City Park Hosts Third Public Meeting on Master Plan

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February 27, 2024

City Park Conservancy and landscape architecture firm Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Inc., along with members of the Project Team, will hold a third public meeting on the Park’s Master Plan on Thursday, March 21.

This meeting will focus on understanding existing conditions and identifying necessary interventions to improve the Park’s lagoons, lakes, and water systems. Essential to the history of New Orleans City Park, these areas contribute to the experience and richness of the landscape’s diverse ecosystem.

“This meeting will showcase the Master Plan’s efforts to maintain and improve the functionality and environmental resiliency of these fundamental Park structures,” said City Park Conservancy President and CEO Cara Lambright. “The public’s input and engagement throughout this process is imperative as we continue to develop and refine our Master Plan to ensure the Park’s aesthetic beauty and natural ecosystems will thrive, creating a dynamic and enduring sense of place for future generations to enjoy.”

The public meeting will be held at Dillard University Professional Schools and Sciences Building from 5:30-7:30pm on March 21. Like the previous Master Plan meeting, the format for the evening will be “Open House” style. Instead of a formal presentation that starts at a set time, the Project Team will facilitate seven stations that cover different topics and enable multiple opportunities for discussion and feedback. Information will be shared through a slideshow at each station, along with models, preliminary illustrations, and diagrams.

This is the third in a series of six public meetings held as part of the Park’s ongoing Master Planning process to gather public input and encourage community members to learn what the Master Plan means for the future of City Park.

The City Park Master Plan is made possible through a lead gift from the Greg Keller Foundation.

City Park Master Plan Public Meeting #3

• Thursday, March 21 | 5:30-7:30pm
• Dillard University New Orleans Professional Schools and Sciences Building
• 2601 Gentilly Blvd, New Orleans, LA 70122

Station Topics:

• Public Meetings Results & Feedback
  • This station will display results and key takeaways from previous public-engagement efforts including surveys, the structure of the Master Plan process, and a review of the last public meeting’s content about Circulation & Access.

• The Wooded Island
  • This station will continue the development of the well-received concept of the Wooded Island, which the Project Team has brought back to life from the original 1930’s Master Plan where the island was partially implemented through the WPA’s efforts to create lagoons by utilizing the water from local bayous. Revitalizing the Wooded Island concept will create a central Park destination in the future, providing an immersive experience of native Louisiana landscapes that would only otherwise be seen outside of the city.

• Celebrate Water as the Unifying Park Experience
  • This station will introduce improvements to the visitor’s experience that draw on the value of the historic lagoons throughout the Park, making the water’s edge more accessible, more active, more comfortable, and more ecologically diverse.

• Improve Water Quality Within the Park
  • This station will focus on analyzing the existing conditions of the Park’s lagoons system, the health of the shoreline, and the impact of stormwater runoff on the Park’s waterways. It will also identify methods for managing the ecological health of the lagoons.

• Integrate Water Systems into the Park Design
  • This station will explore strategies for making stormwater management feel like a cohesive and essential part of the Park. These stormwater improvements will be designed to enhance and diversify the Park experience with a new collection of ecotypes.

• Improve Stormwater Management in the Park
  • This station will show how the Park currently performs during a range of storm events and explore ways to reduce the burden on the city’s stormwater infrastructure.

• City Park History Station
  • This station will narrate the rich history of City Park through key moments that have been critical in shaping the landscape and its role in the city since the 19^th This will shed light on overlooked pieces of New Orleans history, educate visitors, and help identify ways to make the Park more inclusive.

For more information on the Master Planning process, click here.