Consultants tell Hampton council moving historic carousel could free waterfront for large Riverfront Park

Molly Ward of the Downtown Hampton Development Partnership presented a visual plan to transform Carousel Park into a larger, green Riverfront Park with a promenade, stage and improved waterfront views, and said the plan would require relocating the historic carousel to increase visibility and protect it from flooding.

"In order to achieve this look, this vision, we need to have the carousel moved," Ward said, describing a plan with trees, an open lawn and a waterfront promenade.

Tom Tingle, president of Guernsey Tingle Architects, reviewed the implementation study and the practical trade-offs for each relocation option. He said leaving the carousel where it is would be the least expensive but would limit the Riverfront Park design and keep the carousel at relatively low elevation with continued flood risk. Rebuilding or raising the current site would improve protection but constrain the redevelopment of the riverfront. Moving the carousel to Millpointe would place it at higher ground (ground elevation roughly 8'9 feet above sea level) and better integrate it with Queen Street, but would reduce Millpointe's green area by about 10% and add cost: "It's about 2,500,000 by the time you construct a new building as well as the relocation of the carousel," Tingle said.

Returning the carousel to Buckroe would restore the artifact to its original beachfront setting and offer strong summer use but faces higher environmental treatment costs for salt-air exposure and wind; Tingle said Buckroe would likely require more structural work and mitigation. Staff and consultants recommended engineering and conservation-easement reviews before any final decision and proposed public information sessions to gather input before returning a formal action item to council.