The ground at N. Indian Trail Road and Bedford is torn up, but very little is going up yet. Most of what Meadowglen Park's contractor built this fall is underground, and the City's plan keeps more than half of the 30-acre site as natural land. The park North Indian Trail has wanted for over two decades is being built from the bottom up. When it opens in summer 2027, much of it is meant to look like the field it has always been.
Most of the Fall Work Went Underground
According to the City's latest Meadowglen Park construction update on Together Spokane, the fall work has been mostly utilities and earthwork. Crews are running water, sewer, and power lines and connecting them to the mains, pull boxes, and transformers. Mass grading and drainage work are also underway, and the contractor is moving all of the overhead power lines at the park underground.
The update itself warns residents about what this looks like from the road:
"Community members may not see much happening as a result of underground activities; however, surface earthworks will be quite noticeable."
So the bare graded dirt you see from Indian Trail Road is the visible part of the job. The lighting conduit, the utility connections, and the buried power lines that will eventually feed the restroom and pathways are the hidden part, and they made up most of the fall work.
The contractor, Cameron-Reilly, plans to keep working through the winter months and will focus on building the public restroom. The same update says the project remains on schedule for a 2027 opening. The City's parks levy project list puts Meadowglen's construction window at July 2026 to summer 2027, and an earlier Together Spokane pre-construction update said the park is expected to open in summer 2027.
How the Build Has Moved Since Spring
Most of this has happened in about six months:
- May 14, 2026. The Spokane Park Board approved Cameron-Reilly LLC's construction contract for $5,223,171.30 plus tax, with a $375,000 administrative reserve. On the same agenda, the board approved two play-equipment purchases of $103,046.08 and $318,014.16, plus a $183,147.96 amendment for landscape design.
- July 22, 2026. The City held a groundbreaking ceremony at the corner of N. Indian Trail Road and Bedford.
- Fall 2026. Utility installation, grading, drainage, and the move of overhead power lines underground.
- This winter. Restroom construction.
- Summer 2027. The City's expected opening.
The two play-equipment purchases show that the playground has already been ordered, even though there is no sign of it on site yet.
Half Park, Half Meadow, by Design
Meadowglen sits on roughly 30 acres of City-owned land. The plan develops up to 14 acres as active park and keeps at least 16 acres as natural land. The City's project description says the design "consciously limits the amount of turfgrass" and includes large areas of "meadow landscape."
That shapes what the site will look like when it opens. The finished park will not be lawn from Indian Trail Road to the back fence. The active amenities will sit on the developed portion, with paved paths running through and toward the meadow around them.
Here is how the developed portion breaks down, according to the City's Meadowglen project page:
| Amenity | What the plan includes |
|---|---|
| Playground | New neighborhood playground with rubberized surface |
| Courts | 4 pickleball courts, 2 sand volleyball courts, 2 bocce courts |
| Field | Multipurpose turf field |
| Paths | Paved pathways, ADA improvements, connection to existing soft-surface trails |
| Facilities | Restroom with associated utilities, paved off-street parking lot |
| Landscape | Irrigation and landscape improvements, with large meadow areas |
The City says the pickleball, sand volleyball, and bocce courts, along with the picnic area and trail access, were amenities the neighborhood asked for and chose. The groundbreaking announcement also lists a picnic area and a bus stop among the planned features.
Why This Park, Here
The reason for building Meadowglen comes down to walking distance. The City's project page says more than 2,800 households in North Indian Trail don't have walkable access to a park, which gives the neighborhood the worst park walkability score in the city. Meadowglen gives over 650 of those households a developed park within walking distance.
That works out to about a quarter of the households counted as lacking a walkable park. Meadowglen is also one of three parks named in the City's 2022 park and natural lands master plan for major replacement. The City describes it as a top request from the neighborhood for more than twenty years.
Our summer look at North Indian Trail's evenings covered Meadowglen when it was still a plan. It's now a funded construction site with a contractor working through the winter. For anyone who has been taking the dog farther afield, our fall guide to where North Indian Trail walks while Riverside State Park recovers covers the options until Meadowglen opens.
Who Is Paying for It
Meadowglen is the first major construction project funded by the City's parks levy. The Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office awarded two grants that match $2.5 million in levy funding. The City's groundbreaking release also names Spokane Transit Authority as a matching-grant partner, which fits with the bus stop in the plan.
The levy has more than one park on its active list right now. Meadowglen is the only one listed as a new park under construction. Other levy projects on the same list are restroom renovations and playground, court, and parking repairs at existing parks.
The Lane Closures Next to the Park
If your drive feels slower this month, part of the reason is a separate job near the park. The City's street obstruction notice for Oct. 30 to Nov. 6, 2026 lists MasTec North America work on Indian Trail Road.
- Through Nov. 26. Eastbound and westbound lane closures on Indian Trail Road between Excell and Weile Avenue with flaggers on site, and between Francis and Holyoke Avenues.
- Nov. 2 to Dec. 2. A southbound lane closure on Indian Trail Road between Regina Lane and Bedford Court, right by the park corner.
- Nov. 2 to Dec. 2. A southbound lane closure between Pacific Park Drive and Kathleen Avenue to place new conduit.
This is MasTec's conduit work, a separate job from the park construction. The City lists these dates as tentative, so the latest weekly notice on the City's street notices page is the best source for current closures.
Where to Follow Along This Winter
The Meadowglen project page on Together Spokane has a Follow button that sends notifications about project progress and feedback opportunities. The North Indian Trail Neighborhood Council also meets Tuesday, Nov. 10, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Indian Trail Library, 4909 W. Barnes Road, according to the council's community calendar.
The restroom is the contractor's focus this winter, on a site where most of the fall work has been buried.
If you'd like to talk through what Meadowglen means for your home in North Indian Trail, Alejandro Ventura is glad to help. Let's Connect.
