Natural beauty acquired generously - Holland, Michigan

The City of Holland, Michigan, gained an enviable asset when it acquired the 155-acre Van Raalte Farm. Rarely does a community's parks system acquire a tract with such preserved natural character located squarely within its most promising growth corridor. The farm was immediately viewed as the cornerstone of what has become a 431-acre system that already takes in a variety of traditional urban parks, youth and adult sports complexes, a nature center, and an island park with an authentic Dutch windmill that has become the focal point for annual events as well as a tourist attraction.

Holland is a vibrant community with a well-educated population of 33,000. Located about 30 miles from Grand Rapids, Michigan's second largest city, Holland has a solid tax base and residents that enjoy outdoor recreation. At the beginning of this decade, the city government committed to an upgrade and expansion of its parks system and recreation program. Government leaders have allotted one million dollars annually for the last five fiscal years to capital improvements for the system.

The family of the city's founder has owned the Van Raalte property since shortly before the Civil War. Portions had once been a dairy farm, but when acquired the farm was subject to only limited cultivation. The oldest signs of development are a two-story Italianate home and barns that trace back to around the Civil War. The house is reached by a 600-foot drive, where it stands framed by mature maples crowning one of the county's highest knolls. The rest of the property presented a mix of woodlands and meadows, with about 40 percent being natural wetlands. The varying gradients and rich stands of trees immediately appeal to hikers, cross-country skiers, nature enthusiasts, and various groups for organized outings.

A contract to develop a master plan was awarded in 1987 to the Grand Rapids office of Greiner, Inc., where landscape architect and planner Mark Wrona was designated project leader. To help create public interest and input on the farm's development into a park resource, Greiner prepared a questionnaire that was distributed through schools and the local newspaper. This survey revealed the public's preference for preserving the property for passive recreation uses. Endorsed priorities (83 percent of respondents) were for natural areas, and 62 percent of the respondents favored amenities and programs that would translate into an educational experience for present and future generations. Equally important, the survey substantiated public recognition of the farmstead's historic significance for the community that will ultimately guide adaptive reuses for the farmstead's structures.

These findings translated into a plan that has been carefully adhered to over the years. To date, over $483,000 in local funds have been invested in improvements to the farm, which is now listed on both state and national registers of historic places.

Most recently, Michigan's Department of Natural Resources awarded a $277,500 grant to complete development of an additional parking area, trails, pedestrian bridges, and a deck-type structure overlooking a heavily wooded river channel that meanders through the southeast quadrant of the property.

This most recent phase of development will be let for bid this winter and open up approximately 30 acres of the most remote reaches that rival a wildlife sanctuary. Once in place, this particular phase will support programs under the auspices of Holland's DeGraff Nature Center, an 11-acre facility in town that has fully developed trails.

Saving the Past, Shaping the Future

Preservation of the home and surrounding farmstead will remain a high priority as outlying portions of the site undergo development into recreational uses for the four seasons. The woodlands, hills, and lowlands along a river are appropriate to low-, medium-, and high-activity areas as access is provided into the peripheral areas. In addition to its trails, picnic areas, sledding hill, and related components, one of the initial design concepts would designate some tillable elements within the vicinity of the farmhouse as a nineteenth century "working farm." The barns could be converted into meeting halls, a festival center, museum, or similar tourist centers after supporting utilities are extended that far east of town. Several other concepts have been proposed for the home and adjacent grounds, which are in excellent condition.

The first phase of improvements focused on clearing part of the land to improve visibility and gain public access. Signage, a parking lot, and landscaping were put in place off a main traffic artery bordering the farm. This was followed by establishing several miles of trails suitable for hiking, cross-country skiing, and other exploration. The third phase, completed last year, created a sledding hill with outdoor lighting, a group picnic area, children's play area, and a parking lot for about 60 vehicles. This latest phase has received particularly heavy use since completion.

The impending phase funded by the state grant will create another entrance and parking lot and extend the trail system by several miles to include a woodchip and crushed stone pathway and a wooden boardwalk. A total of 2,300 lineal feet will run adjacent to the river channel and marshlands. Incorporated along this new trail will be two pedestrian bridges across the river and the overlook structure perched some 35 feet above it. This will be reached by a paved asphalt trail off the parking area. Construction of all firm trailbeds will comply with federal regulations for the physically challenged. On completion, the trail system will consist of interconnected loops of varying lengths and be marked for distance, estimated time to traverse, and amount of effort entailed. In all, some five miles of trail will course through the park, which is restricted exclusively to foot traffic.

It is to the credit of elected officials that they had the foresight to acquire an intact property of this size for a community with the population of Holland. Within a 10-minute drive of virtually anywhere in the city, a retreat is being developed along lines that will carefully preserve its natural character. Many foresee the Van Raalte Farm being engulfed someday by a continuous string of developed areas. If by that time it emerges as the area's "central park," the farm will be an even more significant asset than it is already today.

COPYRIGHT 1995 National Recreation and Park Association
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group