Del Ray Gateway Project Phase 1 Can Begin

ALEXANDRIA, VA—The Del Ray Gateway project with a splash park and Nancy Dunning Gardens has raised enough money to begin Phase 1 this year, organizers say.

Kate Moran, who is involved with the project, said in a message to Patch the project has raised $24,000 for the splash park and $24,000 for the Nancy Dunning Gardens. Both amounts are being matched by city Community Matching Grants, bringing the total to $96,000, or $48,000 for each component.

With this money, work on the project could begin in August or September. This begins with remapping the plaza and seating around the tree where the memorial garden will be, taking down the fence around the pool, covering over the pool and making the area around the pool a more functional community space.

The spray park could open by 2020 under city plans and in the meantime become a green space for families after Phase 1 work.

Phase 2 will likely begin next year and involve landscaping and completing the Nancy Dunning Gardens. Phase 3 construction of the splash park and other design elements will begin in 2019.

The total project cost is estimated at $418,452 for the garden and $900,000 for the spray park, according to a grant application sent to the city. The partnership anticipates grants and donations can cover the costs. Events such as the Del Ray House and Garden Tour and Spring Bar Crawl have benefited the project.

The Del Ray Community Partnership has taken up the project to revitalize the area at the corner of Mount Vernon and Commonwealth Avenues. Currently it is the site of a park and the former Colasanto Pool, which has been closed since 2010.

For more about the project, visit www.facebook.com/delraygateway or www.delraygateway.com.

Image of current park by Patch editor Emily Leayman