Greenleaf Park prepares to welcome Oakland Park residents with new courts, playground and outdoor gathering spaces

Oakland Park, Florida – A new public space is about to open in the heart of Oakland Park, adding basketball, tennis, pickleball, playgrounds and more green space for residents to enjoy.

The City of Oakland Park will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Greenleaf Park on Thursday, August 27, at 10 a.m. The new park is located at 1300 Park Lane East and is expected to become another gathering place for residents as the city continues a years-long effort to expand and improve its public spaces.

Greenleaf Park is a brand-new downtown park designed to offer a mix of recreation and outdoor space. The facility includes a full basketball court, tennis and pickleball courts, a playground, a shaded pavilion, parking, lighting and new landscaping.

The variety of amenities means the park is intended for more than one type of activity. Residents can use the courts for sports, bring children to the playground, gather under the pavilion or simply spend time outside in the new landscaped area.

The project also represents a different way for Oakland Park to add public amenities. Greenleaf Park is being delivered through a public-private partnership with Horizon Oakland Park LLC, a joint venture of Falcone Group and Kaufman Lynn Construction. The park is being provided at no cost to the city.

It is the first piece of the Horizon mixed-use project and adds a new public amenity to the downtown area.

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The opening comes during a particularly active period for Oakland Park’s parks and public facilities. Several other projects have recently been completed or reopened, giving residents more places to gather, exercise and enjoy the outdoors.

Earlier this summer, the new Oakland Park Library opened at City Centennial Park. Stevens Field also reopened after extensive improvements, while the city celebrated upgrades at Richard E. Giusti Heart Par Cours.

The pace of development is expected to continue. Royal Palm Park and Veterans Park are next on the city’s schedule, with additional progress expected into September.

Behind the individual projects is a larger effort to increase the amount of parkland and green space available throughout Oakland Park. Through strategic planning, public-private partnerships, grant funding and the reuse of public property, the city has added or unlocked more than 30 acres of parkland and green space in recent years.

That work includes the Oak Tree greenway, the BLYS waterfront promenade, the expansion of City Centennial Park and now Greenleaf Park.

The city has also secured significant outside funding to support its broader improvements. Since 2015, Oakland Park has obtained more than $72 million in grant funding for projects involving parks, public facilities, infrastructure, mobility, resilience and other improvements.

Those investments are helping reshape parts of the city while expanding opportunities for recreation and outdoor activity. Greenleaf Park is one more piece of that effort, bringing a new public space into the downtown area and providing amenities that can be used by people of different ages.

The project also fits into Oakland Park’s longer-term plans as the city looks ahead to its centennial in 2029. Officials have been working on projects intended to modernize public facilities, strengthen neighborhoods and create a more connected community for future generations.

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For residents, however, the significance of Greenleaf Park may be much simpler. A new basketball court, pickleball court, tennis court or playground can become part of everyday life in the neighborhood.

The shaded pavilion offers another place to meet, while the landscaping and open areas provide room to spend time outdoors. With lighting and parking included, the park is designed as a complete public amenity rather than simply an open piece of land.

The ribbon cutting on August 27 will mark the formal arrival of the new park and give the community an opportunity to see the completed project.

As Oakland Park continues to open new facilities and improve existing ones, Greenleaf Park adds another visible example of the city’s investment in public spaces. It also reflects a broader strategy that combines city planning, partnerships and outside funding to create places residents can use and enjoy.

The city is inviting the community to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. on Thursday, August 27, at 1300 Park Lane East and celebrate the opening of another new public space in Oakland Park.