April and Dr. Marvin Chang with their sons Mitchell (left) and Evan. The couple formed the Mitchell Chang Foundation in honor of their son who drowned in 2018 at a swim school.
A PLAYGROUND FOR ALL
assistive devices, she said. “[The design] has morphed and shifted. We worked to incorporate all disabilities,” she said. GameTime, part of playground manufacturer PlayCore, will o cially recognize Mitchell’s Landing as a National Demonstration Site for inclusive play and youth physical activity, April Chang said. She said Mitchell’s Landing and Classen-Steubing Ranch Park both will serve as recreational beacons in Stone Oak. “This park is going to be a destination, even for people from outside [Bexar County]. This is de nitely needed in the area,” April Chang said.
April Chang, co-founder and co- director of the Mitchell Chang Foundation, said the COVID-19 pandemic’s e ects, supply chain issues and rising installation prices all have contributed to prolonging the nonpro t’s e orts to advance the Mitchell’s Landing playground project. But April Chang said the delays also gave the organization time to secure the needed project funds and to develop a comprehensive playground design meant to spark imagination, social interaction, engagement, and physical and cognitive activity among all users. The playground’s design also accommodates various disabilities and
An artist’s rendering depicts Mitchell’s Landing, an all-abilities, inclusive, pirate-
themed playground that will be located at Classen-Steubing Ranch Park.
RENDERING AND PHOTO COURTESY THE MITCHELL CHANG FOUNDATION
be especially popular with neighbor- hood school teachers, students, nat- uralists and birdwatchers. “There’s a lot of unique charac- teristics you won’t nd in any other park,” Garcia said, referencing the hilly landscape surrounding the sub- urban park site. Bridging recreational gaps In the mid-2000s, Phil Hard- berger, the mayor of San Antonio at the time, led a charge to acquire 204 acres of the Voelcker property south of Shavano Park and turn the land into an urban park, now called Phil Hardberger Park. Hardberger said Classen-Steubing Ranch Park will be sizable and serve as a community asset in di erent ways—much like his namesake development. “[Stone Oak] is an area in need of more park space and preservation of green space,” Hardberger said. “A large park development can have a substantial impact on the city overall but have a more immediate impact on the people of Stone Oak.” Hardberger said he feels Clas- sen-Steubing Ranch Park will ll mul- tiple needs for children and adults. “You have enough space to diver- sify [recreational features] and enough space for nature preserva- tion for our native animals, owers and green spaces,” he said. Area residents and business people said they, too, look forward to the opening of the new Classen-Steubing Ranch Park. Resident Jessica Shopo said she and her family enjoy outdoor activ- ities, and Classen-Steubing Ranch Park will bring new recreational options closer to home. “The whole family is looking
forward to the hike-and-bike trails, especially now that our youngest is a bicycle rider and can join the fun. My middle daughter is really excited about the softball elds, and we hope that means there will be a team she can join closer to home instead of driving up to Spring Branch,” Shopo said. Greg Barnes, a Stone Oak Property Owners Association board member, said he is eager to see area youth enjoy the new elds and courts. “Although we have great city parks in our area, only the Canyon Ridge Sports Park o ers athletics elds for our community youth. The planned soccer and softball elds at Clas- sen-Steubing [Ranch Park] will help ll this void in the community and the residents that we represent,” Barnes said. Playground for all abilities In addition to traditional ameni- ties, Classen-Steubing Ranch Park will feature Mitchell’s Landing, an inclusive, all-abilities playground that local nonpro t the Mitchell Chang Foundation is gifting to the city as part of the project. The playground’s moniker is inspired by residents April and Dr. Marvin Chang’s son, Mitchell, who at age 3 drowned at a North Side swim school in 2018. Mitchell’s parents said they cre- ated the foundation to promote their son’s love and compassion, and his “fun-loving nature and good story” through positive community service. April Chang said the foundation in April ordered $1.5 million in custom equipment from Tennessee play- ground manufacturer PlayCore. The playground will bear a pirate theme,
MITCHELL’S LANDING HIGHLIGHTS A pirate ship where children can imagine sailing the high seas and
An abandoned Spanish mission where pretend pirates can celebrate A cipher-based challenge for people of all abilities and ages to use mosaic tiles as keys in their adventure
searching for treasure A mock marsh where buccaneers can nd the ideal spot to bury their treasure
COMMUNITY PARTNERS A number of donors have contributed to developing the playground at Mitchell’s Landing.
*$700,000: City of San Antonio $500,000: Dr. Marvin and April Chang $250,000: H-E-B $250,000: Susan Naylor Sellers $120,000: two anonymous donors
$25,000: Greehey Family Foundation $15,000: Audi North Park $10,000: Ancira Automotive Group $10,000: Ketterman Rowland & Westlund $5,000: Bill Miller Bar-B-Q
*$700,000 VALUE OF INFRASTRUCTURE WORK
SOURCE: MITCHELL CHANG FOUNDATION COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
including a ship, inspired by Mitch- ell’s love of pirates, she said. The nonpro t has raised more than $1.2 million in private donations, with another $300,000 needed. The city of San Antonio is providing infrastructure work valued at about $700,000, April Chang said. She said it will take the rest of this year for PlayCore to manufacture the equipment, deliver and install it at Classen-Steubing Ranch Park. “We are con dent in raising the
remaining funding needed for Mitch- ell’s Landing before completion,” she said. Garcia said the all-inclusive play- ground will be an exceptional accom- paniment to the park’s other features. “It’s our pleasure and honor to be caretakers of this special space,” Gar- cia said.
For more information, visit communityimpact.com .
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NORTH SAN ANTONIO EDITION • MAY 2022
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