The Ridgefield City Council received a detailed presentation on Thursday, April 10, on the city’s draft Parks, Trails and Recreational Facilities Capital Facilities Plan and offered feedback that will shape the next six years of park development.
City Parks Manager Corey Crownhart presented the draft, which outlines $13.7 million in planned park and trail investments through 2030 as part of the broader Envision Ridgefield 2045 comprehensive plan update, set to be finalized in December.
“This is a rough roadmap of where we may go,” Crownhart told the council. “Think of it like hiking on a trail. We’re going to plan out where we want to go, but if there’s an opportunity to stray off for a different amenity or opportunity, you can do so.”
Crownhart emphasized that the plan is not a budget document but a strategic guide. He asked council members to provide input on project prioritization, how the projects align with city values, and what kind of project cadence they envision.
“My primary question for council tonight is... what principles do you wish to see in a capital facilities plan when it comes to cadence, project types, and values?” Crownhart said.
The draft presented a detailed timeline and cost breakdown for various projects extending to 2030. The Ridgefield Community Center is slated for $1.5 million in design and engineering work in 2025, with construction in 2026. Abrams Park redevelopment, informed by a master plan completed earlier this year, includes $240,000 for design in 2027 and $960,000 for construction in 2028. Refuge Park’s second phase, establishing a future dog park, is projected to cost $150,000 for design in 2028 and $600,000 for construction in 2029.
The plan also proposes over $1.9 million in land acquisitions, including $375,000 for Greeley Farms Park in 2025 and $400,000 for a neighborhood park on the east side in 2027.
Councilor and former Ridgefield Parks Board chair Rian Davis supported a focused approach that allows the city to complete larger projects more efficiently rather than spreading limited resources thin.
“I think if we run into a situation where maybe from a timing or a cost perspective, it makes more sense to throw more resources at one property, I think we should not be bound to … a commitment for it to be more level,” Davis said. “I just think we’re gonna run into more cost efficiencies that way.”
Others stressed the importance of completing parks in different parts of the city so residents across Ridgefield can access finished amenities.
“I would like to see us not keep everything in one area,” Councilor Judy Chipman said. “Spread the parks out so everyone in the city had something kind of in their area.”
Councilmember Lee Wells pointed to the potential of the Carty Road area. Under the current draft, the city has outlined two properties to acquire for neighborhood parks. Wells noted that parts of the subarea are unsuitable for development but still offer space for a large, natural park.
“That has a lot of potential, just like Abrams Park,” Wells said. “A lot of that is undevelopable, but yet it still can make a … really good, big park.”
Mayor Matt Cole stressed the importance of achieving visible progress each year to maintain momentum and public support.
“If we do a ribbon cutting a year … that’d be a great statement to say, ‘Hey, we got this one done, and we’re moving on to the next one,’” Cole said. “Having that momentum is good... and I think we want to see a lot more progress than we have.”
Cole also emphasized the need to distribute park investments across the city, citing enthusiasm for both the pump track at Boyse Park on the west side and the future community park at the Paradise Point development.
Crownhart said the city could manage different park projects in various stages at once, moving them through the phases of development “like a conveyor belt.”
Council members expressed general agreement with that approach and directed staff to incorporate their feedback into the next draft. That revised version will return for council review before final adoption as part of the Envision Ridgefield 2045 update.
