Introduction by Gary Nager
Story by Joel Provenzano
The City of Tampa has now given local residents their first real opportunity to provide input as to what facilities they would like to see included in the 56-acre city park in K-Bar Ranch that is now in its design phase.
Only about 50 local residents attended the city’s first public input meeting at the Cross Creek Recreation Center on Oct. 15. At our press time, however, a total of close to 300 people had submitted their input surveys by the Oct. 23 deadline announced by the city at the Oct. 15 meeting in this initial public input opportunity to help influence the park’s design.
But, according to Janelle McGregor, the city’s director of community engagement and partnerships, the design process is far from over.
“RVi (the Texas-based landscape planning company hired by the city) is now putting together and analyzing all of the date we’ve received,” McGregor says. “And, within 30-45 days, we will schedule a second public meeting where the initial design concepts — based in part on the most popular facilities and amenities requested in those 290+ surveys (as well as contractor Skanska USA and RVi’s own input into what will ‘work’ the best in the available space), will be presented. The public will then have another opportunity, beginning at that meeting, to give input regarding RVi’s preliminary design concepts for the park.”
As you travel south from K-Bar Ranch Pkwy., along Paddock View Dr. and through the roundabout at Mistflower Ln., you eventually come to a dead end at a wide-open space.
There’s no sign yet to tell you what’s coming there — no rendering, no builder’s name, nothing. Just six red markers delineating the end of the pavement.
What lies beyond the road is stunning: a beautiful, sprawling, pristine meadow. About 56.4 acres of it, to be exact.
Some nearby residents may have assumed that, since the land was so nice and flat, Paddock View Dr. would eventually dead-end into another phase of K-Bar Ranch’s many residential rooftops. After all, there’s enough room here for approximately 150 new homes.
But, that assumption would be wrong.
The meadow is owned by the City of Tampa, and it’s planned to become its next big city park. The land was part of the 2,500-acre K-Bar cattle ranch and was dedicated to the city in December 2016 as part of K-Bar’s development agreement.
Now, nearly a decade later, the city is making good on its promise to provide a public park for the entire New Tampa community.
If all goes according to plan, K-Bar Ranch Park (working title) could become the City of Tampa’s fourth-largest public park and one of the largest in New Tampa.
To put the size of the future park into perspective for nearby residents:
• Planned K-Bar Ranch Park (City of Tampa): 56.4 acres
• Branchton Park (Hillsborough County): 43.5 acres
• Cross Creek Recreation Center (Hillsborough County): 12.5 acres
• Eber Park (Hillsborough County): 10 acres
That’s right: it will be a huge public city park, about half the size of Al Lopez Park (located north of Raymond James Stadium), tucked between the residential neighborhoods of K-Bar Ranch.
That might sound a little strange, but when you see the property in person, it makes complete sense.
It’s gorgeous. Bordered by a roughly seven-acre lake to the north, cypress conservation land to the east and oak hammocks along the other sides, it really is the perfect setting for a park.
The City of Tampa has an amazing opportunity here. A talented landscape architect could really have a field day (pun intended) tying the park into its natural surroundings.
And, the city has already started improving the property prior to any park facilities, as it planted about 6,800 mostly pine saplings last December and another 3,500 oak saplings last month on the former borrow pit that will surely grow to give the park’s southern edge a more beautiful look when those saplings reach full maturity in a few years.
Not Just For K-Bar Ranch Residents
First, an important distinction: Although it’s being referred to as “K-Bar Ranch Park,” the name reflects its location. The park is not a private amenity for the K-Bar Ranch neighborhood. The City of Tampa will operate and maintain the park, making it open to the general public, rather than exclusively available to K-Bar residents.
In fact, thanks to the recent Meadow Pointe Blvd. extension to K-Bar Ranch Pkwy., the park also will be only minutes away from many Wesley Chapel residents.
And, the name itself isn’t necessarily permanent, either. K-Bar Ranch Park, sometimes shortened to K-Bar Park, is currently a working project name being used during the design and planning phases.
The city has selected a design-build approach for the project, with Skanska USA Building leading the effort. The company has been involved in several notable Tampa Bay-area park projects, including Coachman Park in Clearwater, the iconic St. Pete Pier, and Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park in downtown Tampa.
The city has also made it clear that preserving the area’s natural character is indeed part of the vision for the park.
In its project announcement, Tampa described the proposed park as an opportunity to provide both active and passive recreation while preserving the area’s natural beauty.
District 7 Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera, who fought hard to include funding for the park in the city’s budget, says, “The 56-acre K-Bar Ranch Park site will be a generational gem in New Tampa.”
That’s a big promise, but the property certainly provides a compelling canvas on which to paint that future gem.
And unlike a project where a developer arrives with a predetermined collection of amenities, this one is beginning with a community conversation about what the park should actually become.
Residents Have Their First Say
As we’ve reminded readers on our Facebook page, the City of Tampa launched a survey (which closed on Oct. 23rd) inviting residents to weigh in on what they’d like to see at the new park.
Suggestions ranged from traditional playgrounds and trails to a dog park, cricket facilities and even a splash pad.
To kick off that public participation process, Councilman Viera, Tampa Parks & Recreation director Ted Fowler and members of the Skanska USA Building and RVi landscape project teams hosted an evening community meeting on Oct. 15 at the Cross Creek Recreation Center.
The meeting was an important first step, but it wasn’t a presentation of a finished park design. In fact, the design work had not yet begun.
Instead, the city and its design-build team wanted to hear from residents before deciding which amenities should make the cut.
Most of the 50 or so people in attendance submitted survey responses. Attendees could participate by scanning a QR code or visiting a website, with volunteers available to help.
The survey asked residents about their park habits, the amenities they value, and the features they’d most like to see incorporated into the new property. The results offered an early glimpse of what the community might want from its beautiful new backyard.
Trails, Nature & Room To Breathe
One of the clearest themes was a desire to get outdoors. Meeting attendees cited socializing, enjoying nature, taking children to playgrounds, walking dogs, bird watching and other outdoor activities as reasons they visit parks.
Nearby nature preserves and parks with playgrounds and sports facilities were among the destinations already popular with attendees.
Having a proper cricket pitch also was a proposal that came up during the meeting. Many of the people who first prodded Viera to get the park built going back almost all ten years he’s been in office (including back in 2024 when the park concept discussion was in its infancy) felt that a cricket pitch would serve New Tampa’s large Indian population well and would be a unique facility in Tampa’s city park system. Local resident Nagesh Nayak, who first pitched a cricket pitch to Viera almost a decade ago, and other cricket advocates were among those at the Oct. 15 meeting.
Survey participants also requested other recreation opportunities, scenery and practical amenities, such as picnic shelters and restrooms.
One particularly interesting concern was the desire for quiet and less-crowded spaces. In a rapidly developing area where traffic and road noise can be difficult to escape, some in attendance said they wanted somewhere to enjoy the outdoors without feeling surrounded by the usual hustle and bustle.
Trails received the strongest response when attendees were asked what they’d most like to see at the park. Other suggestions included accessible playground equipment, shade, community gathering spaces and additional recreational amenities.
The design-build team also used visual exercises to gauge preferences for playground designs, trails, picnic areas and natural spaces, saying that the responses will help inform the initial concepts, although no final combination of features has been selected.
Parking, Lighting & Other Concerns
Residents in attendance also raised practical questions about how the park would affect surrounding neighborhoods.
Parking and traffic were among the main concerns, particularly the possibility of visitors parking on K-Bar’s residential streets during busy events. The project team said on-site parking would be provided and that the property could accommodate event parking, with the final arrangement to be determined during the park’s design.
As for lighting, the team said it would be coordinated with the city, with safety and accessibility balanced against limiting light spill into nearby homes. “Downlighting” (aimed down, instead of outwards) was discussed as one possible approach.
The city’s original project criteria called for Paddock View Dr. to provide the primary vehicular entrance, with secondary access from Mistflower Ln. intended mainly for maintenance and emergency vehicles. Whether that secondary entrance will also accommodate pedestrians remains another design question.
The team also indicated that the Tampa Police Department would be involved during the design phase to assess potential safety concerns, including blind spots. Park hours will ultimately be determined by the city, with sunrise to sunset discussed as the anticipated operating window. These details may not be as exciting as new playgrounds or trails, but they’re important to creating a park that works for visitors and neighbors alike.
The Budget & The Big Picture
The city’s original Request for Qualifications (RFQ), issued in August 2025, provides useful context for understanding how the park will take shape. The document outlines a design-build project covering public participation, conceptual planning, engineering, permitting and construction.
It identifies expected features including multipurpose athletic fields, a playground, picnic facilities, trails, restrooms and parking, along with measures to preserve existing trees and enhance natural areas.
These are the city’s anticipated project components, not a guarantee that every feature will appear in the finished park. The final design must balance community feedback, site conditions, maintenance requirements and the city’s priorities.
The RFQ identifies a total project budget of $8.25 million, subject to verification during design and preconstruction. It also separately lists $7.5 million for the park’s construction, with $750,000 for the now-ongoing design services.
That budget also will play a significant role in determining which amenities ultimately make the cut. Athletic fields, lighting, restrooms, parking, landscaping and utilities all carry costs beyond their initial construction, while proposed improvements to natural areas must also be evaluated.
The RFQ directs the design-build team to develop at least three initial design concepts that reflect public input, city priorities and the available budget. The team must then refine the selected concept and adjust the design as necessary to meet cost requirements.
The initial document also establishes a project duration of no more than 42 months, although a start date had not yet been determined at that time. This is a maximum project-duration requirement, not a confirmed opening date.
In short, the city has a substantial piece of land and plenty of ideas to consider, but the challenge will be delivering the best possible park within the available funding.
What’s Next?
The city, RVi and Skanska are reviewing the survey responses and working with Tampa’s Parks & Recreation Dept. to begin developing conceptual plans. A second community meeting within the next 30-45 days is expected to give residents an opportunity to review those concepts and offer additional feedback before the project moves further into design, permitting and construction.
Residents should watch the city’s project webpage (see below) for updates and information about future opportunities to participate.
For now, the meadow at the end of Paddock View Dr. remains a wide-open space, and the community is being provided with its chance to help shape what comes next. The opportunity isn’t simply to add another park to a growing part of Tampa; it’s to create a public space that serves the community while preserving the natural character that makes this property so special.
McGeregor said the city expects the design process to be completed by late summer 2027, but without knowing what facilities will be included in the design, “we can’t speculate yet as to when the park’s construction will be completed.”
For more information about the K-Bar Ranch Park, visit Tampa.gov/k-barpark.