Apalachee Regional Park development advances; county readies for 2026 World Cross Country Championships

Leon County staff updated commissioners on the county’s multi‑year work to convert a former solid‑waste site into Apalachee Regional Park (ARP) and the related preparations to host the World Cross Country Championships in 2026.

Maggie (Parks & Recreation staff) and Carrie Post (Tourism) summarized past investments and the park’s current configuration: of roughly 600 acres at the site, staff said about 45 percent is former landfill or low‑lying areas that limit certain types of development; the county has focused early investments on the high/dry zones and constructed multiple permanent facilities that supported recent state and national cross‑country events.

Carrie told commissioners that a recent World Athletics site visit included more than 10 international officials who were impressed by the existing course and logistics: “They were blown away,” Carrie said, citing the park’s year‑round course, parking, infrastructure and experienced local staff with a long history of hosting cross‑country competitions. Staff expects the 2026 championships to draw teams from more than 60 countries, more than 10,000 spectators and to generate an estimated $4.3 million in economic impact; the event will be televised worldwide.

Maggie described next steps and the county’s interest in Phase‑2 enhancements, including a third‑party feasibility study to evaluate activating capped landfill slopes for cyclocross/closed‑facility mountain biking and other regional events. Staff pointed to international examples — Paris used a capped landfill for cycling in 2024 — and said adaptive reuse could broaden the park’s event calendar and revenue generation. The board asked staff to return a feasibility study and the county indicated it will move forward with design, grant pursuit and volunteer recruitment; staff reported 509 volunteers registered for the world championship planning as of the meeting.

Why it matters: ARP is a large, multi‑departmental project tied to the county’s economy and environment strategic priorities. The park leverages prior investments to host major sports tourism events, and Phase‑2 decisions will determine whether ARP grows into a multi‑discipline regional sports campus.

Ending: Commissioners directed staff to return feasibility and implementation work for Phase‑2 considerations and to continue volunteer recruitment and event planning for the 2026 World Cross Country Championships.