The Alliance launched The Community Green Access (CGA) grant in 2024 to offer financial and technical support to five local groups seeking to connect their community members to nature. In addition to supporting their projects, we offered resources, networking, peer learning, and technical skills training. Organizations leveraged these tools to make the biggest impact in their local project, ultimately leading to sustained environmental stewardship in places of greatest need across the watershed. With over 52 years of experience cultivating community partnerships, the Alliance was excited to apply our knowledge and administer results-oriented grants to support local groups and build organizational capacity where it is needed most.

The Swansboro West Civic Association represents the residents in the City of Richmond between Midlothian Turnpike and Hull Street from Broad Rock Road to just before Belt Blvd. They are home to more than 2,300 residents, with one in three households having children. The Swansboro West community does not have a park or public green space within its boundaries. The Swansboro Elementary School has available space to accommodate a park, but currently offers only a small, aging playground, vast open space with little landscaping or shade, and is fenced off, making it uninviting to neighbors.

Through the Community Green Access grant, Swansboro West Civic Association engaged the community in a visioning process to design a park space that meets the needs of the community, as well as the elementary school. The community has a significant older population that has expressed interest in a fitness path and a community garden where they can work with the kids. Other residents seek a place simply to gather as a community. This project organized the community’s thoughts and desires into a comprehensive vision that can be used as a focal point to acquire funding and support to build the park.

a large lawned area with a small playground in the background

The small, aging playground and part of the vast open space available at Swansboro Elementary School.

an aerial view of the elementary school grounds

A three-dimensional model of the grounds at Swansboro Elementary School.

four people laugh while talking to each other

Swansboro West Civic Association hosts the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay to share the current opportunity at Swansboro Elementary School.

a person speaks to a group of people under a large canopy

Community members show up to offer feedback on the first draft of Swansboro Elementary School’s park master plan.

a group of people look at posters with park plan information and photos on them

Swansboro West Civic Association gathers with the community at Swansboro Elementary School to gather feedback on the first draft of park master plans created in response to their collaborative visioning process. Swansboro community members have the opportunity to review the park master plan draft and provide feedback.

a person adds a sticky note to a poster

A community member offers feedback on the park’s master plan draft.

Draft concept plan: option 1

An engagement exercise to receive feedback on one of two master plan options

Park Master Plan

Final park master plan created by the Timmons Group.

Learn more below.

This project formed a seven-person steering committee that helped lead the new master plan efforts. They surveyed and received responses from 103 community members, and hosted six community visioning sessions. This led the Swansboro West Civic Association to find a structured, guided process for building a vision, and completing its master plan.

They are hopeful that with their master plan, they can begin phase two, which will include securing additional funding to bring their project vision to fruition!

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