City of Rockford
Garden Club Park Master Plan
Kent County, Michigan
Garden Club Park is Rockford’s most visible and well-used park facility. Williams & Works provided planning and design services to help develop a clear community based vision with the creation the Garden Club Park Master Plan.
Williams & Works led a creative public engagement campaign utilizing our “pop up” style outreach techniques to seamlessly integrate our planning efforts into local, well attended events. Two preliminary plans were developed to reflect the feedback collected thus far and were reviewed during an open house meeting and community comment period.
The conceptual design for Garden Club Park’s Master Plan brings unity to the City’s iconic waterfront civic spaces. Building off of the elements of neighboring Peppler Park, a modern twist on the English garden aesthetic can be found in the architectural elements, radial shapes, accent paving, and traditional planting areas. Much of this design enhances existing space and enables the park to continue its function as a versatile hub of community events and a central gathering spot for Rockford citizens. An conversion of park land from parking opens up a large portion of the park, accommodating space for an ice-skating rink and garden plaza that creates a grand entrance to this well-loved civic space.
In 2020, the Garden Club Park and Memorial Park Master Plan was awarded a Excellence in Urban Design award from the Michigan Association of Planning.
