Scott's Addition festival raises money to bring neighborhood's first permanent public park

RICHMOND, Va. — A summer-long fundraising campaign to bring Scott's Addition its first permanent public park wrapped up Sunday with an all-day music festival at Brambly Park.

The "Plant a Park Fest" at brought together local musicians, artisan vendors, and Scott's Addition spirits to raise money for Christie's Garden — a planned public park on the site of the former Christie's Garden space, one block from Brambly Park.

The event was hosted by Brambly Park, the Capital Region Land Conservancy, and the Greater Scott's Addition Association. Ticket proceeds, plus 10% of food and drink sales at Brambly Park, went toward the fundraiser.

Brambly Park owner Bobby Kruger said Scott's Addition desperately needs more green space as the neighborhood's population has grown.

"We're just trying to help them get to their stretch goals so they can build another green space in Scott's Addition because we're tired of being the only one to hold down the green spaces," Kruger said.

WATCH: Why Scott's Addition desperately needs more green space

Kruger said the need is straightforward.

"The population density here has scaled up and up and up. We've got more and more apartment buildings and more people in the area and as we develop that stuff and we bring people to the area, we need places for them to go and be able to hang out and be outside," Kruger said.

He said the idea for the festival grew out of a conversation with the Capital Region Land Conservancy, which had secured the lot and needed to close a funding gap to make the park conversion happen.

"They contacted me to see if we could do like a giveback night, and I was like, 'Why don't we do something that raises a lot more visibility and attention on this project, so we get more people looking at it, and they can get more money to hopefully get that goal," Kruger said.

Kruger said the park is intended to be a public space, though planning details are still being worked out by the Capital Region Land Conservancy and the Greater Scott's Addition Association. A mood board at the festival allowed attendees to submit suggestions for what they would like to see in the park.

"Any green space in Scott's Addition where people who have dogs can take their animals and hang out is in dire need," Kruger said.

Kruger said the decision to prioritize green space at Brambly Park itself was intentional — and reflects the same values driving the Christie's Garden project.

"When we bought this property, we looked at it and we could have turned it into more apartments or done a lot more steel and concrete, but it was really important to maintain the tree line," Kruger said. "We're trying to do our part to keep more green space here — to give people a place that gives them a chance to be outside in nature."

Kruger said he hopes Plant a Park Fest becomes an annual tradition, held the day before Labor Day each year.

CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.