Congratulations to Rhodeside Harwell on their Honor award in the Analysis, Planning, and Urban Design category for the Taylor Farm Park Master Plan in Sandston, Virginia.

The Pandemic underscored how critical our parks are to our communities and our well-being. The opportunity to plan a new 100-acre park is as rare as it is significant in an area with few parks, and the people of Sandston, Virginia, were
ready to be active participants in the planning process when the current landowners sold the undeveloped property to the county.

The heavily wooded property includes water and wetlands, providing beauty and development limitations. The site’s history spans to the civil war, including a long and storied legacy as a working farm. In recognizing the need to establish a regional park at the site, the surrounding neighborhoods saw both opportunity and concerns. The team worked closely with area residents to craft a plan that will introduce land-compatible uses that celebrate the ecological beauty of the park while providing a signature amenity. Throughout the planning process, the design team carefully balanced the ecological imperatives with site history, community needs, and neighborhood concerns.

Based on the initial site analysis and community engagement, the design consensus was to divide the 100-acre park into three thematic zones: neighborhood, nature-based play, and active recreation.

The jurors appreciated the project’s commitment to preserve the existing woodland. Noting how the perspective renderings gave a great sense of the space, one juror exclaimed, “I want to go there!”