Holland leadership has listened to resident feedback and announced the city’s skate park will remain in place amid plans to construct a new recreation center.
Matt Van Dyken, assistant city manager, made the announcement during a planning commission meeting June 9, when the recreation center project received site plan and special land use approvals.
Previously, the city planned to move the skate park and rebuild on open space closer to 16th Street. After residents voiced frustration with that plan, Van Dyken said the city adjusted.
The project includes an 83,000-square-foot building off 16th Street on Fairbanks Avenue, near Hope College’s Ray and Sue Smith Stadium. The development will include four full-sized basketball courts that can also be used for volleyball, soccer and pickleball; spectator seating; and multi-use spaces for recreational programming like dance, ukulele, ballet and acting classes.
Van Dyken reiterated the need for the new center, citing how currently, the city’s recreation programs operate across 13 different gym spaces. The new center will house them all under one roof.
The project last appeared before local leaders in May, when officials approved a “notice of intent” to issue up to $22 million in bonds. The effort would gather the funds necessary to cover an estimated price tag of $26 million. The municipality has already received significant support in the form of a $5 million donation from the Heeringa Estate.
The project also includes pedestrian access improvements, including an improved crossing at 16th Street and Fairbanks Avenue and crosswalk markings at 13th Street and 14th Street.
An agenda packet for the meeting included a letter from Hope College, supporting plans for a coordinated approach to scheduling events and shared parking.
— Contact reporter Austin Metz at ametz@hollandsentinel.com.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Change in plans keeps skate park near Holland’s new recreation center
Reporting by Austin Metz, Holland Sentinel / The Holland Sentinel
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By Austin Metz, Holland Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
