RICHMOND, Va. -- Chef Pescado has been in the Richmond food truck game for 8 years. Several years ago, the food truck hub where his business is based moved to Mayo Island.
The city of Richmond finalized the island's purchase earlier in the year and hosted an event Thursday morning to begin the public engagement process on what will be a public park for Richmonders and visitors to enjoy.
Chef Pescado said even if the new park impacts his business operations, he is excited to see what the park will mean for the city, especially since he saw Mayo Island as mostly a pass-through when he was growing up in Northside.
"I never really paid attention to it because it was a nice place to connect. Then once I got down here, I never knew it was just beautiful because I never walked the paths before," the chef said. "I think it’s a beautiful idea. If we got to move, we got to move. This is what the city needs right in the heart of the city. It’s going to be nice. Kids, family, picnics, kayaks, and everything."
You can learn more about Chef Pescado's offerings on his social channels.
Mayo Island was privately owned for decades, and the city purchased the property for nearly $15 millionin partnership with the Capital Region Land Conservancy, which initially secured the property rights to a majority of the island.
Around $9 million in funding came from state grants related to outdoor recreation and floodplain resilience, according to officials.
Currently, approximately seven acres of the 16-acre island consists of paved parking lots, and the initial design concepts call for removing most of the pavement to re-establish the natural beauty and habitat on it.
"The green jewel of Richmond is now owned by the people of Richmond," said Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney.
"By purchasing this island, protecting it from future development, and restoring it to a natural state by converting acres of pavement into parkland, wetlands, and forested buffers, the city will be taking important steps to increase its flood resilience," said Matt Wells, director of the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation.
Turning Mayo Island into public space — complete with green community space and multiple river access points — is the latest example of the city of Richmond leaning into its riverfront plan, said Richmond Parks and Recreation Director Chris Frelke.
"What’s really special about Richmond is our central park is a river," Frelke said. “It’ll make it so accessible for all our residents to be able to come to a park, easily navigate the park, and get to the river. We are thrilled about this day.”
Richmond's Chief Administrative Officer Lincoln Saunders was credited with negotiating the final deal alongside leaders of the Capital Region Land Conservancy.
While there were plenty of moments where it seemed the purchase would fall through, Saunders said the city is thrilled the ultimate goal will soon be realized, and Mayo Island will become a destination for family memories.
“My daughter celebrated her fourth birthday this week. I can’t wait until the day we can come have a picnic on the water, we can go fishing, we can hop in a kayak. This is going to be a site families in Richmond enjoy for generations," Saunders said.
Parks and Rec officials said the public engagement process for the project begins in October.
The city wants to hear from residents about the design of the park before finalizing any schematic plans, officials said.
At this time, dates and times for those meetings are not available. We will post that information in this story when details are provided.
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