On Friday, Jan. 9, St. Johns County officially celebrated the completion of a $2.1 million project, cutting the ribbon on a renovated and completely redesigned North Beach Park.
The park, located at 3721 U.S. A1A just north of Vilano Beach, replaces an unpaved parking area that served pedestrians who use the bridge over the coastal highway to get to and from the beach. The renovations include an increase of about 20 parking spaces over the former configuration.
The project is part of a $123-million regional park plan that will ultimately see four new parks and the renovation of two others. Construction began in January 2025.
“One of the six priorities in our strategic plan is called ‘community wellbeing,’” said County Commissioner Ann Taylor, who cut the ceremonial ribbon. “And it’s parks like this that really do support the community.”
Among the improvements are:
Funding for the project came from park impact fees.
In preparing the design, county officials met with representatives of Vilano Beach Main Street, the Vilano CRA and members of the public to find out what they wanted.
Ryan Kane, director of the St. Johns County Parks and Recreation Department, praised the team at Bhide and Hall Architects and its senior vice president, Brian Sawyer, for how they created the design using the county’s vision and community feedback.
“Honestly, we haven’t seen design at this high level in my time here,” he said, “and we were really impressed with the Bhide and Hall team’s commitment to design, to what they put in this project.”
He pointed out the green space preserved at the request of area residents.
Chris Gatchell of St. Johns County Public Works was project manager.
In an apparent response to the trend of people leaving padlocks on the chain-link fencing around the walkover bridge, where the added weight posed a safety hazard, designers installed a heart-shaped wall where padlocks can be safely attached.
In dedicating the new feature, Kane and Taylor took turns reading from the sign nearby: “Keep the bridge light, keep love tight – our heart is waiting. Lock it right!”
County residents can reserve park pavilions for events. For information, go to sjcfl.us/pavilion-rentals.
