Picture this: A Lowcountry park spanning ~100 acres featuring fields, courts, and pavilions.
Rifle Range Road Park will be a community park in Mount Pleasant (just north of Six Mile Road) with recreational spaces, amenities, and natural spaces like wetlands that preserve the area’s beauty.
Park plans include:
- Soccer fields
- Tennis, pickleball, beach volleyball, and outdoor basketball courts
- Performance stage
- Grand lawn
- Picnic pavilions
- Playground
- Dog park
- Walking trails
- Community building
- Two-court basketball gym
- Indoor walking tracks
- Studios for community music, art, dance, and camp activities
Liollio Architecture and SeamonWhiteside (SW+) were recently selected to provide planning, architectural, and engineering services for the future park.
Keep reading to hear from Mary Martinich, PLA and Landscape Architecture Team Leader with the SW+ team.
Can you talk about the partnership between Liollio and SeamonWhiteside + how the firms will work together for this project?
Liollio and SW+ have collaborated on projects for over 30 years, most recently on the Ashley River Park in Dorchester County. Our firms hold similar values, so we always enjoy embarking on projects together. We work closely on the site and architecture design to ensure everything blends seamlessly. For example, ensuring views are captured with the building and working around grand trees and other elements to create a well-designed site plan.
Since the Rifle Range Road Park site is so large, over 100 acres, there’s a heavy level of coordination to ensure everything is accounted for, from utilities, drainage, grand trees, and protecting the natural environment. Working together, we ensure that no stone is left unturned and everything is accounted for to create a park that’s beautiful and has all the amenities and functions properly so people can enjoy it.
How important was it for the park design to incorporate those “natural areas” like the wetlands in the design?
The site is one of the largest pieces of undeveloped property in Mount Pleasant and already has a pond, wetlands, and walking trails, all of which we kept in the site design plan. The wetlands have stunning Cypress and Swamp Tupelo trees and look like a scene from a movie. By adding to the existing walking trails, visitors can really experience the natural beauty of the Lowcountry, which has been largely untouched. Access to nature is so important to health and wellness, so we wanted to offer a safe, accessible, and beautiful outdoor space for residents to enjoy.
The trail system is ADA accessible and connects all the park’s elements so visitors can enjoy each park component. The boardwalks and piers will give people access to and experience each element while also protecting the natural environment for future generations. Spending time in these natural spaces can help people reconnect with nature and enjoy the beauty of the Lowcountry.
What impact will a space like this have on the community?
The town has a trail called Mount Pleasant Way, which will connect to the trails in Rifle Range Road Park. Connecting to this trail network will help encourage people to walk, bike, and access and enjoy the park. Since it’s within walking distance from many homes, we hope to see locals visit and use the space regularly. It will also bring much-needed active recreation to the town with soccer fields, tennis courts, basketball courts, pickleball courts, volleyball courts, and more. The park will have something for everyone to enjoy, including playgrounds, a great lawn, quiet spaces, and a dog park. We want to offer the community recreational facilities while also having access to natural spaces where they can unplug and enjoy themselves. We hope the park builds a community where people can spend quality time together outside.