Overview
Timmons Group’s landscape architecture team partnered with North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation to develop a master plan for Mayo River State Park, which is seeing a dramatic increases in visitors from across the state. The master plan creates a balance between providing access to the river, increasing recreational opportunities and protecting the sensitive corridor. The plan focuses on the river corridor between the NC/Virginia state line and where the Mayo joins the Dan River south of Mayodan.
Community engagement was a critical component of the planning process. In order for the plan to be successful the process needed to create a sense of ownership with the local community as well as tap into their passion and knowledge of the Mayo and surrounding context. We met on a regular basis with a stakeholder group made up of local leaders, park staff and long-time residents. We also developed a project website where we were able to share information and collect feedback (timmons.mayomasterplan.com). In lieu of in-person meetings, virtual community meetings were held and information was posted to the website for offline viewing.
Our stormwater and environmental groups were engaged early and often to ensure that the plan protected sensitive environmental features, provided safe and sustainable river access and responded to state and federal floodplain and stream crossing permitting requirements.
