Future Bandera Farms Park
A 115-acre site along Bunch Road, I-73, and Reedy Fork Creek was originally purchased as part of a multi-jurisdictional conservation effort, and the stakeholders are the Piedmont Land Conservancy (PLC), Guilford County, the City of Greensboro, and the towns of Oak Ridge and Summerfield. Afterward, an adjacent 4.8-acre tract was acquired and Summerfield is the owner and steward of the 120-acre site within the town's boundaries.
The developing Bandera Farms Park will be a critical part of the future Piedmont Greenway that’s expected to connect Greensboro and Winston-Salem. The site will be developed as an equestrian-focused trails preserve (about 4.5 miles of dedicated horse trails) with a destination-quality "Adventure Playscape," and each core area will have a separate parking lot. The greenway will parallel the horse trails; initially it will have a natural surface and then later paved when it becomes a fully-developed greenway.
The conceptual park design was handled by Destinations by Design. Following the additional land acquisition, the trailhead areas were reimagined (file link below) from the initial concept. The park project will create additional buffers along Reedy Fork Creek, which supplies Greensboro's drinking water. The acquisition is the first time the four governments have united on a preservation and recreational project. The project highlights the benefits of collaboration in the watershed and is a prime example of a successful One Water initiative.
Funding is in place! Thanks to our partnering jurisdictions and funding agencies, with a special thanks to the Piedmont Land Conservancy (PLC) for their diligence and fruitful efforts.
6/2023 update: To date, this project has been awarded several different grants: $50K from the NC Horse Council, $100K from the Recreational Trails Program (RTP), $500K from the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund (PARTF), $500K from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), and $2.3M from Guilford County!
An RFQ is posted on the town's site to find the right firm to complete the design and engineering plans so the project can advance to construction. The current timeline is for the park to open by September 2025.