McIntire Park's Tree Week Saturday Lands on a Garden Under Construction

"How can the loss of these trees serve our mission?" That question is posted on the Botanical Garden of the Piedmont's construction updates page. The Garden asked it while getting ready to clear a path for its biggest project so far. Crews were scheduled to start at 950 Melbourne Road the week of October 19, 2026. On Saturday, November 7, the same grounds host the Garden's free Fall Festival, which is part of ReLeaf Cville's first Cville Tree Week.

For Greenbrier and Rutledge, that timing is the clearest signal yet of which nearby park projects are real. Several planned trails and amenities around these neighborhoods are still budget lines and proposals. The Garden sits at the north end of McIntire Park's east side, and it's the one with construction scheduled to begin this fall. November 7 is its first big public day on that schedule.

What crews are scheduled to build on Melbourne Road

Phase I starts with a pedestrian bridge over the Garden's restored stream. The Garden says the bridge will make about a third of its property easier to reach and will add a new connection to McIntire Park. The rest of the phase includes:

• A Discovery Garden
• A Garden Pavilion
• A new parking plaza with an integrated rain garden
• More native plantings
• The infrastructure needed for the Garden's long-term growth

The Garden stays open during construction, with some changes to access. These trails are closed for now: the mulched trail from the sidewalk, the trail from the driveway entrance toward the railroad tracks, and the trail that runs alongside the tracks. The gravel driveway and parking area stay open. The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources site listing also notes on-street parking along Melbourne Road. The Garden says conditions may change as work goes on and asks visitors to check the construction page before they come. Its last update was dated October 14.

If your usual walk along Melbourne Road includes the mulched trail off the sidewalk, that route is the most likely to be closed the next time you head out.

Where the cut trees go

The Garden says some trees will come down to make room for new paths, structures and infrastructure. Its answer to the question in the opening line is a partnership with the UVA School of Architecture's Sawmilling Program. Wood from those trees will be milled into lumber, which gives architecture students hands-on practice with sustainable building. The Garden also plans to build a solar kiln on site in early 2027 to dry the wood.

The longer plan points the same way. The Garden says future plantings will bring in a wider mix of native trees, shrubs and other plants. A Tree Week festival on a site where some trees are being milled and new ones are going in shows a whole cycle of tree care, beyond what a single walk through the woods would.

November 7, morning at the Garden

The Fall Festival runs 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 950 Melbourne Road. It's free and open to all ages. Here is the posted schedule:

The Garden asks people to register through the "Register Now" links on the festival page or by emailing [email protected]. The page also links to an online waiver and lists the community organizations that will have tables. The schedule may change, and thunder or lightning cancels Garden activities. ReLeaf's description promises tree walks, a tree planting and outdoor meditation among the trees.

The 10 a.m. hour has the most going on. If you're coming for both the 500 Year Forest Walk and the Bartlett Tree Experts workshop, you'll have to pick one, because they run at the same time.

Evening under the oaks at The Grove

The day ends a short way across McIntire Park East. The StarDance Silent Disco: Tree Week Celebration takes place at The Grove. The Grove is a stone terrace on a hilltop under oaks that the Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce describes as 150 years old, and it was built to honor community leadership.

ReLeaf's listing gives a 4:45 p.m. time at the top and a 5:00 p.m. start in the event description. Arriving by 4:45 covers both. The event opens with a poetry reading and guided meditation, moves into dancing with silent-disco headphones at sunset, and ends with another guided meditation. It's substance-free, and the organizer says ticket prices go toward equipment costs. Registration is linked from the Tree Week schedule.

To get there, the Chamber suggests parking in the Skate Park lot at McIntire Park Drive and Rugby Avenue. From there it's a 5 to 10 minute walk over the pedestrian bridge, then a left onto the paved walkway.

The Garden and The Grove are both on the east side of the park. That makes November 7 a full day without a car trip across town: Melbourne Road in the morning, the hilltop oaks at sunset.

If you'd rather spend the afternoon working, the Rivanna Conservation Alliance holds a Forest Restoration Workday at Riverview Park from 1 to 3 p.m. Volunteers will tend riparian buffer plantings and remove invasive plants. Registration is required, and volunteers under 18 must be supervised by an adult.

Built, budgeted, or still a sketch

The Garden's construction stands out because most park and trail plans around Greenbrier and Rutledge are at much earlier stages. Here is where the nearby projects stand, according to recent reporting and city documents:

The Meadow Creek Valley Trail affects Greenbrier the most directly, since its planned route starts on Greenbrier Drive and crosses two pedestrian bridges on the way to Brandywine Drive. Information Charlottesville reports that the project has been in the works since the early 2010s. In April 2026, the same outlet reported that the estimate had risen to $4.9 million. City Council had tentatively backed moving $1.5 million to the trail, with a goal of putting the work out to bid in the summer. The city's capital improvement report says earlier bids came in over budget, lists construction and end dates as to be determined, and says the city is preparing to rebid.

At McIntire Park itself, Parks and Recreation Director Riaan Anthony described the pump track, BMX court and dog park as "visionary" ideas. That puts them in the same category as Pen Park improvements and a Rivanna River access plan, according to Information Charlottesville's coverage of the department's September 21 work session with Council. Requests in that category make up most of the roughly $78.2 million in projected ten-year requests. The newer Charlottesville Parks Foundation can raise money only for projects that have gone through a public process and been presented to the advisory board.

So the trail from Greenbrier Drive is still waiting on a bid, and the McIntire amenities are still ideas. On Melbourne Road, construction is scheduled to start with a bridge that the Garden says will connect about a third of its property to the rest of McIntire Park.

At Nest Realty, we track the park and trail projects around Greenbrier and Rutledge the same way we track sales, separating what's built and funded from what's still on paper. If you'd like to talk about how nearby changes like the Garden's bridge or the Meadow Creek trail might matter for your home, we're glad to help. Get Started Now.