Indoor and outdoor pools, a lazy river and a two-story waterslide are on deck for southeast Raleigh, as the city moves ahead with plans for a major aquatic center at John Chavis Memorial Park. The latest announcement from the parks department is the most visible step yet in a years-long effort to restore and expand amenities at the 28-acre site near Shaw University. City leaders say the new facility is meant to serve families, lap swimmers and community programs, while still respecting the park’s deep cultural history.
Raleigh Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department posted a video on Facebook on Wednesday that walks through concept renderings and highlights plans for local artwork and a renovated Heritage Plaza. The clip also links to background materials and the city’s bond pages that show how the project fits into broader parks investments, according to Raleigh Parks.
What the plans include
According to the city’s project description, Phase 2 will deliver a full aquatics complex with an indoor lap pool, a therapy pool and an outdoor recreation pool that includes a lazy river, a vortex feature and a two-story waterslide. Support spaces are set to include locker rooms, offices and a multipurpose meeting and party room, and the site’s parking will be reconfigured to serve both the aquatics center and the park. These specifics are laid out on the project page for John Chavis Memorial Park on Raleigh.gov.
The aquatic work is paired with upgrades to the park’s Heritage Plaza, including plans for a historically inspired art installation and repairs to the stone bridge over Little Rock Creek. The city has issued a public art notice seeking local artists to contribute work for the aquatic center and the plaza, according to the City of Raleigh.
Funding and timeline
The Chavis Phase 2 work, including the aquatic center, is funded through the voter-approved 2022 Parks Bond, which set aside money for several southeast Raleigh projects and kicked off the current planning process, according to the project’s PublicInput page.
City Council planning materials have at times shown a roughly $50 million scenario for Phase 2 in planning documents, according to a Raleigh City Council presentation. A more recent procurement posting lists the project budget at $54 million and indicates construction is planned for 2027 to 2029, according to GovTribe.
Next steps and outreach
The City of Raleigh and construction partner Barnhill-Holt held a contractor information and outreach meeting in March to outline the project scope and prequalification requirements, inviting principal trade and specialty contractors to hear about upcoming bid opportunities. An in-person session and a virtual follow-up were listed through the city’s business engagement office, according to the City of Raleigh.
Design work and community engagement are expected to continue through the next year as planners refine layouts, art placements and program spaces before the project moves into formal bidding and construction phases. City officials say additional public meetings and design updates will be scheduled as the team finalizes plans and prepares procurement documents.
A park with deep history
John Chavis Memorial Park is named for John Chavis, an early 19th-century free Black educator and minister, and has served Raleigh’s Black community since the park opened in the 1930s. The park was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2016, and that history has shaped the master plan, which emphasizes heritage interpretation alongside new recreational facilities. Background information is available from local tourism resources such as Visit Raleigh.
For neighbors and swimmers, the Chavis aquatics project represents a rare large-scale reinvestment in southeast Raleigh that city officials say will increase access to aquatics programming and community events. Residents can expect more public outreach in the months ahead as the design team moves from concept plans to construction documents.
