The Hillsboro Parks & Recreation Department is undertaking an exciting new project: Designing Hillsboro’s first truly inclusive park and playground — envisioned as a welcoming place for people of all abilities and backgrounds. This park and playground will be located on the west side of 53rd Avenue Community Park, just south of the new Hidden Creek Community Center that is currently under construction.
The heart of this project is a 15,000-square-foot inclusive playground. Inclusive playgrounds provide a rich play experience, addressing all children and their caregivers’ physical, sensory, and social needs. The playground will be designed to accommodate everyone, with various challenges and risk levels that allow children with disabilities to play alongside their more typically developing peers. The ultimate goal is to provide a park where all people can fully experience the joy of play, side by side.
The City of Hillsboro values and welcomes residents’ ideas as the process to envision this park and playground-for-all begins. A Visioning Tool has been established for the people of Hillsboro to share what they want to see, do, and feel in this new park. It’s an opportunity for Hillsboroites to dream a little and contribute ideas before the Parks & Recreation Department starts drafting concepts. Please provide your input no later than Nov. 4.
The City will be hosting more public engagement opportunities followed by several rounds of design refinement, engineering, and permitting. If there are no unforeseen delays, the hope is to be celebrating a park opening in 2023.
