Johnston County Regional Park - April 2023 Update

Johnston County Parks and Open Space Program is pleased to announce that the community engagement section of the Johnston County Regional Park Master Plan process is complete! We have gathered important data and input from residents around the county, which will be used to shape the 81-acre park plus the GCAA sports complex. Below, you can find PDFs containing in-depth analytical data that was produced by the online survey and the 2 community meetings that took place over the last 3 months. Along with this data, you will find updates containing site drawings for both sites. We are hoping to have a final report of our master plan by February 2023 so we can share what Johnston County's first park will be shaped into. 

UPDATE (04/17/23): The Park and Open Space staff went forward to the Board of Commissioners to present the Johnston County Regional Park Master Plan. Terry Naranjo, who presented the plan on behalf of Stewart, gave a 20-minute presentation laying out the details of the plan to the Board of Commissioners. The master plan was viewed and is planning to be adopted at the May 15th, 6 PM Board of Commissioner's meeting. A public hearing has been approved and the full master plan will be available online here. Thank you for your time and patience with this process and we hope to bring you the full details soon. 

The Park and Open Space staff is hosting a public meeting to speak exclusively about the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund (PARTF) funding source, which is due May 1st, 2023. The Board approved the department for applying for the grant on behalf of the county. The PARTF grant supplies up to $500,000 of funding, with a 1 to 1 match. The public meeting will happen on April 19th from 4:30 to 6:30 PM at the Cleveland Fire Station 1. For more details, please view the following website, which lays out the details about the public meeting.

UPDATE (02/16/23): Below is renderings (conceptual drawings) for both sites at the upcoming Johnston County Regional Park. These hand-drawn/computer-edited designs give us a glimpse into what the two park sites could be. The Complex/GCAA site has two different options and details will be given below on what those options include; the new Booker site is from two different angles and a rendering is coming soon for the disc golf & skate park section. We are about a month away from releasing the full master plan. 

1) This design of the Booker site shows the park from the corner of Matthews and Polenta Road.

design of the Booker site shows the park from the corner of Matthews and Polenta Road.

2) This design of the Booker site shows the park from the wooded area, facing towards the front of the park.

design of the Booker site shows the park from the wooded area, facing towards the front of the park.

3) This design of the Complex/GCAA site is option 1, which has the old gym and site being remodeled completely.

design of the Complex/GCAA site is option 1, which has the old gym and site being remodeled completely.

4) This design of the Complex/GCAA site is option 2, which has the whole site renovated and adds a new gym/community center.

 design of the Complex/GCAA site is option 2, which has the whole site renovated and adds a new gym/community center.

UPDATE (01/23/23): Below is detailed designs, upgrading the area-style designs from the November update listed above. We are hoping to have site renderings for both sites in the next two weeks and a draft plan by the beginning of February. Our consultant, Stewart, and ourselves are working hard to have a final master plan by mid-February. Please continue to check our website and sign up for our email notifications to receive news updates on what's happening with this project and future projects.

1) This design includes remodeling the gym and adding more features to the current site. (PDF)

2) This design includes tearing down the gym and completely overhauling the site. (PDF)

3) This design is for the new Booker site at the corner of Matthew and Polenta Road. (PDF)

UPDATE (11/17/22): Below is the preliminary designs for the GCAA sports site and the Regional Park site. Stewert has worked tirelessly to get these designs together and we are very excited to see these preliminary results. There are two different designs for the GCAA Sports Site and one design for the Booker Tract Site (follow the legend in the top right corner for an understanding of the site layout and please be patient as these PDFs take time to load due to their size): 

1) This design includes remodeling the gym and adding more features to the current site. (PDF)

2) This design includes tearing down the gym and completely overhauling the site. (PDF)

3) This design is for the new Booker site at the corner of Matthew and Polenta Road. (PDF)

Please let us know via email or over the phone what you think of these designs and you are welcome to ask us any questions. We encourage feedback and will answer your questions in a timely manner.

With this master plan, we will be able to configure a general design and function of the regional park. Though the park is located in the Cleveland community on the western side of Johnston County, we want to be clear that everyone is invited to take part in shaping and enjoying it. This park is for everyone! We want to thank all of those who provided input, directly or indirectly. Your vision and desires for this park will be carefully thought of and considered when finalizing the park's design. 

Please share this article and contact us if you want to know more information about the master planning process. Feel free to share your thoughts in the website comment board and be on the lookout for future information to come about the park's progress. Once again, thank you for your support and we hope to provide you, the residents of Johnston County, with a fantastic park that is full of fun and excitement that everyone can enjoy!

Cheers,

Johnston County Parks and Open Space Program

*Please note that some of these photos are just ideas/rendering from other sites throughout the nation and not necessarily what is planned exactly. 

PDF file: Engagement Results

PDF file: Architecture Boards

Meeting photo 1   Meeting photo 2

Community Meeting #2 - Master Plan Team

The complex existing conditions analysis

Program elements: trails and greenway

Program elements: Events and markets

Page last updated: January 5, 2024

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