Hope Mills hears three design options for Lake Park; staff and advisory board favor option 3 and plan public input

Consultants from East Group presented three conceptual plans to the council for improvements at Hope Mills Lake Park, describing trade-offs among parking capacity, pedestrian circulation and environmental protections.

Town staff reminded the board of earlier actions: the town purchased two adjacent properties last year to address parking and circulation, then contracted East Group in January 2025 for survey and design work. East Group's lead presenter, Andrew Harold, outlined project goals including improved parking and pedestrian access, protection of vegetation and enhanced play areas.

Planner Colleen described three options: Option 1 shifts parking to the northwest and places the playground nearer the road to increase visibility; Option 2 keeps the parking at the front with two access points and preserved holly trees; Option 3 removes boat parking from the main lot, provides the most standard parking (shown as roughly 50 spaces in presentation), adds a stormwater bioretention island and keeps the playground closer to its current location. Staff and the Parks & Recreation Advisory Board indicated a preference for Option 3 during internal review.

East Group requested the council's permission to hold a public-input meeting and run an online survey to collect resident feedback on the three options before returning to the board with a consolidated preferred alternative. Council members asked for a cost range and noted safety concerns about the playground being adjacent to Main Street; one member said they did not want the playground next to the main road because it is "dangerous." Staff said the current contract includes a cost-estimate step for a finalized option.

Next steps: staff will schedule public input, post the presentation on the town's engagement page, and ask East Group to provide cost estimates for the consolidated option; the board will review public feedback before final approval.