an oval-shaped paved trail around a large green space in the middle of the park. The plan is too early in development to estimate a completion date, according to Interim Parks Director Justin Drwencke.

The planned layout new layout for Valley Court Park. (From April 22 City Council agenda)

The plan was created after the Parks, Recreation and Arts Department reviewed its five-year plan, where it identified a need to update the park.

“We really wanted to look at ways to improve that experience for the over 100,000 people that visit that park every year,” Drwencke said.

The department held two public engagement sessions to gauge community members’ opinions on proposed changes, and used their suggestions, as well as consulting firm Spalding DeDecker, for the final draft of the plan.

Among the additions are a permanent shade structure for the farmers market held in the park and public restrooms.

A rendering of the Valley Court Park entrance near Abbot Road in the new connectivity plan. (From April 22 City Council agenda)

“The community really appreciates the farmers market being in that location,” Drwencke said. “But also, based on community feedback and input from staff who run the market, there needs to be some better infrastructure in place to make that market experience even better.”

The plan also includes the addition of an amphitheater to act as a performance space. This aligns with the ongoing effort to re-establish the Great Lakes Folk Festival in the city, as part of the festival was previously held in the park. At an April council meeting, Bob Ford of Spalding DeDecker said the space surrounding the amphitheater is large enough to host thousands of visitors. Additionally, a secondary stage is proposed to be added near the BWL building.

Sculptures, signs and greenery to revitalize the park are all slated to be added. The proposal also moves the existing basketball court to the tennis court’s location, as both are marked as being in poor condition on the existing features analysis. The tennis courts are being removed.

The new layout will also include rain gardens on the edges of the park. These gardens will hopefully help drain water that accumulates in the park during large storms, Ford said.

A rendering showing a section of the connectivity plan that displays new amenities, including a restroom building and secondary stage near the existing BWL building. (From April 22 meeting agenda)

There may be changes made to the plan, depending on funding constraints.

“Certainly there are elements that are subject to change,” Drwencke said. “But in general, when we’re working through a project, that Master Plan tends to be our guidepost for a project. So the key elements are likely to remain so long as they can find the funding to make it happen.”

The park redevelopment will be done in phases. City staff will next look to secure funding and find an engineering firm to work with. The department aims to create phasing for the plan by the end of the year, according to Drwencke.

“It was really cool to see what the community responded well to, what they weren’t so sure about, and be able to combine those into this comprehensive vision,” Drwencke said. “What I’m really proud of is that this master plan for Valley Court Park incorporates feedback from a wide diversity of community members. I think ultimately it’s going to result in a much better outcome.”