Darrell Hawks

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Metro government has a master plan to create a ‘regional anchor park’ for a part of Davidson county that has often felt neglected.

650 acres of former farmland and forests off I-24 in Southeast Davidson County were purchased for approximately 15 million dollars. The land will be transformed into the city’s newest park as part of a project to provide green-spaces to areas that are park-poor.

“A park of this size is warranted and overdue,” said Darrell Hawks, executive director of a local volunteer group.

Hawks has worked with Metro government to gather community support and ideas for the development.

Construction is expected to start in the winter, and the first phase of the plan will develop 65 acres by the end of 2019.

The development could take years, and the city is still trying to figure out how much it will cost. But the area will get used in the meantime. Hawks says there are plans for educational programs for local students, nature hikes and even a community garden.

“We’re approximately 11 miles from downtown Nashville, and you see no visual evidence of that,” Hawks said. “You feel like you’re entirely in nature.”