AT SOUTH TRAILHEAD OF PRAIRIE CREEK GREENWAY
Initial design work has begun for a new park south of Platte City.
The Platte County Parks Department has started the design process for a new park to be built at the south trailhead of the Prairie Creek Greenway on N Highway just south of the Seven Bridges subdivision.
A group of residents of nearby neighborhoods met at the site on Wednesday, April 29 to discuss what the community would like from the new park.
“This new park will be built on the edge of the heavily-used Prairie Creek Greenway,” said Joe Vanover, second district county commissioner. “We have asked residents in the surrounding neighborhoods to be part of the decision process to make sure we build a park to fit the area.”
Vanover recruited volunteers from Timber Park, Lakes at Oakmont, Seven Bridges, and Copper Ridge to serve on the advisory committee.
The county parks department hired RDG Planning & Design to lead the community interaction and design phase of the creation of this park. The same firm recently completed an assessment of parks owned by the City of Platte City.
Platte County Parks Director Daniel Erickson served on the consulting group for the review of city owned parks.
Erickson commented, “The Prairie Creek Greenway has been constructed over the last 20 years. It connects to many of the neighborhoods south of Platte City.
Thousands of residents in the Platte City area will be able to reach this new park on foot or by bicycle.”
The advisory committee will meet with the park designers at RDG multiple times during the next few months.
The county parks department plans to seek broader community input at an open house in July at the Platte County Community Center YMCA in Platte City.
The final master plan for the park is expected to be completed in August.
The county parks department expects to spend between $800,000 to $1.2 million to build the new park. Construction of the new park is tentatively set for 2027.
An extension of the Prairie Creek Greenway from the location of the new park at the south trailhead to a new roundabout on N Highway is expected also in 2027. The design work for the trail extension is currently underway.
