Raleigh’s new skate park to open Thursday on edge of downtown
.jpeg "Skate Raleigh will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony at the new downtown skate park on June 29, 2023.")
Downtown Raleigh’s new skate park is now open.
The Conlon Family Skatepark, located at the future Smoky Hollow Park between West Street and Capital Boulevard, will have a ribbon cutting at 10 a.m. Thursday.
The city uses the 14-acre, narrow property as a maintenance yard and vehicle fleet facility and plans to use parks bond money to build an urban nature park there a few years from now. Skate Raleigh has asked to use it in the meantime.
“Skating and other action sports have evolved to be inclusive and diverse sports with very low barriers to entry,” Cody Charland, Skate Raleigh’s executive director, said in a news release. “ I believe creating a unique space within Raleigh and partnering with the park system to do so will bring a sorely needed amenity to our community.”
Skate Raleigh has raised more than $300,000 to build and maintain the skate park until construction starts, likely in two years.
City leaders and staff have said this is the type of partnership the city should encourage.
“There are great community partners out there,” said Stephen Bentley, director of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources, in a previous interview. “And we have assets like land or facilities. So partnering with nonprofits or other businesses so that we can leverage the assets we have to help bring new experiences to the community is something that we want to do more of.”
The city of Raleigh has one other skate park in northeast Raleigh at Marsh Creek Park.
Want to go?
What: Conlon Family Skatepark ribbon cutting
When: 10 a.m. June 29
Where: Dortch Street between West Street and Capital Boulevard.
