Public feedback sought for future Cleveland-Richardson Park

The city of Renton is looking for community feedback in choosing between two draft design options for the Cleveland-Richardson Park.

Renton Capital Projects Manager Betsy Severtsen said they are currently working on a master plan for the future park located in the Talbot Neighborhood, near the Kent border. The city previously acquired the 24-acre property from the Cleveland-Richardson family to be used for open space and recreation.

“It’s a site that has a lot of really nice natural resources: streams, wetlands and forests, as well as these older buildings. We tried to hear from the public about what were their hopes and concerns for a new park in their neighborhood,” Severtsen said. “We got a lot of great feedback about that.”

In Aug. 2024, the city hired consultants led by Bruce Dees and Associates for $225,283 to assess conditions of the house on site and to better understand the site and neighborhood. This spring, Severtsen said her team went out into the neighborhood to introduce the project to nearby residents

Severtsen said neighborhood concerns focused on traffic, parking and safety, and there are specific elements included in the two design options the city is presenting that deal with those concerns.

The transportation department’s planned sidewalks in the area will help with public access to the park, which currently is not visible from the street, Severtsen said.

Severtson said the red farm house on site will be utilized with both plans as a residence for an on-site staff member to monitor the park at all times. She said this will help keep the large park safe and dissuade the forested areas of the park from becoming encampments. She said they are also exploring ways to make the lower lever “more public facing.”

“We’ve had ideas for things like a tool library or a little community meeting space,” Severtson said. “We are looking at what are the code implications of making a portion of that structure more public facing.”

Severtson said they heard from people wanting places to walk or jog in the community, so trails and walkways are incorporated heavily in both plans. Both plans require habitat restoration and invasive species removal for the park.

Other shared concepts include restrooms, seating, public art, parking and nature watching features.

The park concept Severtsen said they call the “community park” concept includes more of the traditional park amenities such a larger mowed lawn, a sports court, a pump track for cyclists, a community garden, a picnic shelter and a more traditional playground.

Severtsen describes the “nature park” concept as more unmowed plant meadows instead of cut lawns. She said this design option includes a more nature-focused play area with natural features, more hiking and paved trails, an outdoor classroom and a larger shelter for community use. She said they would also like to include a “themed trail” similar to the New Gnome Trail in Maple Valley.

The land also features a concrete-lined pond that will remain in both versions of the plan. The community park concept preserves the pond in its current form. The nature park would slightly move the pond to create a more natural pond and additional space for parking.

Severtsen said they have met with people at neighborhood schools, the Weatherly Inn, Thomas Teasdale Park and the nearby Sikh temple. She said they will also be at Renton River Days to hear opinions on the park designs. People can also comment on the designs online at the city’s website, where they can also give feedback to the city’s Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Plan.

“We’ve really tried to get as much feedback from the nearby neighborhood first, because this is their backyard,” Severtsen said. “I know my neighborhood pretty well and I’m getting to know Renton the more I’ve worked here, but I will never know the neighborhood and what the neighborhood needs as much as the folks who have lived in that neighborhood.”

Severtson said they will be taking feedback on the designs through mid-August before developing a master plan this fall in order to apply for state grants next year. She said there will be more opportunities to give opinions on the details of the design down the road. She said she hopes to bid the project and begin construction in 2028.