Van Vleet Playground Replacement

Van Vleet Neighborhood Park (Flint Ave. & Topeka Ln.) is open for play! Thank you to all the community members who helped plan and design this fun, forest-critter-themed playground.

Vancouver Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services will host a playground celebration for the community later this spring, information will be sent out once a date is set. In the meantime, neighbors are encouraged to explore their new playground!

Project Overview

This 2.8-acre park in the Northwood neighborhood was originally part of a planned community constructed by the Vancouver Housing Authority in the Heights area after WWII. Installed in 1994, the play equipment at Van Vleet Neighborhood Park is in poor condition, does not meet current ADA standards and will become a safety concern if it is not replaced. In 2023, Vancouver Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services (VPRCS) is going to replace the play equipment to better serve neighborhood residents.

The budget for this project is focused on replacing the play equipment in the existing location and adding a few additional amenities. No changes will be made to the rest of the park.

Wait, did you say Van Vleet?

That’s right… Van Vleet! The original park name was chosen in 1963 to recognize Lewis Van Vleet, an early Clark County surveyor and the original grantee of the acreage where the park sits. Mr. Van Vleet was very involved public matters, and in 1856 represented Clark County in the upper house of the Territorial Legislature for three years. He was a representative in the Clark County lower house in 1860 and represented Cowlitz county in the lower house in 1871.Van Vleet's daughter Louisa V. Wright went on to become Clark County's first female doctor in 1887.

While researching the park to prepare for the upcoming playground replacement, Vancouver Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services staff discovered that at some point in time, the park’s name was misspelled as “Van Fleet.” The correct “Van Vleet” park name was confirmed through articles in The Columbian archive, documentation from the 1963 Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission meetings and burial records at Fern Prairie Cemetery.

It's unclear how or when the misspelling first happened but now that the history of the park has been uncovered, it is important to respond appropriately. As part of the playground replacement project, a new park sign will be installed to recognize the connection to Lewis Van Vleet, as originally intended, and all references to the park will be updated to the correct name, Van Vleet Neighborhood Park.

What We've Heard

Neighbors were invited to participate in a pre-design survey in February 2023. The survey asked about the types of amenities and playground equipment that are needed and the theme they would like for the new playground. A Forest Critters theme was the most popular choice among residents.

In May 2023, neighbors were invited to an open house to view two playground design concepts using the Forest Critters theme. Park designers are using the feedback collected at that time to create a final playground design that will be the best fit for the park and then neighbors.