Woodbury city officials want a park known for its lush greenery to keep its natural character but be easier to navigate, according to the city’s Parks and Recreation planners.
La Lake Park is up for renovations over the next several years to enhance existing park features and add new services, according to Parks and Recreation director Michelle Okada and planner Josh Kinney. Those features will include trails, restrooms, drinking water, picnic spots and more accessibility.
“The vision for La Lake is to create a place that’s welcoming, accessible and deeply connected to nature,” Okada said. “We want to work to honor and protect the land’s unique character, and that is the lake and a lot of natural resource environments.”
La Lake Park is sandwiched between Bailey Road and Military Road next to Woodlane Drive. The south entrance at 6748 Military Road is currently closed for construction but the north entrance at 6655 Bailey Road is still accessible.
“Of this 70-plus acres of park, the large majority of its intention is to keep it really a high quality, nature-based setting for exploration, improving the ecosystem and the wildlife habitat,” Okada said.
Woodbury has requested $2 million in state bonding funds for the renovation. Additional money for the project is coming from grants and city funding, according to Okada.
Protecting the environment
La Lake was on the state’s impaired waters list until 2024. With intentional efforts in monitoring and environmental care, the city was able to improve the water quality, Okada said.
Preserving the natural environment is the core of the La Lake project, along with creating a welcoming environment. Renovations are intended to make it easier for visitors to navigate and see more of the park than they ever have, she said.
Most existing trees will remain; dying and invasive species like buckthorn will be removed and new trees, grasses and flowers will be planted, Kinney said.
“When evaluating these potential tree impacts, staff considers several factors, including opportunities to improve habitat, opportunities to improve the ecosystem’s health and how the designs can be adjusted to preserve high-quality and mature trees,” Kinney said.
Another large factor in sustaining the environment is working to restore the shoreline, Okada said.
Trails and wayfinding
According to Kinney, some of the ways the shoreline is negatively impacted is through improper foot traffic.
People have been accessing the lake through what Kinney said is “the easiest way to get there,” by walking from the existing parking lot down a steep slope to the lake. Doing so creates erosion problems, he said.
“Through thoughtful design, we can restore those areas, plant those treads and then guide the visitors through wayfinding and interpretation to a better area to access the lake that’s more environmentally conscious,” Kinney said.
One way wayfinding will be implemented is by creating soft-surface natural trails, Okada said. These trails will be maintained in dirt or through grass, she said, to guide people to areas that they otherwise may not have explored.
“Soft surface trails means creating an intentional trail, but not with a hard surface improvement,” Okada said. “So not with concrete or bituminous.”
She said the idea and the intention of these trails is to help create meaningful connections to nature.
“What we do in projects like these is we like to follow the area where guests have made trails because that’s what feels comfortable,” Okada said. “They’re maybe getting to areas that are beautiful or offer views of the lake. But there are some trails that are created naturally that aren’t in the (environment’s) best interest.’”
Wayfinding will also include additional signage to help guide visitors through the park.
“It is an expansive trail network, and so helping people navigate that may be new,” she said. “So this isn’t a ‘you must stay on the trail and only the trails.’ We want to enhance the trail experience, but at the same time, exploration of the overall open space is available and encouraged. We would just allow through wayfinding and a little better direction.”
On top of preventing erosion, Okada said maintaining the trails will also prevent the spread of invasive species, which will then positively impact wildlife.
“By managing, preserving and restoring the shoreline, we’ll be able to manage and maintain a lot of the wildlife habitat that is there,” Okada said.
Additional amenities
Okada said another vision for La Lake is to create spaces for multi-generational gathering. These spaces will include a picnic shelter, along with disability- and wheelchair-friendly areas, like paved surfaces and boardwalk connections created with stable surfacing that can provide a view of the lake.
“The proposed improvements are expected to add some accessibility, attract new users and better showcase the park’s offerings, just by getting them into the park more,” Okada said. “I think we’ve got some folks that live in the area, or this is their nature space, and our intent is to maintain that. We’re not looking to change every corner of the park.”
Additional amenities that will be a part of the renovation include running drinking water and permanent restrooms, which the park does not currently have. Parking also will be improved, Kinney said, to help manage and reduce overflow.
For more information and updates on the project, visit woodburymn.gov and search “La Lake.”