The city is advancing early design work for upgrades to Anderson Park, located north of Marine Creek Ranch Park and adjacent to the Northwest Library branch. Plans under consideration emphasize new trails and improved connections to the surrounding trail network to make the park more accessible and better linked to nearby recreational amenities.
On April 2 the Park & Recreation Department held a public meeting to review preliminary concepts. Blaise Grissom, the department’s project manager, said the team is moving the plans toward a 30% design stage. That level of design will shape key alignments and major features before the project advances to full engineering and construction documents.
Landscape architect Dorothy Witmeyer, who is working with the city, highlighted the park’s proximity to the new library and an existing system of trails that extend down to Marine Creek. “A really big component of this concept is just better connectivity to that and opportunities to … connect to the broader trail system,” she said, noting that linking Anderson Park into the wider network is a priority.
Concepts presented include a hiking trail that would pass under Crowell-Marine Creek Road and multiple crossings of Marine Creek, allowing for a continuous loop around the park. Renderings also showed athletic fields for baseball and soccer. The playground, now about 20 years old, is slated for updates that will add inclusive elements to better serve children of varying abilities.
Planned paths would use PermaTrak, a precast concrete boardwalk system commonly employed for pedestrian bridges, wetland boardwalks and multiuse trails. Funding for the improvements was approved in the 2022 bond election; the parks department estimates the design will be completed around 2027 with construction of the planned upgrades occurring by 2028.
For nearby residents and trail users, the project promises expanded access and safer connections to Marine Creek and the library. The city will continue public engagement as designs develop; people with questions or who want to follow the project can contact the Park & Recreation Department for updates and opportunities to provide input.
