With a tip of the hat to its farm and train themed history, the seeds of the Knightdale Station project were initially planted when the town purchased a tract of land formerly occupied by the towns ex-mayor, Billy Wilder in 2011.
True to the opportunistic and ambitious work ethic that has helped Knightdale to continuously grow and evolve since its inception, the town took the “fast track, ” hiring the highly accredited CLH Design of Cary who leant their creative vision to the project, jumping right into the planning and development of Knightdale Station Park. The town officially opened the 76-acre first phase of the project in September of 2013, just two years following the initial purchase of the land. With two miles of paved trails, the town’s first dog park, athletic fields, picnic shelters, and a fabulous new playground for the kids, the completed first phase is only the beginning of this spectacular project linking the town’s current generation to those who came before them and laid the ground work for projects such as Knightdale Station that have helped the town to continue as one of North Carolina’s fastest growing municipalities.
Giving a nod to the town’s past, the play area at Knightdale Station, developed by the skilled team at Asheville Playgrounds, once again links the future to a time gone by as it follows a farm and train themed pattern as a reminder of Knightdale’s railroad and agricultural past. Whether it’s the two story silo featuring a tube slide, the mock railroad crossing complete with the bell and whistle sounds of a locomotive, the “chicken coop” area, a bouncy horse “corral,” or the train tunnel and slide combo area, the playground is a constant reminder to today’s youth of the forefathers who blazed the trails and set the stage for the continued evolution of the town in a setting that will allow for current residents or prospective transplants of all ages to call home.
With town officials planning to use Knightdale Station Park as home base for community events, town celebrations, and sporting events and two more phases of development set to include an amphitheater, tennis courts, an arboretum, and space for a farmer’s market in addition to a 300 acre community to feature a mix of town homes and single family home sites developed by the Preston Development Company in accordance with some of the top home building teams in the area, its safe to say that the “runaway train” called Knightdale Station has only just begun spinning its wheels.
