New nature park coming to Renton as Cleveland-Richardson master plan approved

Published 6:30 am Saturday, April 18, 2026

The Renton City Council has approved the master plan for a new 24-acre nature-focused park in the Talbot neighborhood of south Renton.

At the April 13 meeting, the council adopted the master plan for the future Cleveland-Richardson Park. This park will be located in the area of the city acquired in the Benson Hill annexation in 2008, an area with no developed parks.

“One objective in opening this park would fill this major gap in park access,” Renton capital projects manager Betsy Severtsen said during a presentation at the week’s Committee of the Whole meeting.

The city purchased the 24-acre property in 1995 from the Cleveland family, who used the property as a family farm. The site is located on Talbot Road South, just north of the Kent border at 200th Street. The western side of the property borders SR 167 with a steep, densely forested slope separating the property from the highway.

“When we were soliciting this project for consultants, I took out a whole gaggle of landscape architects and we walked up to the west field and one of them said, ‘This reminds me just like the beginning of the “Sound of Music” when Maria’s dancing around.’ It’s a really beautiful field, really special site,” Severtsen said.

Through months of community engagement, the city found the community preferred a nature park design over a community park focused on more active recreation development, like sports courts. Community members said they would like the park to preserve and restore the nature while also being walkable.

“They want the park to be designed for all ages and abilities,” Severtsen said. “They want it to celebrate culture and community identity.”

After site analysis, Severtsen said the topography and critical areas of the park would limit the development. However, the master plan for the site includes many of the community’s top suggestions such as a traditional playground, a zipline, trails and a food truck staging area.

“This preferred design has loop trails almost all of which are ADA accessible,” Severtsen said. “We are showing more concentration of more active uses and intensive development at the east end of the site. In the central and more western areas, we have a little bit more nature appreciation and focused on walking and running and such.”

The community also said they would like to use the site for programming ideas such as after-school nature clubs and volunteer stewardship of forests.

The city’s consultants estimate the cost for the park construction will cost $10.5 million to $12.5 million, depending on the decided use for the house currently located on the property. Severtsen said the project is eligible for a lot of grants including one through King County’s Waterworks program.

The city staff also recommends the installation of walkways on Talbot to make access to the park safer, which would cost additional funds.

Depending on grant funding, Severtsen said she expects bidding and construction could begin in 2028, barring any major permitting issues.

The full master plan can be viewed on the Cleveland-Richardson Park Project page on the city’s website.