The Parks and Recreation Board Subcommittee unanimously voted the south side of Margaret T. Hance Park as the recommended site of Phoenix’s new Urban Skate Plaza on Wednesday.
Hance Park, located near West Culver Street and North Central Avenue, was chosen as the designated area of the skate plaza because it has access to bathrooms, light rail stops, bus services and less traffic, the subcommittee said.
Subcommittee Chairwoman Delia Ortega-Nowakowski said she chose Hance Park because it fit all the criteria listed for the Urban Skate Plaza.
“Youth come to downtown just to skate,” Ortega-Nowakowski said. “By having a designated skate area, it will be a big impact to the downtown area.”
Currently central Phoenix does not have a designated skate area. Some businesses along North Central Avenue have reported “security headaches” from people practicing on their skateboards around that area, said Julia Tourville, a member of the Midtown Museum District Neighborhood Association.
“They have nowhere else suitable to practice,” Tourville said. “The skate plaza will be a huge benefit.”
There will be a difference between this “unique” skate plaza from the others, Ortega-Nowakowski said, referring to the “dips and bowls” of the older skate parks around the area.
“It is an incredible opportunity for the City of Phoenix,” Ortega-Nowakowski said. “Since it is in the central Phoenix area, people can come together as a whole to enjoy it.”
Rob Dyrdek, a professional skateboarder, donated $50,000 to help fund the design and initial construction of the skate plaza.
Parts of the skate plaza will be constructed from previous parts of a skate park used for Rob Dyrdek’s Street League Skateboarding DC Tour at the Jobing.com Arena in August.
Chris Ewell, a landscape architect who works in the Parks Development Division for the Parks and Recreation Department for the City of Phoenix, said they were planning on working closely with California Skateparks, a skate park and action sports facility that designs and builds notable skate parks around the United States.
“People skate in places they aren’t supposed to, so building a skate plaza in downtown Phoenix will give a more positive environment for skateboarders,” Ewell said.
Urban Skate Plaza is expected to take at least three months to build, Ewell said. The project is estimated to cost between $300,000 and $400,000, depending on the final design, he said.
The Parks and Recreation Board Subcommittee will hold another meeting on Sept. 23 to discuss further details regarding the skate plaza.
Contact the reporter at jessica.s.choi@asu.edu
