In 2021, Bennett’s Village, Inc. received 501(c)(3) status. Charlottesville City Council has agreed to enter into a partnership with Bennett’s Village, Inc., designating Pen Park as the future site of an all-abilities play space. The play space will cover three acres and will eventually include fully-accessible play structures, a tree house, a sensory garden, a cableway, a water play area, a restroom pavilion, and native landscaping.
PAST EFFORTS
During the fall/winter of 2018-2019, Bennett’s Village, Inc. met with public officials to find a site for Bennett’s Village Play Space. Thanks to all your hard work and advocacy, in 2019 the Charlottesville City Council voted to move forward with a partnership with Bennett’s Village Inc. and to designate Pen Park, a regional park, as a site for the future home of Bennett’s Village Play Space. In the summer and fall of 2019, we sought community feedback regarding a concept design for the playground. We hired the award-winning Mahan Rykiel Associates to create concept designs for Bennett’s Village Play Space. Their designs won two awards from the Maryland and Potomac chapters of the American Society of Landscape Architects in the “Design Unbuilt” category.
In summer 2022, we installed a communication board at Pen Park—the first of its kind in a Charlottesville City Park. Recreational spaces are ideal locations to encourage and facilitate communication for those with complex communication needs. A non-verbal child or adult can use the board to communicate feelings, preferences, and desires with friends, family members, or companions.
OUR ACCESSIBLE TREEHOUSE
We are delighted to announce our accessible treehouse will be open very soon! The Treehouse is part of the concept plan developed by Mahan Rykiel and will be the first portion of the plan to be developed and installed. Bennett’s Village, Inc. has received input and guidance from Charlottesville City Parks & Recreation, the City Engineer, and City Planners regarding the Treehouse requirements. Local artisans Uhler & Company has brought to life our one of a kind treehouse that is accessible and functional and fits with the existing topography.Our goal for this portion of the project is not only to give the community a treehouse for all to use but also to give people an idea of the amazing scale and intent of the future play space.
FUTURE PROJECTS
As we get closer to officially opening the treehouse, we are already hard a work designing the rest of the playspace. Last year we worked with the City of Charlottesville to map out what future phases will look like so that the play space can remain open as we construct new sections. Stay tuned as for details on our work to create construction documents so that we can make Pen Park even more accessible.
