Moncure, NC – On April 29, 2026, Chatham County took an important next step in the development of Parker’s Ridge Park, by breaking ground on the new community park that will serve southeastern Chatham County.
Due to the likely possibility of rain, the ceremony took place at the Moncure Fire Station.
Chatham County leadership, Chatham County Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources, members of the Atlas and Lola Tart Parker family, Stewart Design, and Blum Construction were all present.
Parker’s Ridge Park is named in honor of Atlas and Lola Tart Parker, whose family farmed the land for more than 70 years.
The groundbreaking ceremony marked the start of Parker’s Ridge Park moving from concept toward construction, bringing a future 138-acre public park to Pea Ridge Road in the Moncure area with plans for an inclusive playground, pond-side walking path, picnic shelter, observation deck, restrooms and a pump track. County officials say Phase I construction is expected to begin shortly in 2026, and a $500,000 state parks grant awarded last fall is helping fund several of the first major recreational elements.
A new park for a changing corner of Chatham County
For years, Parker’s Ridge Park has existed mostly on paper: a master plan, a special-use permit, a site map and a promise that southeastern Chatham County would eventually receive a major county park of its own. Now, the project is approaching the point where residents may begin seeing visible work on the land.
The future park is planned for Pea Ridge Road in the Moncure area, a part of the county that has become central to broader conversations about growth, industry, traffic, rural character and public investment. Chatham County’s planning records identify the project as a new county-owned park on Parcel 5809 at 994 Pea Ridge Road in Cape Fear Township. This will be the site of a new 138-acre park.
The park’s first phase is modest compared with the full vision once discussed in master planning, but it is meaningful: a playground designed with accessibility in mind, trails, a pond overlook, a shelter and a pump track that could attract bicyclists of varying ages and skill levels. A construction listing for Phase I describes work on 23.5 acres and includes ADA-accessible playground equipment, pump track courses, a restroom shelter with an attached fishing dock overlooking the pond, a prefabricated maintenance building and walking trails.
In a county where growth has often centered on schools, housing, roads and industrial recruitment, Parker’s Ridge Park represents another piece of civic infrastructure: the places where people gather, walk, play, fish, exercise, attend community events and experience the rural landscape that many residents say they want to preserve.
State grant gives the project a financial boost
The North Carolina Parks and Recreation Trust Fund awarded Chatham County a $500,000 grant in 2025 to support several Parker’s Ridge Park elements, including a pump track, gravel walking loop path and a restroom/shelter structure overlooking a pond. The county announced the grant in September and said construction was expected to begin in early 2026.
Tracy Burnett, director of Chatham County Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources, called the grant welcome support for a park that will provide “quality recreation facilities” while showcasing the “natural beauty” of the county’s rural spaces.
The state grant is not unusual in structure. PARTF provides dollar-for-dollar matching grants to local governments for public park acquisition and development, and local governments may request up to $500,000 per application. (North Carolina State Parks) The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources said in 2025 that local communities use PARTF to fund land acquisition, new recreation facilities and improvements to existing parks; the agency also noted that awardees must match grant funds dollar for dollar.
That funding model matters because Parker’s Ridge Park is not being built in one sweeping construction campaign. Like many public park projects, it is being phased over time, with the county pursuing state grants, local capital funding, design work, permitting and construction sequencing.
What Phase I is expected to include
The first phase of Parker’s Ridge Park is designed around public access and broad appeal rather than a single specialized use.
The county lists planned Phase I amenities as an inclusive playground, a picnic shelter with an observation deck overlooking the pond, restrooms, a walking path around the pond and a pump track. Construction bid information describes the playground as including ADA-accessible equipment and says the pump track will include courses for all age groups.
Those choices reflect a practical opening phase. A playground serves families. A walking path serves residents of all ages. A shelter creates a venue for picnics, programs and gatherings. A pond overlook adds a quiet destination. A pump track gives the park a recreational feature not found in every county facility and could draw users from beyond Moncure.
The inclusion of accessible playground equipment is especially important. Modern parks are increasingly expected to serve residents with different physical abilities, ages and needs. The CDC says well-designed parks and recreation facilities can support physical and mental health, and accessible infrastructure and activities can encourage physical activity.
The success of Parker’s Ridge will depend not only on what is built but how it is built: parking, shade, bathrooms, safe access, visibility, signage, maintenance and programming will all shape whether families and older residents use the park regularly or only occasionally.
A park rooted in family land and local history
Parker’s Ridge Park takes its name from the Parker family. Planning documents state that the property was purchased from the Parker family to become the first county park in the Moncure area. Earlier reporting on the park’s master plan identified Atlas and Lola Parker as the local family associated with the Pea Ridge Road land and said the park would honor that family connection.
That history gives the project a different identity from a park carved out of a subdivision requirement or built as a purely utilitarian athletic complex. County planning materials emphasize both recreation and preservation. The planning board staff report said the park would provide space for recreation, gatherings, festival events, food rodeos, picnic areas, wildlife observation, hiking and mountain bike trails.
The same report said the park would preserve more than 138 acres of natural land and sensitive areas and would use passive and active recreational areas while preserving open space and the rural atmosphere. Streets and development patterns, according to the staff report, were expected to follow existing wooded edges where possible to preserve as much natural landscape as feasible.
That balance between active recreation and rural preservation has become a defining feature of the project. Parker’s Ridge is not simply a field complex. Nor is it only a nature preserve. It is planned as a hybrid public space: part recreation area, part community gathering place, part environmental asset and part long-term land bank for future public use.
Planning approvals and public review
Parker’s Ridge Park has already moved through key planning steps. Chatham County’s planning page lists a public hearing date of Sept. 18, 2023, a Planning Board meeting date of Oct. 3, 2023, and Board of Commissioners meeting dates of Sept. 18 and Nov. 20, 2023. The page lists the Planning Board recommendation as approved and the Board of Commissioners action as approved.
The special-use permit request came from the Chatham County Parks and Recreation Department for a new county-owned park. The application materials included site plans, an environmental impact assessment, a concept map, a landscape plan, community meeting documents, adjoining property owner information and a presentation.
Planning staff noted that park traffic had not been included in a previous Traffic Impact Analysis for the Triangle Innovation project. Staff said passenger vehicles and buses would use the park depending on events, with most traffic expected in evenings and on weekends. The report also said projected traffic counts would be performed by a third party and reviewed by NCDOT based on proposed new road alignment configurations, and that a crash test for the Pea Ridge Road segment was underway.
Those details point to one of the most important issues for the park’s future: access. A park may be rural and scenic, but if roads, turn lanes, signage and parking are insufficient, residents will feel the effects quickly. Pea Ridge Road and the surrounding road network are already part of broader growth conversations in southeastern Chatham County.
Moncure’s growth backdrop
Parker’s Ridge Park is being planned in a part of Chatham County already shaped by industrial recruitment and small-area planning. The Triangle Innovation Point, originally designated as the future VinFast manufacturing site, is located in Moncure and zoned Heavy Industrial.
The Chatham Economic Development Corporation noted that county government began small-area planning for Moncure after VinFast selected Triangle Innovation Point. That planning was expected to review the needs and impacts of the project and guide decisions about future development around the site. The EDC said small-area planning can address land use, zoning, transportation, economic development, housing, aesthetics and service delivery.
That context is essential. Parker’s Ridge Park is not being built in a static rural landscape. It is being built in a place where Chatham County is trying to manage competing pressures: industrial development, road improvements, housing demand, environmental protection, public services and local character.
A response to countywide growth
Chatham County’s population growth adds urgency to the park discussion. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated Chatham County’s population at 85,111 as of July 1, 2025, up from a 2020 estimate base of 76,258 — an 11.6% increase in roughly five years.
Growth changes the math for parks. More residents mean more demand for playgrounds, trails, athletic fields, gathering spaces, restrooms, parking and youth programming. It also means land for parks becomes more expensive and harder to assemble if counties wait too long.
The 2019-2029 Parks and Recreation Comprehensive Master Plan was created to develop and redevelop parks, satisfy recreation needs, preserve rural character, protect natural resources and plan for future growth. The county’s conservation page describes the master plan as a tool to satisfy residents’ recreation needs while preserving rural character, protecting natural resources and planning for future growth.
Parker’s Ridge Park fits directly into that framework. It increases the county’s public park acreage, gives southeastern Chatham a destination park and preserves land in a part of the county facing development pressure.
Environmental safeguards and site limits
The park’s site planning also includes environmental constraints. Planning staff said the property would be limited to no more than 36% impervious surface, including access roads, hard-surface walking trails, gravel, concrete, asphalt and roofed structures.
The staff report noted that county water would serve the property and that all requirements for stormwater, wastewater, access roads, open space and other facilities would have to comply with local and state regulations. It also noted that Natural Resources Conservation Service maps show several blueline streams requiring buffering and non-disturbance areas.
Those conditions define the park’s character. A site with streams, wooded edges, sensitive areas and a pond must be handled differently from a flat athletic complex. The county’s challenge will be to open the land to public use while preserving the environmental features that make the site worth visiting.
The CDC notes that parks can reduce air and water pollution, protect communities from flooding, lessen heat islands and provide safe spaces for physical activity. Those benefits are not automatic. They depend on design, maintenance and long-term stewardship.
Public health and community connection
The public-health case for Parker’s Ridge Park is straightforward: parks give people places to move.
The CDC says people with more access to green environments, such as parks and trails, tend to walk more and be more physically active than those with limited access. The agency also notes that well-designed parks and trails can reduce stress, improve mental health and give neighbors places to meet.
For rural areas, access can be complicated. A resident may live amid open land and still lack a safe public place to walk, push a stroller, ride a bike, use a playground or gather with neighbors. Rural roads are not always designed for pedestrians. Private land is not public space. School playgrounds may not be available outside school hours. Parks fill that gap.
That is why a walking loop around a pond, restrooms, shaded areas and accessible playground equipment matter. They are the difference between a park that looks good on a master plan and a park people use week after week.
Parker’s Ridge Park will be judged not just by how much land it preserves, but by how well it welcomes the people of Moncure and southeastern Chatham County.
Costs, inflation and phased construction
Parker’s Ridge Park also reflects a reality facing many public projects: construction costs have risen.
When Chatham County commissioners adopted the FY 2026-32 Capital Improvement Program, the county said the budget for Parker’s Ridge Park had increased because of higher construction costs and the increased cost of materials, including furnishings and equipment. The listed increase was $1,850,378.
A public construction listing placed the value of Parker’s Ridge Park Phase I at $6,370,276. That figure should be understood as a project listing value rather than a final full-buildout cost. The broader master-plan vision discussed in 2020 was much larger and contemplated more extensive improvements over time. At that time, commissioners approved master plans for Parker’s Ridge Park and Northeast District Park, with Parker’s Ridge described as an $18-plus million long-term project that could include a splash pad, sports fields, walking trails and barns incorporated into a cultural and natural history interpretive area.
The county did not commit to spending all of that money immediately. Earlier reporting noted that the plans suggested phasing in portions of the projects. Then-Commissioner Mike Dasher said, “These are exactly the kinds of projects” that local-option sales tax money could help support.
The phased approach makes Parker’s Ridge Park more manageable. It also creates uncertainty. Residents may see Phase I open before later elements are funded, designed or scheduled. Future amenities could depend on county budgets, grant awards, construction costs, changing recreation priorities and public demand.
How Parker’s Ridge compares with existing county parks
Chatham County already operates several major parks, including Earl Thompson Park near Pittsboro, Northeast District Park in Chapel Hill, Northwest District Park in Siler City, Southwest District Park in Bear Creek and The Park at Briar Chapel. The amenities vary: ball fields, shelters, restrooms, playgrounds, walking trails, tennis and pickleball courts, volleyball, dog park access and other facilities.
Parker’s Ridge Park would add a new geographic anchor in the southeastern part of the county. Planning staff described it as the first county park in the Moncure area. That distinction matters. Chatham’s existing park system is geographically spread but not evenly experienced. A family in Moncure or New Hill does not experience a park in Siler City or Bear Creek the same way a nearby resident does.
The park also appears poised to offer a different mix of amenities. The pump track, pond-centered shelter and walking loop would give Parker’s Ridge a recreational identity distinct from traditional field-heavy parks. Later phases could broaden that identity further if the county adds athletic fields, cultural interpretation or larger community facilities.
The traffic question
The most common concern around new parks is rarely whether people like parks. It is whether nearby roads and neighborhoods can handle them.
The planning staff report anticipated that most park traffic would occur in the evenings and on weekends, depending on events. It also recognized that buses as well as passenger vehicles may use the park. That suggests Parker’s Ridge could host school groups, recreation programs, tournaments, community gatherings or special events.
For county officials, that creates an operational challenge. A quiet walking park has one traffic profile. A park with festivals, food rodeos, athletic events and school visits has another. The county will need to manage traffic, parking, emergency access and event scheduling to avoid frustrating nearby residents.
The NCDOT-related roadway review and crash analysis referenced in planning materials will be important as the park moves into construction and eventual operation. A successful park must be both inviting and manageable.
A park that must serve both present and future Chatham
Parker’s Ridge Park is arriving at a consequential moment for Chatham County. The county is growing. Southeastern Chatham is changing. Moncure is being asked to absorb new attention from industrial development, transportation planning and land-use decisions. Amid those pressures, a public park can serve as a stabilizing investment.
It can give families a place to play. It can give older residents a safe walking loop. It can give cyclists a pump track. It can give community groups a shelter. It can preserve land before it is lost to development. It can create a civic gathering place in a part of the county that has not had one of this scale.
But its success will depend on execution. The county must manage costs, preserve sensitive environmental features, address traffic, maintain facilities, fund future phases and make sure the park feels welcoming to the full community — not just to those who already know how to navigate county recreation programs.
For now, Parker’s Ridge Park is best understood as both a promise and a test. It is a promise that growth in Chatham County can include public spaces, not just private development. It is a test of whether the county can build a park that respects Moncure’s rural setting while preparing for the needs of a changing region.
If Phase I stays on track, the land on Pea Ridge Road will soon begin its transition from future park to public place. For southeastern Chatham County, that would mark a significant step: a new park rooted in local history, shaped by modern recreation needs and positioned to serve generations of residents yet to come.