For the past three years, St. Charles Parks and Recreation has been quietly planning a new park on 110 acres of floodplain on the Missouri River north of the Discovery Bridge. Key uses outlined in the master plan call for a 10-acre BMX/bicycle facility, community gardens with a sun shelter, disc golf course, outdoor education classroom, children’s play area, lighted sports fields for baseball, soccer, and football, plus two revenue-generating facilities fronting a lake—a corporate center with adjacent adventure course and a plaza with a gazebo/bandstand. The plan provides nearly three miles of trails and multiple areas for picnicking and games, plus a Katy Trail trailhead and overlook.

“Since the master plan was completed [in 2011] we’ve been working through the permitting process with the Corps of Engineers and Department of Natural Resources. That took 18 months. We’re now working with the City and FEMA. All of these entities are involved due to the park’s location in the floodway,” said Chris Atkinson, assistant director of St. Charles Parks and Recreation. “We’re getting ready to choose a consultant who will assist with the BMX/mountain bike park. That will be the first phase of the development that we expect to begin construction in the spring of 2015.”