About

Holland Ice Park

Community: City of Holland
Population: Over 12,001

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Project Description

The Holland Ice Park is a year-round public space in downtown Holland, opened in 2025 as the realization of a decades-long community vision. The $11+ million project reclaimed a former city dump and transformed it into a destination featuring one of Michigan’s largest skating ribbons, a refrigerated ice pond, curling lane, fire features, and accessible gathering spaces. Located within Window on the Waterfront, the park strengthens ties to downtown, supports local businesses, and allows for activity beyond winter. Over 80% of the project was funded through private support, reflecting a community-driven effort.

At its heart is a story of steady generosity. Inspired by childhood memories of skating and sharing hot cocoa, lifelong resident and teacher Frank Kraai gave consistently for nearly 20 years, culminating in a gift of over $1,000,000.

More than a recreational space, it is a lasting public asset that will bring people together for generations.

Is your project easy to replicate in other communities (clear in its impact and execution for other communities)?

Yes, this project is replicable in other communities because both its impact and execution follow a clear and transferable model. The Holland Ice Park demonstrates how underutilized land can be repurposed into a high-impact public space that brings people together and strengthens community connection, while also supporting economic activity and sustained use. While the scale of investment may vary, the core approach can be adapted to communities of different sizes using the same framework.

From an execution standpoint, the process is straightforward and repeatable: build strong public-private partnerships, secure a mix of funding sources, and ground the project in community input. More than 80% private funding shows how local philanthropy can play a leading role. The team also visited similar sites across the Midwest to inform design and operations, and conducted a month-long community engagement process to ensure the park reflected local priorities.

Equally important are less tangible factors that can be replicated: having a clear vision, maintaining patience and consistency over time, and learning from others.

What is the Community Wealth Impact (based on one or more of the categories you selected) of your project?

The Holland Ice Park creates Community Wealth impact across all six categories in clear and measurable ways.

Public Health: The park expands access to outdoor recreation and social connection, with 33,400 individual skating sessions in its first season and participation across all ages, including more than 40 school groups. It supports both physical activity and meaningful social interaction. Lifelong Learning: The Ice Park supports learning across ages through programs like “Learn to Skate,” school field trips, and ongoing programming. Off-season uses include partnerships with Velo Kids, where children learn how to ride bikes and safely navigate traffic, along with yoga, music, theatre, and other community-based learning opportunities.

Arts & Culture: As part of Window on the Waterfront, a central downtown green space connecting the city to its waterfront, the park serves as a setting for music, theatre, and community events, creating shared experiences that strengthen identity and connection.

Financial Security: With over $9 million in private funding, the project reflects strong local investment while remaining accessible and affordable for users. It generates sufficient operational revenue to sustain itself without placing additional burden on the City. Placer.ai data confirms that Ice Park participants are spending more time and money at nearby businesses, strengthening the local economy.

Infrastructure: The project transformed a former dump, dredge site, and diesel plant into a central public asset that supports both community life and economic activity.

Sustainability: The park incorporates a high-efficiency refrigerated cooling system and energy-efficient HVAC, while reclaiming underutilized land and designing for extended seasonal use to maximize long-term value and environmental stewardship.

These impacts are not one-time outcomes, but ongoing patterns of use, investment, and community connection that position the Ice Park as a lasting civic asset.

Describe the creativity and originality of your project.

The Holland Ice Park stands out for how it reimagines both place and purpose. Rather than building a traditional rink, the project introduced a 700-foot skating ribbon, one of the largest in Michigan, designed to move people through the landscape and create a more social, shared experience. Alongside the ribbon and refrigerated pond, the inclusion of a dedicated curling sheet adds a unique and less common recreational offering, introducing new users to the sport.

The design is intentionally inclusive. For those who don’t skate, the park offers a heated pavilion, hot cocoa, and outdoor fireplaces, creating space to gather, watch, and connect. Creativity is also reflected in the infrastructure, incorporating Holland’s existing downtown snowmelt system, an uncommon approach that improves efficiency and usability.

Located within Window on the Waterfront, the park blends recreation with nature. Its off-season use is equally intentional, supporting biking programs, performances, yoga, and more.

What sets this project apart is not any single feature, but how each element works together to expand who the space is for, how it can be used, and how long it remains active, turning a seasonal concept into a place that brings people together across seasons.