FROM THE GAP

On September 24, Kanopi Gap joined the City of Chesterfield and LJC Design + Engineering for a community open house sharing the emerging vision for the Chesterfield Grand Entrance. The project looks at a steep, highly visible hillside between the city’s developing Downtown and Central Park and asks what it could become: not simply a way through, but a civic landscape where people can walk, gather, pause, and experience Chesterfield from a new perspective. 26-0924 Open House Boards v3

The challenge—and opportunity—is in the land itself. Nearly 48 feet of elevation change separates the top and bottom of the site. The emerging concept works with that hillside through a sequence of accessible garden walks, stairs, terraces, overlooks, gathering spaces, a quieter woodland path, and a potential pedestrian bridge across Chesterfield Parkway. Together, those elements could turn a difficult connection into a destination in its own right. 26-0924 Open House Boards v3

Three ideas have guided the work so far: celebrate, gather, and pause. Create an arrival that feels distinctly Chesterfield. Give people reasons to meet and spend time there. And make room for quieter moments—to sit in the shade, move through a garden, or take in a view across the city. 26-0924 Open House Boards v3

But an emerging vision isn’t a finished one.

At the open house, residents were invited to help shape some of the decisions still ahead. Should the hillside become a more immersive landscape of native and adapted planting, or incorporate more flexible lawn? Should the connection across Chesterfield Parkway happen at grade, or could a pedestrian bridge become both a safer connection and a recognizable civic landmark?

Those conversations matter. As the City considers an investment of this scale, community feedback gives the design team another layer of understanding about what people value and how they hope to use the place. First Alert 4 joined the open house and spoke with residents about those priorities, including preserving nature and introducing additional landscape features. The team will use the input gathered to refine the concept before it moves forward for City Council consideration.

Learn more about the Chesterfield Grand Entry vision here.