Urbana park planning staff presented a master plan for King Park on Sept. 16 that reconfigures the existing playground area, adds a multipurpose field, installs a performance band shelter and a teen hangout terrace, and improves park gateways along Lincoln Avenue.

The presentation summarized outreach conducted from March to July that included school visits, after-school programs and community events. The presenter said, “I handed out over, I think, 150 to 200 flyers, and we had good attendance,” describing the engagement work at King School and neighborhood venues. Staff said the playground is about 20 years old and that the master plan is timed to pair playground replacement with a broader park renewal.

Proposed park elements in the central and west portions include a new accessible playground, a fenced rear edge of the playground, a multipurpose field configured for soccer and flag football, a challenge/fitness course, a half- and full-court basketball area, and an interpretive sculpture plaza around a Preston Jackson artwork. The plan would also add diagonal parking to increase spaces and rain gardens to address recurring wet conditions.

Planners said the East Lincoln frontage improvements — gateway signage, native plantings and pedestrian upgrades — are a separate funding target tied to state DCEO grant opportunities and are not included in the current park grant being pursued. Staff referred to a separate playground/facility grant request in the packet (referred to in the presentation as “Auslan” funding) and said they were requesting $600,000 of grant money and matching funds from the parks program to complete the first phase; they expect notice on the grant award in January or February and construction in 2027 or 2028 if awarded.

BPAC members raised questions about bike parking, tree impacts for an off-street multiuse path, and fencing options for the playground. The presenter confirmed bike racks exist at Urbana parks and said she would verify and follow up with exact locations. Several commissioners supported the plan’s safety and community benefits; one commissioner noted the park’s potential to increase active use from “age 8 to 80.”

BPAC members voted to endorse the fall 2025 site plan and agreed to provide a letter of support for the park district’s grant application. The committee read a draft statement into the record and approved it by voice vote: “Urbana Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee strongly endorses the fall 2025 site plan for the renewal and expansion of King Park. We regard the plan as both creative and pragmatic and potentially a great enhancement to community life for neighborhoods adjoining the Martin Luther King Elementary School.”

Staff said they were collecting letters of support from community partners and would accept a BPAC letter; BPAC members agreed to sign and forward a short letter of support before the grant deadline.