Monday’s ceremony was held beside Tuckahoe Creek and the former Tuckahoe Village Recreation Association property, which will serve as a trailhead. (Jonathan Spiers photo)
Plans for more boardwalks along Henrico’s western border are moving forward with a recent land donation from a longtime area real estate firm that’s previously contributed to the cause.
A ceremony Monday at the site of the former Tuckahoe Village Recreation Association property marked the start of the next phase of Tuckahoe Creek Park, which the county plans to enhance with additional boardwalks and trails that would complement – but not connect to – the existing boardwalk at Old Coach Lane and the western terminus of Ridgefield Parkway.
A new boardwalk that could stretch over 2 linear miles is planned to start at the former rec association property at 1128 Westbriar Drive, which is one of four parcels totaling about 21 acres that were recently donated by The Wilton Cos.
The former Tuckahoe Village Recreation Association property, where a fire occurred in 2021. (Henrico County photo)
The trailhead will be named Wilton Landing in honor of the company, which manages the nearby Tuckahoe Village Shopping Center and previously donated 240 acres along Tuckahoe Creek in the early 1980s.
The boardwalk would provide greater access to the creek for birdwatching and kayaking. It also would include signage highlighting the creek’s history and use as a canal for transporting coal from nearby mines to area railways.
With the additional four parcels, as well as a 9-acre donation by the nearby Lakewood retirement community, Henrico is aiming to finalize designs for the boardwalk with feedback from the community. A meeting is scheduled this Thursday at Lakewood to present the park’s master plan, which the county developed with engineering firm VHB.
A project map shows the new boardwalk would extend westward from the Wilton Landing trailhead, where the old swimming pool would be replaced with a shelter and elevated deck and the tennis courts would be used to provide additional parking.
A map of the project shows the boardwalk’s route and planned amenities. (Images courtesy Henrico County)
The boardwalk would lead to an overlook, fishing pier and kayak/paddle launch across the marshland from Patterson Avenue. It would then extend to a second overlook, where a private trail would connect Lakewood to the boardwalk.
A third overlook near the terminus of Westshire Lane would bend the boardwalk northward to connect with the Tuckahoe Village West Recreation Association and Lauderdale Drive.
The new boardwalk would add to the roughly half-mile boardwalk at Old Coach and Ridgefield that the county completed several years ago. A third section is planned beside the GreenGate development off West Broad Street via a 21-acre donation from developer Markel | Eagle.
The route of the planned boardwalk beside GreenGate off West Broad Street.
The additional sections are to be funded with $10 million that voters approved in county bond referendums in 2016 and 2022. Pending completion of the community input process, the Wilton Landing portion could start construction by this time next year and finish in 12 months, Henrico Rec & Parks Director John Zannino said.
Wilton’s donation comes three years after a fire in late 2021 destroyed the clubhouse at Tuckahoe Village Recreation Association, which officials said had become less active in recent years. Wilton acquired the property in late 2022 and approached the county about donating it and the three other parcels that connect previously donated land on both sides of Patterson.
Rich Johnson, Wilton’s CEO, said the recent donation made sense in light of challenges with building anything new on the site, which is low-lying and adjacent to marshland.
Rich Johnson
“When the fire happened, we demoed everything but we saved all the impervious surfaces with the idea that that would work for the county,” Johnson said, referring to the tennis courts, pool and existing parking that he said would be difficult to provide otherwise.
Aware that Henrico had been planning for years for a linear park that theoretically would run from Patterson to Broad, Johnson added, “It was just a natural idea to put something together with the county to supplement what we’ve already seen them doing from Broad Street all the way down to here. This puts an access point to Patterson Avenue.”
While a contiguous Patterson-to-Broad boardwalk has been deemed unfeasible due to encroachments on existing homes, Johnson said the additional amenities would benefit the community, and Wilton, which also leases and manages the adjacent Tuckahoe Village Merchants retail strip in addition to the shopping center.
“If people coming by here to enjoy this park happen to stop over at one of the adjoining shopping centers, that’s great. If it helps those merchants in there, that’s fantastic,” Johnson said, noting it also frees up Wilton from liability insurance it had been paying on the property.
“Henrico’s our home, and this is property that we’re not going to develop. Rather than just holding onto it and having no practical good come from it, we can donate to the county and let the residents enjoy it,” he said.
The boardwalk would extend across Tuckahoe Creek from the former rec association property, visible at right.
During Monday’s ceremony, county officials said Wilton’s donation is making the boardwalk project possible. Henrico Supervisor Jody Rogish, who represents the Tuckahoe District that includes Tuckahoe Creek, said the 260 acres that Wilton has donated over decades is the largest for recreational use in Henrico’s history.
“This generous gift of land will allow the county to make Tuckahoe Creek an even better place for Henrico residents to enjoy all that we have to offer,” Rogish said. “These collaborations exemplify what can happen when an 80-year-old business in Henrico County, The Wilton Companies, can come together with government and residents to make our county a better place to live, work and play.”
Thursday’s meeting to present the park master plan and receive feedback is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at Lakewood’s Simms Center at 1900 Lauderdale Drive. More information about Tuckahoe Creek Park is available on Henrico’s website.
Monday’s ceremony was held beside Tuckahoe Creek and the former Tuckahoe Village Recreation Association property, which will serve as a trailhead. (Jonathan Spiers photo)
Plans for more boardwalks along Henrico’s western border are moving forward with a recent land donation from a longtime area real estate firm that’s previously contributed to the cause.
A ceremony Monday at the site of the former Tuckahoe Village Recreation Association property marked the start of the next phase of Tuckahoe Creek Park, which the county plans to enhance with additional boardwalks and trails that would complement – but not connect to – the existing boardwalk at Old Coach Lane and the western terminus of Ridgefield Parkway.
A new boardwalk that could stretch over 2 linear miles is planned to start at the former rec association property at 1128 Westbriar Drive, which is one of four parcels totaling about 21 acres that were recently donated by The Wilton Cos.
The former Tuckahoe Village Recreation Association property, where a fire occurred in 2021. (Henrico County photo)
The trailhead will be named Wilton Landing in honor of the company, which manages the nearby Tuckahoe Village Shopping Center and previously donated 240 acres along Tuckahoe Creek in the early 1980s.
The boardwalk would provide greater access to the creek for birdwatching and kayaking. It also would include signage highlighting the creek’s history and use as a canal for transporting coal from nearby mines to area railways.
With the additional four parcels, as well as a 9-acre donation by the nearby Lakewood retirement community, Henrico is aiming to finalize designs for the boardwalk with feedback from the community. A meeting is scheduled this Thursday at Lakewood to present the park’s master plan, which the county developed with engineering firm VHB.
A project map shows the new boardwalk would extend westward from the Wilton Landing trailhead, where the old swimming pool would be replaced with a shelter and elevated deck and the tennis courts would be used to provide additional parking.
A map of the project shows the boardwalk’s route and planned amenities. (Images courtesy Henrico County)
The boardwalk would lead to an overlook, fishing pier and kayak/paddle launch across the marshland from Patterson Avenue. It would then extend to a second overlook, where a private trail would connect Lakewood to the boardwalk.
A third overlook near the terminus of Westshire Lane would bend the boardwalk northward to connect with the Tuckahoe Village West Recreation Association and Lauderdale Drive.
The new boardwalk would add to the roughly half-mile boardwalk at Old Coach and Ridgefield that the county completed several years ago. A third section is planned beside the GreenGate development off West Broad Street via a 21-acre donation from developer Markel | Eagle.
The route of the planned boardwalk beside GreenGate off West Broad Street.
The additional sections are to be funded with $10 million that voters approved in county bond referendums in 2016 and 2022. Pending completion of the community input process, the Wilton Landing portion could start construction by this time next year and finish in 12 months, Henrico Rec & Parks Director John Zannino said.
Wilton’s donation comes three years after a fire in late 2021 destroyed the clubhouse at Tuckahoe Village Recreation Association, which officials said had become less active in recent years. Wilton acquired the property in late 2022 and approached the county about donating it and the three other parcels that connect previously donated land on both sides of Patterson.
Rich Johnson, Wilton’s CEO, said the recent donation made sense in light of challenges with building anything new on the site, which is low-lying and adjacent to marshland.
Rich Johnson
“When the fire happened, we demoed everything but we saved all the impervious surfaces with the idea that that would work for the county,” Johnson said, referring to the tennis courts, pool and existing parking that he said would be difficult to provide otherwise.
Aware that Henrico had been planning for years for a linear park that theoretically would run from Patterson to Broad, Johnson added, “It was just a natural idea to put something together with the county to supplement what we’ve already seen them doing from Broad Street all the way down to here. This puts an access point to Patterson Avenue.”
While a contiguous Patterson-to-Broad boardwalk has been deemed unfeasible due to encroachments on existing homes, Johnson said the additional amenities would benefit the community, and Wilton, which also leases and manages the adjacent Tuckahoe Village Merchants retail strip in addition to the shopping center.
“If people coming by here to enjoy this park happen to stop over at one of the adjoining shopping centers, that’s great. If it helps those merchants in there, that’s fantastic,” Johnson said, noting it also frees up Wilton from liability insurance it had been paying on the property.
“Henrico’s our home, and this is property that we’re not going to develop. Rather than just holding onto it and having no practical good come from it, we can donate to the county and let the residents enjoy it,” he said.
The boardwalk would extend across Tuckahoe Creek from the former rec association property, visible at right.
During Monday’s ceremony, county officials said Wilton’s donation is making the boardwalk project possible. Henrico Supervisor Jody Rogish, who represents the Tuckahoe District that includes Tuckahoe Creek, said the 260 acres that Wilton has donated over decades is the largest for recreational use in Henrico’s history.
“This generous gift of land will allow the county to make Tuckahoe Creek an even better place for Henrico residents to enjoy all that we have to offer,” Rogish said. “These collaborations exemplify what can happen when an 80-year-old business in Henrico County, The Wilton Companies, can come together with government and residents to make our county a better place to live, work and play.”
Thursday’s meeting to present the park master plan and receive feedback is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at Lakewood’s Simms Center at 1900 Lauderdale Drive. More information about Tuckahoe Creek Park is available on Henrico’s website.
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Great addition to that part of the county.
This is a great project, and a fine example of public/private partnership working together to make things happen. Kudos to Wilton for its vision and sense of community!
This will be fun to see in person. I do have a canal history book that shows there are coal mine tunnels under this swamp that are filled with water. And there might even be a stone canal lock somewhere in this area and a lot of railroad beds.
Very interesting! What is the title of the book?
This is wonderful. Thank you to the Wiltons.