The Salt Lake City Department of Public Lands has unveiled the final Vision Plan for Liberty Park, located at 600 Harvey Milk Blvd. The plan establishes a long-term roadmap intended to preserve, enhance, and invest in the nearly 100-acre park over the next 20 years.
As Salt Lake City's second-largest park, Liberty Park has been a central gathering place since 188 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The park contains several community destinations, including the Tracy Aviary, YouthCity, Liberty Hills Tennis Center, Chase Mill, and the Chase Home Museum of Utah Folk Arts.
The Vision Plan was developed using recommendations from a Cultural Landscape Report and extensive community input. It aims to address repairs and deferred maintenance while creating opportunities for visitors of all backgrounds and abilities.
Kim Shelley, the director of the Department of Public Lands, stated that the plan ensures the preservation of history while investing in the future so the space can continue to serve future generations.
The final design is built around six key principles: ensuring safe connections and access, providing welcoming experiences for events and everyday use, preserving historic buildings and features, re-establishing significant uses, protecting the urban forest, and serving as a model for biodiversity and low-water landscapes.
The implementation of the plan will occur in three distinct phases:
Phase 1, spanning the first five years, focuses on high-priority maintenance. This includes creating a continuous loop trail around the lake with a boardwalk, replacing the greenhouse with expanded gardens and seating, and planting 750 deciduous trees and 450 evergreen trees.
Phase 2, covering years five through ten, will focus on infrastructure preservation and improvements to roadways, entrances, and park connectivity.
Phase 3, occurring after ten years, will introduce new amenities such as play areas, wayfinding, new picnic shelters, and gathering spaces near the Koi Pond.
While the Vision Plan outlines several priority projects, many are not yet funded. The City is pursuing various funding opportunities including public and private partnerships as well as federal, state, and county grants.
Currently funded and ongoing projects within the park include tennis court resurfacing, Liberty Lake dredging, greenhouse design, signage upgrades, restroom renovations at Rotary, and improvements to Rotary Play Park, which is scheduled for a grand opening in September 2026.
