Chesterfield officials have unveiled early designs for a grand hillside entrance meant to physically stitch together the city's beloved Central Park with the sprawling new downtown rising a short walk away. The proposed project would tackle a steep 48-foot grade change at the intersection of Chesterfield Parkway and Lydia Hill Drive, threading in accessible pathways, gardens, and a pedestrian crossing to link the two areas.
According to First Alert 4, city officials say the project could cost between $5 million and $10 million, with architects presenting renderings of proposed landscaping and connection concepts to the public this week. Elliot Brown, the city's Assistant City Administrator, framed the technical challenge facing designers. Brown said the hillside requires a way to move people quickly and safely while still letting them experience the environment around them.
The station's report notes the city is actively collecting resident feedback on landscape preferences and how the connection between downtown and Central Park should feel, with that input expected to shape the city council's eventual decision. Catherine Crismon asked that as much natural landscape as possible be preserved in the final design, per the same account, while Cheryl Williams suggested adding water features. Mark Ivancic said he's optimistic about the project and about Chesterfield's broader development trajectory.
A Steep Grade Standing Between Two Districts
The hillside site sits right at the seam between Chesterfield's established recreational core and the district rising in its place: the former Chesterfield Mall grounds, now being remade into “Downtown Chesterfield.” The former mall grounds are the site of a $2 billion, 117-acre redevelopment by The Staenberg Group, according to Shopping Center Business. Construction shifted from demolition to site grading and utility work in 2025, with vertical building construction not slated to begin until 2027, per a Reddit thread cited in the dossier tracking the project's public timeline.
On the other side of that grade change sits Central Park, a 55-acre municipal park at 16365 Lydia Hill Drive that includes a 1.24-mile lake trail, a family aquatic center, stream walks, and the 3,210-capacity Chesterfield Amphitheater, according to the City of Chesterfield. The park has also become something of an outdoor gallery in recent years. Last month, Hoodline reported that the city council split 4-4 over returning a bronze statue of Olympic gold medalist Yue Ling Chen to the lake trail, with Mayor Dan Hurt casting the tie-breaking vote to approve the $30,000 purchase. The park's art collection already includes J. Seward Johnson Jr.'s 70-foot aluminum sculpture “The Awakening,” which depicts a giant figure emerging from the earth.
Other Development Near the Park
Nearby, developer CRG is separately building Wildhorse Village, a $500 million, 80-acre mixed-use project at Chesterfield Parkway and Wild Horse Creek Road that will add apartments, single-family homes, and office space, according to KSDK.
What Happens Next
For now, the hillside entrance remains a concept under public review rather than an approved project. Architects are expected to make final adjustments to their designs based on the feedback gathered from residents before submitting a formal proposal for city council consideration, First Alert 4 reported. Given the scale of activity around the surrounding blocks — including a city commission examining tax-increment financing for public infrastructure and Wildhorse Village next door — the entrance is shaping up as a small but symbolic piece connecting two very different versions of Chesterfield's center.
