Big news for the Horizon West Regional Park

 

Orange County Commissioner for District 1, Besty Vanderley, invited the Regional Park Project Director to walk residents through initial plans. You’ll find a link to this presentation below as well as the link to provide feedback on the proposals. Officials also created interactive stations where participants could voice their opinions, likes, dislikes, and even take selfies!

 

Over the past few months, the Parks department conducted a survey of the community’s expectations, wants, and needs. The presentation introduced a “zone” based proposal with an additional alternate layout with much of the same amenities. For one of the options, imagine a “theme park-esq” design like The Magic Kingdom with different lands around a larger center. Parking for around 1,000 cars is included in the proposal, with many pedestrian-friendly access points as well to carry out the walkable design of Horizon West. Throughout the park, planned picnic areas, splash pads, landscaping, bridges, playgrounds, and natural features are all built into the possible design.

 

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Small lakes are surrounded by hiking trails, a small educational building, and other “nature” based activities. 

 

Paved and unpaved trails that are built around a series of natural hills and slopes and include some cleared fields and meadows as well as a large fenced-in dog park, and picnic areas.

 

Baseball fields, soccer fields, and the small community center/indoor/outdoor performance space, tennis courts and basketball courts are the landmarks of this zone. 

 

The southernmost area of the park is bordered by a series of natural lakes. This will be filled with trails along the shoreline, a small pier, and kayaking and water activities.

 

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The Parks department stressed the attempt to maintain a natural green area, while also providing the types of amenities that were most requested by Horizon West residents.

 

Overall, the audience seemed quite pleased by the presentation and engaged excitedly with the interactive stations. Also noteworthy are things no longer in the plan: the 6000-seat outdoor amphitheater,12,000-seat stadium, massive basketball complex have all been removed from further planning due to comprehensive feedback from the community.

 

Many residents wanted to know about access to the Regional Park. Main access will be a vehicle access point from the newly constructed road, Hamlin Groves Trail. That stretch of road is slated to open in February 2020. With all the excitement and buzz around the park, it’s important to note that the park is planned over a five to ten year build out, so that there will be no immediate access to park facilities.

 

When asked about previously discussed access fees to the park, the department stated that at this time there were no further plans for access fees nor is it envisioned that this will occur in the future.

 

With traffic being a topic that is often addressed by Horizon Westers, the county shared with residents that - given the 5-10 year time line- and already-planned improvements for Tiny Road at Tilden and Hamlin Groves Trail at Tiny Road, there will be proper road infrastructure to accommodate car rides to the Regional Park.

Next steps will occur in early 2020 with Community Meeting #3, Parks Advisory Board and approvals by the BCC (Board of County  Commissioners). It’s exciting to see actual proposed designs for this project given the long history of discussing the possibilities of what it could become! 

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