The Downtown Cary Park is set to open in 2023. Here’s what to know.
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CORRECTION: The story has been updated to say the Downtown Cary Park will open in late summer. A previous version of the story incorrectly said the park will open in June.
In the heart of downtown Cary, there soon will be a new safe haven where residents, families, children and visitors can come together to relax, exercise, and enjoy the outdoors.
After nearly 20 years of planning, the Town of Cary is anticipating the official opening of the Downtown Cary Park this fall. The park will take up 7 acres between Walker, Academy, Park and Walnut streets.
The town originally planned to open the park in the summer but announced in early March that it would be delayed until the fall due to rain and other delays.
Visitors will be able to enjoy the large great lawn surrounded by paved walking trails, play spaces, a pavilion for weekend entertainment, and public art incorporated into the landscape.
The town wanted to create a space where residents and visitors could have opportunities to connect and learn together through classes or clubs. A key feature of the park is the array of programs that include art exhibitions, craft classes, performances and concerts, cardio and fitness groups, book clubs and movies.
Other features include:
A tiered water fountain
A grab-and-go market
The Nest — a children’s play space
A dog park
A bar with adult beverages
Game courts
Gardens
A splash pad
“We have remained firmly committed to crafting a community space that will offer a lifetime of memory-making, and while we build it, we will continue to provide you ways to dream about how great this public space will be,” the park’s website says.
Construction began in 2021; the park is scheduled to open this fall but a date has not been set.
Meeting the needs of the neighborhood
The first step toward building a Downtown Cary Park was taken over 20 years ago when town leaders approved the Town Center Area Plan in 2001.
The proposal called for a park as the “visual and cultural focal point for downtown.”
To meet the needs of the growing Cary community with the expansion of businesses and new residents, the town leaders wanted to consider recreation, historic and cultural identity, the design of open spaces, public engagement and sustainability.
Twelve years later, the town approved the Downtown Park Master Plan and the design of the first phase of the park began. It was completed in 2017 with a water fountain, performance space and lawn areas.
Two years later, the Cary Town Council approved the Downtown Cary Park Master Plan that was developed by James Burnett Landscape Architecture firm OJB, who was hired to design the Park.
The architecture firm is based in Houston and has designed projects like Greensboro’s LaBauer Park, which features things like a cafe and food kiosks, a performance lawn, dog park, ping pong and foosball tables and a reading room.
You can find more information about the Downtown Cary Park at downtowncarypark.com or at townofcary.org.
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This story was originally published February 3, 2023 at 6:00 AM with the headline "The Downtown Cary Park is set to open in 2023. Here’s what to know.."
