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Always thinking of new ways to make life in Casa de Campo better for its villa owners and residents, Costasur Dominicana and Casa de Campo are currently working on plans for a recreational park. The project is expected to be partially opened in April 2015, while the hope is to have the park fully accessible by the end of fall 2015.
This 65-acre (26.3 hectare) space dedicated to sports and recreation will be located within the long strip of land between the Los Altos apartment complex and the Dye Fore Lakes golf course. It will also border the “Vista Lagos”, as well as the “Los Flamboyanes” neighborhoods, you can see that more clearly on the map below.
Currently called the “Parkland Project”, the project is being led by Adolfo Despradel, Director of Planning and Design, Costasur Dominicana, who told Casa de Campo Living “we are considering that parkland will be a means for strengthening the community through the experience of nature… an accessible recreational open space that will also enhance the value of real-estate developments as we move into a more inclusive, ecologically aware future…”
Casa de Campo “Parkland Project”
While the Parkland Project will continue to develop and evolve over the next year, the basic concept is to integrate the natural beauty of the area, taking special care to preserve endemic species of plants and wildlife, while also creating a space for the enjoyment of Casa de Campo villa owners, residents and guests. Just like in many parks around the world, Hyde Park in London or Central park in New York for example, the new Casa de Campo park will have principal walking paths, made of asphalt or concrete, in addition to secondary walkways made of gravel and open spaces or meadows. The images above and below should give you a good idea of what we can expect from the “Parkland Project”.
The following photos are “before and after” images of areas within the future park area, giving you a clear image of what we can expect from the “Parkland Project”:
Key features of the Casa de Campo park:
• 2 walking circuits; one of 2.5km in length which will loop through the entire park, and another of 1.5km.
• A pedestrian walkway to Altos de Chavón to connect the neighborhoods to Casa de Campo’s village of artists.
• Pedestrian walkways to connect the park to the surrounding neighborhoods; Los Altos, Los Flamboyanes and Vista Lagos.
• Sports and recreational facilities, as well as a staging area for small outdoor events.
• Bicycle amenities.
• Kids playground.
• Open meadows.
• A dense vegetation barrier to protect the bordering neighborhoods from any noise.
• Preservation of endemic plant species. The park will not be a pristine “lawn” type park and Costasur is working closely with an expert from the National Botanical Garden in Santo Domingo to ensure that important endemic plant species, such as the giant cacti, are preserved.
• The grounds maintenance department and the golf cart storage area for the Dye Fore golf course will be sealed off from view by a dense bamboo fence.
As for the development of the Casa de Campo park, the project is being developed in 4 phases:
Phase 1
This will see the opening of the two principal walking loops (2.5km and 1.5km), in addition to the pedestrian walkway to Altos de Chavón. According to Costasur this will happen as soon as the area has been cleared and the walking loops are ready. Costasur has already created a test path, and is now in the process of selecting the ideal material for the pathway. The stage will also see the planting of specimen trees, as well as of wild grass (“grama pajon”) along the edges of the pathways, as a means to control thorny weeds and overgrowth.Phase 2
Following the opening of the principal walking loops, an additional 1km of secondary pathways will be created through the more dense woodland areas.
Phase 3
Costasur will then proceed to create a number of meadows / open spaces. These informal open spaces will be available to be used for picnics, sunbathing, or a casual game of soccer, frisbee or even yoga.Phase 4
To complete the final stage, Casa de Campo and Costasur will be seeking the feedback of the Casa de Campo community in order to make the final adjustments. It will also be during this final stage that additional facilities will be evaluated and added, these could include a kids playground, as well as formal recreational courts (basketball court, football pitch for example).Map: Casa de Campo “Parkland Project” by Costasur
The central area with different shades of green indicates where the park will be located, while the yellow/orange line running through this area shows the proposed location of pathways and the walking circuit.