Raleigh’s getting a new downtown park. Tell the city what you think by Friday.
For more than a decade, Raleigh has considered transforming 14 acres of polluted, city-owned land into a downtown park.
The sliver of land sits at the intersection of Capital Boulevard and Peace Street and has been used as a city maintenance yard.
Now there’s a plan to restore a stream there and turn the land, called Devereux Meadow, into a park that welcomes people to downtown from the northern side.
People can submit their feedback on the proposed design of the park through Friday, March 11. (See below.)
Baseball greats played there
For the last 40 years, the city has used the property to store maintenance equipment and city vehicles.
But decades earlier, Devereux Meadow was known for its baseball stadium and a series of minor league teams that played there, including the Raleigh Capitals and Raleigh Pirates.
Notable Raleigh baseball alumni include Hank Greenberg, Enos Slaughter and Carl Yastrzemski — all inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame — and Crash Davis, whose name was later used for Kevin Costner’s character in the 1988 movie “Bull Durham.”
The site was once owned by the Mordecai, Lane and Devereux families, including Margaret Mordecai and her husband John Devereux, Jr., according to the city. Devereux owned “many enslaved persons and held positions within the Confederacy,” according to the city.
The city knows the controversy surrounding the name and plans to begin a renaming process later in the year. The survey asks for name suggestions.
Passive park planned
The plans for this property have been in the works for years, Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin said.
“It’s about being able to create that gateway to downtown ... really making it a welcoming part of the community,” she said.
The land lies between Glenwood South and the Smoky Hollow development and Seaboard Station.
The website for Smoky Hollow, developed by Kane Realty Corp., incorrectly states that this stage of design is being led by “our project consultant.”
No aspect of the planned park has been funded or designed by Kane Realty, said Gary Clairborne, project manager for the city.
“We do have representatives from Kane and several other local business owners in the stakeholder committee, and all members of the committee are given equal weight and attention,” he said. Other stakeholders include neighborhood organizations, Peace University and the Raleigh Housing Authority.
Feedback from the stakeholder committee is included in the comments received by members of the public during open houses or from a survey, he said.
The plan is to restore and uncover the Pigeon House Branch creek that flows through it to Crabtree Creek, said Clairborne.
It’s intended to be a passive park that focuses on nature and trails instead of playgrounds and athletic fields.
“It’s basically a park within a nature setting, with an emphasis on site restoration, centered around the round the stream and the wetlands,” Clairborne said.
As of now, there is no planned general parking, similar to Nash and Moore squares downtown, he said.
“We see this as an urban neighborhood park that’s really meant to be enjoyed by people who can either walk or bike to the site from the surrounding neighborhoods,” he said.
The city has spent $2 million from its 2014 parks bond on the initial site and environmental studies. The remaining cost to create the park is estimated at $16 million, and where that money will come from hasn’t been identified.
“We’re looking potentially at some different ways we could pay for it,” Baldwin said. “Perhaps the city puts in X amount, maybe we find a private-sector partner, someone who could help with that. But I think that there is strong opinion on the part of the council that part of this needs to be included in our parks bond.”
A parks bond is expected to be on the November 2022 ballot, with the amount and projects still to be set.
How to give feedback
To offer feedback on the concept of the park, go to publicinput.com/DevereuxMeadowParkConcept through Friday, March 11.
You can also ask questions or provide feedback by email DevereuxMeadowPark@PublicInput.com or leaving a voicemail at 855-925-2801, project code 6331.
This story was originally published March 9, 2022 at 8:05 AM.
