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Almost 100 acres in the heart of Lafayette, once part of the University campus, are on their way to becoming a world-class park.

The tract, which fronts Johnston Street between Doucet and South College Roads, is already a gathering spot. Every Saturday morning, local farmers and artisans set up tents beneath a canopy of oaks. There’s usually a Cajun jam happening, too. The Artisans’ Market draws about 4,000 visitors each week.

Lafayette Consolidated Government purchased the property from the University of �޻���ֱ�� at Lafayette in 2012. A nonprofit organization, Lafayette Central Park Inc., was created to plan, design, build and operate the park.

LCG council members unanimously approved a master plan for its development in June.

“The focus of the park will be to preserve the feeling of being out in nature,” said Elizabeth “EB” Brooks, director of planning and design for Lafayette Central Park Inc. A University alumna, she earned a bachelor’s degree in renewable resources in 2006. She also holds a master’s degree in urban planning from the University of Texas at Austin.

Design Workshop, the Austin firm that developed the plan, sought public input. More than 7,400 citizens responded, telling designers what they wanted — and did not want — for the new park. Organizers held more than 30 public meetings and also conducted an online survey.

“People made it very clear that they didn’t want the park to be overdeveloped,” said Brooks in a recent interview. “They want Lafayette to have an accessible, public green space that everyone can enjoy.”

The development plan calls for the creation of a passive park with gardens, hiking trails, picnic areas and green spaces, but no fields for organized sports.

Brooks said the scope and pace of construction will depend upon fundraising. The nonprofit organization may launch a public campaign as early as this fall. The total cost of the project is estimated at about $50 million. However, additional money will be needed for operations and maintenance.

The first phase of construction will likely include a 2.5-kilometer, hard-surface track for pedestrians and bicyclists, and a pavilion for the Artisans’ Market.

Plans are also in place to build a paddock for police horses on site, as well as an educational center for equestrian officers. They frequently use their police horses for demonstrations to elementary and middle school students. Housing the horses on site would make public outreach easier and more effective.

Those plans are also a nod to the property’s common name in Acadiana: the Horse Farm. The University had owned the property since 1920, where it operated a model dairy farm. In the 1970s, cattle were relocated on University property in nearby St. Martin Parish and the land became a horse training site.

“We haven’t determined just what the park will be called,” Brooks explained. “From the beginning, we’ve wanted it to be the community’s park. So, as far as a name goes, everything is still on the table.”

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