New Orleans City Park wants to add nature play area, "grand" water feature

• The water feature is meant to be a "grand entrance" to the park near Dreyfous and Marconi drives.
• It will be on the site of the former pool that closed in the 1950s rather than integrating.
• "This feels to us like an opportunity to welcome everyone in the community back to enjoy water in the park," Dietz says.
• The specifics will be worked out in the design phase, Dietz says, and the timeline will depend on funding.

Zoom in: The ideas came from a series of community meetings with hundreds of attendees.

• The plan also includes elevated overlooks (hills!), fields with native plants and walking trails, Dietz says.
• Plus, there are new boathouses and sports fields, along with better access to the islands and lagoons.
• Restrooms, water fountains, parking, shade, trashcans, way-finding signs and other "givens" will be priorities throughout the park too, she says.

What she says: The plan will be "somewhat transformational without changing the backbone of City Park, which is already so special to so many people," Dietz says.

Zoom out: Residents will be able to weigh in Wednesday at two public meetings at the Pavilion of the Two Sisters in City Park.

• The meetings are at 11:30am and 6pm. The same information will be presented at both. RSVP.

Catch up quick: The City Park Conservancy, the nonprofit that began managing the park in the 2022, is creating a roadmap for the next 20 to 25 years.

• The last plan, which was approved after Hurricane Katrina's devastation in 2005, focused on the southern half of the 1,300-acre park.
• This one focuses on the northern half: Couturie Forest, the former golf courses, the lagoons and the acreage on the lakeside of Interstate 610.

• The process started in 2023 and was expected to finish last year.

Yes, but: The planning was put on hold after pushback over the future of Grow Dat Youth Farm.

• Grow Dat and the park eventually reached a long-term agreement, and the park scrapped plans to relocate the youth farm to make room for a new road.
• City Park then rebooted its planning process with more voices involved, including Grow Dat staffers and a youth committee.

By the numbers: The plan will cost millions to implement.

• Dietz said the park will pursue federal money when available, but will rely heavily on grant money from private foundations and donors.
• The funding will guide the timeline and which elements are prioritized, she said.

What's next: The two boards that govern the park will vote on the plan at their August meetings.

Go deeper

• More about the master planning process

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to say the City Park pool closed in the 1950s (not the 1960s).