Boulevard Woods Park

Officially opened in February of 2016, Boulevard Woods Park is passive in nature and features a small paved walking loop, walking trail through the woods, and an open lawn area. Seating walls built along the walking loop allow viewing into the wooded back portion of the park. A small nature inspired playground, sitting benches, and amphitheater allow for fun of all ages. 

The wooded 1.8 acre site was originally donated to the former City of Athens by W.H. Benson in 1967, and had been vacant and unused since that time. Located at the top of Boulevard, the site serves as a neighborhood focal point with the potential to be integrated into a future greenway network and/or a rails-to-trails project. 

This project was started by an informally organized group of people interested in creating a neighborhood park. Boulevard Neighborhood Association, Inc. helped coordinate the effort, enlisting many partners including Athens-Clarke County Leisure Services, Athens Land Trust, the University of Georgia, Riverview Foundation, Koons Environmental Design, Inc. and others. Involving citizens beyond the surrounding neighborhoods, Boulevard Woods is truly a community project.

The project began in 2009, when area residents were surveyed regarding the type of park they would like. A design team was created to use that feedback to create four alternative park concepts. In 2010, a neighborhood charrette was organized to allow people to look at the concepts and vote on which elements they liked best. The design team then collated these preferences to come up with a single concept plan, which was approved by the Athens-Clarke County Mayor and Commission and was used to develop the more detailed plan and the construction drawings.