Five New Parks in South Richmond

The lack of green spaces in Southside, which contributes to the urban heat island effect, are part of a deadly combination of inequities that disproportionally impact Black and Brown communities in our city. Stemming from a history of redlining, the reality is that those living in the least forested parts of South Richmond have up to a 20 year difference in life expectancy than other parts of the city.

The Richmond 300 Master Plan seeks to correct some of these inequities by setting the goal to provide all Richmonders with access to public green space within a 10-minute walk of their home. As part of that goal, Mayor Stoney announced in the Fall of 2020 that the City would slate five Southside public parcels of land for future park development. These five future parks include parcels in the following areas:

• Ernest Road

• Rosemont Road

• Hioaks Water Tower

• Reedy Creek Wetland

• Broad Rock Creek

Southside ReLeaf’s advocacy helped inspire the City to pledge the land to create five new parks, and we have been a key leader in the process of developing these green spaces. Our goal has been to approach this work collaboratively, activating private, public, and nonprofit partnerships while engaging our Southside neighbors at each step along the way. 

Explore the work being done at each of the new parks by clicking on the photos below. Virginia Community Voice is developing Broad Creek Park; for more information on that project, please visit their website.