Rebecca Howard Park Plan

About Rebecca Howard Park

In 2018, the City of Olympia bought a corner parcel in downtown Olympia for economic development. During the 2020 Black Lives Matters protest in response to the murder of George Floyd, the focus for the site shifted from housing to healing to provide a safe place for community members to find peace, connection, and belonging. The property was then transferred over to the Olympia Parks Department to develop into a park.

A stakeholder group of interested City staff and community members was formed to discuss the possibilities for this space, which led to its renaming to Rebecca Howard Park in honor of Olympia’s first Black businesswoman in the early years of the Pacific Northwest. Revered and respected for her hospitality, humor and no-nonsense demeanor, Howard was a well-loved Olympia pioneer. The stakeholder group identified five park purpose-and-goal statements to help assist with preliminary design concepts for the site, they included:

1. To celebrate, honor, and recognize the local history and contributions of our African American and Black community members.
2. To provide a safe place for peace and healing, that honors representation and fosters a sense of belonging and inclusion.
3. To promote equity, respect, and learning as we build community together.
4. To find common ground with each other through storytelling, performance and art - especially stories, performances, and art from, or promoted by and led by our African American and/or Black community members.
5. To build strong connections with the surrounding neighbors and organizations.

What’s happening now?

The Rebecca Howard Park Development Plan is here! It is full of inspirational images, embracing spaces, creative ideas, and amazing stories that bring to light the obstacles and achievements of Olympia’s Black community.

The Park Development Plan illustrates the design of Rebecca Howard Park and allows the City of Olympia to move forward with setting a budget to allocate funds and apply for grants. The plan provides a more detailed design plan for Rebecca Howard Park including planting, paving, pathways, structures, seating, and opportunities for art as well as technical memos for stormwater, parking, and cost estimates. It also documents the engagement process including input and feedback provided by the steering committee and community members.

Please look over the document and take the short -one question survey below if you want to provide feedback. Survey closes Sunday, November 23.

What’s Next?

After this next round of community review, we will bring the Rebecca Howard Park Development Plan to City Council for approval in early 2026. We will be looking for funding opportunities to apply for over the next year. Likely, the park will be built in phases (park, building, festival street) in order to get started on construction earlier than having to wait for all the funding to come through.