Weston has two playground projects going at once this fall, and both come down to parking. At Vista Park, the contract the City Commission approved in September tears out the existing playground so new parking spaces can be built in its place. On Bonaventure Boulevard, the Windmill Ranch Park rebuild is giving that park its first parking lot and its own entrance. Vista's playground is being removed to make room for cars, and Windmill Ranch's playground is being rebuilt with a lot so people can finally get to it.
For anyone who plans weekend mornings around a shaded playground, the city's playground map is changing. One familiar spot goes away for a while. A park on Bonaventure that many neighbors never knew was public gets a front door.
What the Vista Park Contract Removes, and What It Puts Back
Vista Park at 18800 Vista Park Boulevard opened in June 2005. It's a 30-acre athletic park next to Cypress Bay High School, with four multipurpose fields for football, lacrosse and soccer, plus softball fields, shelters, a shaded playground and restrooms. The city calls the next phase the development of the park's "final five acres." The centerpiece is the PLEX, a 45,000-square-foot recreation center with indoor courts, a gymnasium, multipurpose rooms and an indoor walking and running track.
On September 28, 2026, the commission voted 5-0 to award the $33,792,599 contract to Pirtle Construction Company. Four companies bid, and Pirtle's grand total was the lowest. The resolution notes that the commission had already authorized up to $40 million in Public Improvements Revenue Bonds to pay for the project and related costs.
The playground change is in the bid table. Item 25 covers "Demolition and Disposal of Existing Playground and adjacent area," which leaves the ground "ready to accept the construction and installation of new parking lot spaces." Item 26 covers the new parking spaces at the existing south lot.
The playground isn't gone for good. The same project builds a new shaded playground and a splash pad. It also adds outdoor multipurpose courts under a covered steel roof, an outdoor pavilion, a new access drive to the south parking lot, and artificial turf on two of the existing grass soccer fields. The city's project page, last updated October 9, says construction starts in November 2026 and should finish in May 2028.
That's about an 18-month build, and for some stretch of it, Vista will have neither its old playground nor the new one. The city hasn't posted the date the current playground closes. As of late October, the city's playground closure feed didn't list Vista as closed. The project page lists traffic impacts as "None." In August, the city opened two replacement shelters at Vista with new shade and seating.
Windmill Ranch Has Never Had a Front Door
On Bonaventure, the opposite problem is being fixed. Windmill Ranch Park sits beside Everglades Elementary School on Bonaventure Boulevard. Until this rebuild, you could only reach it through the school. In its July 30 update, the City of Weston put it plainly:
"It is common that many residents did not realize this is a City park, as the park did not have its own parking area. Access was via school property, as was the parking."
The $5,779,219 redesign, built by Burke Construction Group, adds direct access and dedicated parking from Bonaventure Boulevard. According to the city's project page, the new park includes:
- A multipurpose open play field and event lawn
- An accessible playground with a shade canopy
- A sand court for beach volleyball and beach tennis
- A multicourt for basketball and pickleball
- A Bankshot family basketball area
- Exercise equipment and a shaded picnic area
- A walking path with a soft poured-in-place surface
- Restrooms, landscaping and parking
Construction began September 2, 2025. An older directory listing said the park would reopen after June 2026. The city's July update moved that to "early Fall." On October 23, the city's Statusfy playground feed still read "Windmill Ranch is closed." The project page gives the address as 2900 Bonaventure Boulevard, and the parks directory uses 2902. Either one will get you to the new entrance.
Put the two projects side by side and the timing matters. If Windmill Ranch opens around the time crews start at Vista, Weston gains a shaded playground on Bonaventure Boulevard about when it loses one on Vista Park Boulevard.
Where the Shaded Playgrounds Are Open in the Meantime
Weston has plenty of shaded playgrounds besides these two. The city's parks directory lists these, not counting Vista and Windmill Ranch:
| Park | Address | What else is there |
|---|---|---|
| Weston Regional Park | 20200 Saddle Club Road | Athletic fields, rinks, event stage, Community Center |
| Gator Run Park | 1101 Park Boulevard | Restrooms, shelters, lighted walkway |
| Peace Mound Park | 1300 Three Village Road | Fishing dock, water view, Weston History Walk |
| Tequesta Trace Park | 600 Indian Trace | Skate park, athletic facilities |
| Eagle Point Park | 18691 North Lake Boulevard | Replacement playground listed as completed |
| Bonaventure Park | 520 Racquet Club Road | Playground shade structure listed as completed |
| Indian Trace Park | 17998 Saddle Club Road | Shaded playground |
| Country Isles Park | 2260 Country Isles Road | Shaded playground |
| Emerald Estates Park | 16400 Emerald Estates Drive | Shaded playground |
Two of these are the closest match to what Vista families will be giving up. In December 2023, Gator Run got a new playground with new equipment, safety surfacing and a shade structure. The city's update at the time described universal equipment, surfacing and shade structures at both Gator Run and Regional Park. Regional Park sits on Saddle Club Road, so it's the natural fallback for families who used Vista's playground before or after games.
Not every city park has one. The city directory lists no playground at Library Park on Bonaventure Boulevard or at Heron Park on Three Village Road.
The easiest way to check before you drive over is the city's Park / Field Closures page, which pulls in Statusfy notices park by park. On October 23 it showed Windmill Ranch as the only playground closure. The other amenity closure, dated October 5, was the padel courts at Weston Racquet Club. When Vista's playground closes and when Windmill Ranch opens, this page is likely to show it before anything else.
This Saturday, Regional Park Has the Afternoon and the Evening
Regional Park is also where the city's free family programming happens this weekend. On Saturday, November 7, the schedule runs from early afternoon into the evening at 20200 Saddle Club Road:
- Kid-tacular, 1:30 to 2:15 PM, at the Weston Community Center, featuring Marci Poppins The Explorer. A second show starts at 3 PM. Admission is free, and children must attend with an adult.
- The afternoon in between is a good time for the Regional Park playground, a few steps from the Community Center.
- Moonlight Movie, 7:30 to 9:15 PM, at the Regional Park Event Stage, showing Toy Story 5. It's free. The city suggests bringing chairs or blankets and notes that titles can change.
Regional Park's courts are on the way too. The city plans seven covered pickleball courts and a new maintenance building there, and its project page lists the work as "Bid in progress" with no construction dates yet. Between that project, the PLEX at Vista and the Windmill Ranch rebuild, Weston has work planned or underway at three parks at once. The Vista project page puts that project's finish in May 2028, when Vista's new playground and splash pad are due to open beside the PLEX.
If you own a home near Vista Park Boulevard or along Bonaventure, the next 18 months will change what's within walking distance of your front door. That makes now a good time to understand where your home's value stands. Florida 360 Group follows Weston projects like these block by block, and Tom Pidgeon's team can show you how the changes nearby fit into a current valuation. Get Your Instant Home Valuation to start.
