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Council weighs three visions for City Park — retain golf, remove it or adopt a hybrid — many members favor modest park upgrades and Sportsplex aquatics
Summary
Staff presented three concepts for City Park (retain golf, remove golf, hybrid) with estimated costs of roughly $10–$17 million depending on scope; councilors expressed concern about cost and urged focusing major investments on a Sportsplex aquatic center instead of a full City Park makeover.
PORTSMOUTH, Va. — City staff presented a multi-year reimagining plan for City Park and sought direction from the City Council on three concept options — retain the golf course with improvements, remove the golf course for events and trails, or adopt a hybrid keeping the driving range and repurposing other acreage.
Why it matters: City Park sits on large public acreage near the waterfront and the council must decide whether to invest tens of millions of dollars in a major redesign, pursue a more modest set of upgrades, or shift major capital focus to the Sportsplex and an aquatic center several council members said the city should prioritize.
Project overview and costs: The project began in 2020 and has included stakeholder interviews, public meetings, a website (reimaginecitypark.com) and surveys. Staff reported three preliminary concepts with high-end, full-amenity estimates: retaining the golf course and upgrading it (estimated roughly $10 million to $13.4 million), removing the golf course and building event space, trails and areas for private gatherings (estimated roughly…
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