Taylor Farm Park Master Plan ASLA Potomac Chapter Honor Award in Analysis, Planning, and Urban Design 2022

The Pandemic underscored how critical our parks are to our communities and our well-being. So, when the chance to plan a new 100-acre park presented itself, the RHI team recognized this rare opportunity. In an area with few parks, the people of Sandston, Virginia were ready to be active participants in the planning process.  

The existing, heavily wooded property donated to the county by the current landowners, includes water bodies and wetlands covering over 35% of the site both enhance and limit development. The team used open meetings to engage the community and get feedback and to introduce concepts such as inclusive play, nature play and active recreation.  Organized constituencies brought their agendas and worked collaboratively with the design team.  The team need to carefully balance the ecological imperatives with site history, community needs and neighborhood concerns.

Based on the initial site analysis the design consensus was to divide the park into three thematic zones: neighborhood, nature-based play, and active recreation. The resulting plan has not only won the approval of the people of Sandston, but also the ASLA Potomac Chapter Honor Award in Analysis, Planning, and Urban Design. Congratulations team!