Beginning in 2018, Richmond leaders began a collaborative process to update the City’s comprehensive plan. Over the course of 12 months, the Richmond Rising movement was used to gather the input, ideas, concerns, and suggestions of hundreds of Richmond residents, business owners, and stakeholders. The final Richmond Rising: A Community Action Plan resulted in 12 priority action steps that ranged from marketing efforts to long-range planning and development projects. One of these strategic action steps included the creation of a management plan for the Whitewater River and Whitewater Gorge Park to support the protection of the City’s natural assets and 
resources. 

Throughout the Richmond Rising process, the City’s parks, open spaces, and recreational programs, including this Whitewater Gorge, were identified as assets to quality of life and overall economic prosperity. During the planning process for the follow-up 2020 Richmond Comprehensive Parks Master Plan, a community-wide survey was used 
to gather input on the City’s parks and recreation system. Out of 1,748 survey respondents, nearly 90% stated that parks, open spaces, and recreational services were important to the quality of life in Richmond.

​

At the onset of the planning process, it became clear that the management plan for the Whitewater Gorge area needed to be more than a development master plan. Instead, the plan needed to provide concepts, recommendations, and an action plan that would identify how the Department could protect, improve, and activate the 150-acre park.