Greensboro neighbors push back on Fisher Park gathering space plan

The first phase of Fisher Park’s master plan is set to begin in summer 2026, bringing a bluestone patio, seating wall, four seasons garden, improved pathways and a sculpture to Park Proper West through a public-private partnership with the Contemporary Foundation.

Residents noticed signs marking trees slated for removal and raised alarms over what they saw as a change to the park’s wooded, secluded feel. Suzie Wright responded with a petition asking the city to pause the project, and she said more than 60 people signed it because they wanted more conversation before trees came down or the park’s natural character shifted.

The plan has already been adjusted. Erin Kennedy, Greensboro Parks and Recreation’s planning and projects coordinator, said the city worked with the donor and designers over the past month to revise the design, cut the patio size by 33% and save five trees that had been slated for removal. The project has cleared the city’s Historic Preservation Commission and internal review, but officials are still gathering neighborhood feedback before deciding what happens next.

Fisher Park is a 12-acre neighborhood park with a stream, surrounded by woods and threaded by about 1.2 miles of natural walking trails. It is one of the city’s three locally designated historic districts, so exterior or site work requires a Certificate of Appropriateness under city preservation rules.

The land was rugged woodland and even a dumping ground before 1900, then became the site of a 1902 land donation from Captain Basil John Fisher for a public park around which he planned a neighborhood. The Fisher Park Neighborhood Association’s mission is to preserve the historic and residential character of the area while working with the city to maintain the park for public benefit.

Revington Reaves shaped the master plan through in-person pop-up events and online surveys, with guiding principles focused on plant diversity and health, restoration of trails and historical elements, and improved accessibility. An updated tree map, an arborist assessment and Historic Preservation Commission agenda items from July 30, 2025, and October 29, 2025, are posted on Greensboro’s parks page.