Community members petition for public park on old Lamberts Point Golf Course

There’s a grassroots effort for more grass in Norfolk, led by two women inspired by the public parks movement of the 19th century.

Mary Beth Horton and Liz Paiste bonded in their garden club over their shared interest in Frederick Law Olmsted, the landscape architect behind Central Park and dozens of other public green spaces nationwide. Now, the two are circulating a petition to turn part of the old Lamberts Point Golf Course into a 15-acre public park, citing a lack of parks in Norfolk.

“Because I have three dogs and I walk the entire west side of town, I was realizing how little green space for the public we have,” Horton said.

Horton and Paiste have calculated that only a small percent of Norfolk’s land area is dedicated to public park space.

Their petition has 1,098 signatures out of their 1,500 goal, as of Monday.

The Lamberts Point Golf Course in Norfolk, Virginia, as seen July 3, 2023. Norfolk residents are organizing a petition to the city to transform the old Lamberts Point Golf Course into a public park. Read More 

Cianna Morales, 757-957-1304, cianna.morales@virginiamedia.com