Railyard Park

{"version":"0.3.0","atoms":[],"cards":[],"markups":[],"sections":[[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"The railroad that cuts\nthrough downtown Rogers, Arkansas serves as the center of its initial 1880s\nplan and the very reason for the city\u2019s founding. For years, Rogers served as a\nwater stop for locomotives running along the Frisco Line between St. Louis and\nSan Francisco. Railyard Park, which sits at the city\u2019s geographic high point,\nhonors the city\u2019s railroad-focused legacy while spurring economic development\nand authentic placemaking. An active railroad still runs adjacent to the site,\nso it remains interwoven into the city\u2019s fabric, architecture, and future\ngrowth."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Unlike other towns born in\nthe 19th-century railroad era, Rogers lacked a town square. Prior to Railyard\nPark\u2019s completion, the five-acre site included an array of parking lots, ad hoc\nspaces, and a prefabricated auto repair shop that hosted a farmers market. The\nproject, steered through a robust community engagement process, has\nconsolidated and linked new programs in a successful effort to recenter Rogers\u2019\ndowntown area. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"The project kicked off with\nmany workshops and open houses that relied on a series of participatory and\nvisual tools. In addition to in-person programs, the team conducted public\noutreach through an online survey that garnered more than 1,000 responses,\nforming the basis of an analysis of key priorities for the park. The\nsignificant volume of data generated shaped the vision for the park and\ngenerated a sense that community members were a true, and critical, part of the\ndesign process. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"When it arrived, the\noriginal railroad brought with it rapid growth, but it divided the downtown\narea\u2019s east and west sides. The space abutting the railroad became a freight\nyard, leaving no centrally located town green or gathering space. The\noverarching intention of the project was to stitch east and west together\nthrough activated pedestrian spaces. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Parallel to the railroad\ntracks, the new Frisco Plaza includes an all\u00e9e of trees and natural canopies\nthat offer shade and seating options near a wood-decked event space. Inspired\nby the railroad\u2019s original water stop, a splash park features three water\ntowers adorned with the work of international artists. Nearby, the Playard\nincludes play elements in bold colors for children of all ages while the Pump\nBuilding and Restroom Building reflect Rogers\u2019 industrial heritage through\ntheir shipping container construction. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Railyard Park has bolstered\nvisitation to Roger\u2019s downtown since opening in 2021, boosting revenues for the\nsurrounding businesses in turn. The park\u2019s central event stage was an instant\nhit, and an inaugural concert season attracted more than 15,000 people, 60\npercent of whom were local. A subsequent fully booked season followed in 2022.\nFrisco Plaza, which is mile zero for a 37-mile multiuse trail that connects to\nother major northwest Arkansas cities, now serves as host for the weekly\nfarmer\u2019s market and the city\u2019s very popular holiday parade and tree\ncelebration. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"The region\u2019s population has\nmore than doubled in the past 25 years and is expected to do so again by 2040,\nprompting an inevitable series of equitable planning and design challenges.\nRailyard Park is a critical component of a much larger vision for northwest\nArkansas, one of pedestrian-centric activity and significantly enhanced\nconnectivity. To that end, a multimodal regional bus and rail station were\ndeveloped just south of the park, and the city worked to consolidate parking\naround the downtown perimeter to better support the pedestrian center. "]]]]}