LEWISTON, IDAHO — The City of Lewiston has an approved master plan for Lewiston Community Park, a proposed 187-acre destination park north of Warner Avenue that city officials describe as a long-planned gathering place for the Lewis-Clark Valley and surrounding communities, according to the project’s official site and the City of Lewiston Parks & Recreation Department.

The park site is part of a larger 310-acre Tri-Partnership assembled in 2004 by the City of Lewiston, the Lewiston School District, and Lewis-Clark State College. That acreage now also includes Lewiston High School (77 acres) and the LCSC Career Technical / Schweitzer Career and Technical Education Center (29 acres), with new city streets — Cecil Andrus Way and Community Drive — built for access.

Lewiston City Council approved a preferred design in December 2021 and adopted the Community Park Recreation Master Plan in October 2022. The city says the park is intended to be built in phases over a roughly 10-year period. Preliminary buildout cost estimates cited in project FAQs are about $95 million, with funding options under consideration that include bonds, grants, in-kind support, private foundations/donations, and possible hotel/motel bed-tax revenues. A financial model and strategic funding plan were described as underway to guide decision makers.

The adopted master plan centers on a large two-tiered community plaza with a trellised promenade, courtyard spaces, and performance stages, plus a destination playground and splash pad with an interactive river feature. Other planned amenities include a Little League baseball complex (four fields, including one championship field), a four-field adult softball complex, a 48-unit short-term RV park for tournaments and events, multi-purpose sports fields, an amphitheater/events center with tiered seating, an 18-hole disc golf course, a bike park with pump track and skills features, sand volleyball courts, natural open space, and paved and unpaved trails.

City Parks & Recreation partnered with JUB Engineers on the plan and hosts 360-degree concept views of proposed amenities at lewistoncommunitypark.com. Due to federal funding used to purchase the property in 2004, project materials state that 150 of the 187 acres must remain designated for outdoor recreation in perpetuity.

Project Quick Facts:

• Project: Lewiston Community Park (City of Lewiston Parks & Recreation)
• Location: North of Warner Avenue, Lewiston, Idaho (with Lewiston High School and LCSC CTE campus nearby)
• Size: 187 acres (part of a 310-acre Tri-Partnership site purchased in 2004)
• Status: Preferred design approved Dec. 2021; Master Plan adopted Oct. 2022; phased build envisioned (~10 years)
• Focal amenities: two-tiered plaza, destination playground, splash pad, amphitheater/events center
• Sports: Little League complex (4 fields), softball complex (4 fields), multi-purpose fields, sand volleyball, bike park, disc golf
• Also planned: 48-unit RV park (short-term tournament/event use), trails, natural open space
• Preliminary buildout estimate: ~$95 million (FAQ); funding strategy still being developed

Photo credit: Official Lewiston Community Park master-plan concept render (splash pad / playground plaza) — City of Lewiston / lewistoncommunitypark.com 3D visualizations (JUB / Gateway Mapping).

Sources: lewistoncommunitypark.com (home and Park Planning pages); City of Lewiston Parks & Recreation Community Park update; Lewiston Community Park Recreation Master Plan (approved October 2022); project FAQ and Preferred Alternative materials.