Further along down the trail, a perhaps unlikely space also received an update.
Yesterday, residents and city officials gathered in South Yard, a residential and commercial development off Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard managed by Specialized Real Estate Group. They were there to celebrate the area's newest addition, a pocket park adjacent to the Razorback Greenway.
Specialized Real Estate CEO Jeremy Hudson kicked off the event with a public address.
“So South Yard Park is obviously kind of the culmination of the South Yard development, which has now, I don't know, six or seven years that we've been working on this. And it was originally envisioned as a neighborhood center that we felt like South Fayetteville really needed and deserved. And South Fayetteville is such an amazing neighborhood, but didn't have a place that folks could gather that we thought would be great.
“And we've taken what used to be a very underutilized industrial site and green space. And now there's, I think, eight businesses, a hotel, and 128 new homes here. And now with the dedication of the park, we think this is a really meaningful green space that helps to connect the Ramble and Walker Park and leads to the overall connectedness and health of this part of town.”
The pocket park now includes picnic tables, a specially commemorated bench, and a boardwalk that leads down to a wooden platform overlooking Tanglewood Branch Creek.
However, this green space wasn't always so welcoming. It was previously land adjacent to a railroad depot, and after that, a hot spot for litter. Hudson says the entire South Yard development has taken different forms throughout the years.
“Recent history, that was really just retail. But prior to that, you know, this is where the railroad would drop off raw ingredients. Those raw ingredients were mixed into feed for the agriculture, primarily the poultry and beef industries. And then farmers would come from all over the region, pick that feed up, and take it to their farms.
“Obviously, this location becomes somewhat obsolete for that use over time. And so it was really just kind of sitting here underutilized and underdeveloped until we purchased it in 2019.
“The park itself was never really an industrial site. It was really just, you know, it was on this side of the creek. It was really just overgrown, an unkept green space. Obviously, there were some debris and pollution in the creek and everything and a lot of invasive species, which we have since removed and continue to remove.
“But yeah, I mean, that's the story of not just the park space but South Yard overall, as we took what was once heavily utilized but, for the last couple of decades, pretty underutilized industrial space, and brought homes and restaurants and businesses to it.”
South Yard Park came about through a joint effort between the city and property owners. Fayetteville Parks Director Allison Jumper says this is a good example of that type of partnership.
“Because it got the park constructed and available for public use, probably well before what we could have done on our own. So it was great to work with them. They were very collaborative. Our staff got to be fully involved in all the design work and the approvals. So it was a really great partnership.”
And she says South Yard Park is just one step toward reinventing outdoor recreation in South Fayetteville.
“One of the goals and priorities coming out of our 2023 Park System Master Plan was to take more advantage of our trail corridors and develop them more into linear parks, providing more places for people to recreate, especially near water. So this fits right into our master plan.”
Folks in the crowd yesterday could already see the potential in the small park.
“Can't you see this little quartet or trio playing guitar down there? And just people on the other side of the bank? Cute little acoustic stuff. Sing-alongs.”
The pocket park is now open along the Razorback Greenway in South Fayetteville.
