Richmond | Easement final step in effort to transform Mayo’s Island into public park

A new conservation easement will protect Mayo’s Island in the heart of the James River in Richmond from development, allowing the city to move forward with plans to transform the 14.5-acre island into a public park.

The city, which acquired the property in 2024, will manage Mayo’s Island as part of its James River Park System. 

“As the City of Richmond welcomes Mayo Island into the James River Park System, we celebrate more than a land purchase and the establishment of the conservation easement,” Richmond Mayor Danny Avula said. “We celebrate the power of vision, the strength of partnership, and our shared commitment to a thriving Richmond — one where our environment is sustainable, our neighborhoods are strong, and our river continues to flow at the heart of our city’s life.”

The easement was required under state grant programs that supported the project. In 2022, the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation awarded a $7.5 million Community Flood Preparedness Fund grant to the city, and the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation awarded a $1.5 million grant to the Capital Region Land Conservancy, an accredited nonprofit land trust, for the protection and restoration of Mayo’s Island.

Previously home to a baseball stadium, boat club and music venue, the island has a history of flooding over the past three centuries.

The city’s plans for Mayo’s Island call for removing asphalt parking lots and industrial buildings and planting mixes of meadow grasses and various other plants, including wildflowers.

“The transformation of Mayo’s Island into open space will provide significant environmental and flood resilience benefits, while at the same time creating a much-needed recreational outlet for the area,” said Matthew Wells, the director of the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation.

“DCR is proud to partner with the City of Richmond and Capital Region Land Conservancy to help protect and restore Mayo’s Island in the heart of the James River,” Wells said.

“Following the success of other DCR co-held riverfront conservation easement projects like Dock Street and Brander Street, CRLC recognized the unique timing for state grant funding that could fulfill the City’s comprehensive plan by working to acquire Mayo’s Island,” said L. Preston Bryant Jr., the president of the Capital Region Land Conservancy.

“We understood the singular opportunity this presented and also its challenges but were undeterred as our dedicated staff partnered with an incredible team to protect these additional 14.5 acres. It is therefore with great privilege that CRLC has assembled 25 acres of additional parkland on the James River in downtown Richmond since 2021,” Bryant said.

Phased demolition is expected to begin on the east side of the island before the end of the year, with an opening of the new park planned for the fall of 2026.