"We've been looking forward to the day we could welcome the community back to Kelley Park," Apple Valley Parks & Recreation Director Eric Carlson said as the renovated park reopened on Saturday, September 26.
The day had waited longer than planned. In a May 2025 project presentation, the city listed Kelley Park as "Open for use June 2026." The ribbon cutting came instead on the last Saturday of September. That means the splash pad, the new amphitheater and the bowl lawn built for concert sightlines all opened after the season they were designed for.
A few addresses away, a second project has slipped on a similar schedule. Picklehall, an 18-court indoor pickleball hall with its own food vendors, was once expected around mid-2026 and is now slated to open by November. Neither delay was coordinated, but together they put the two projects in order. The park gets a short autumn preview, the indoor hall picks up the cold months, and the rebuilt Kelley Park gets its first full summer in 2027.
What's Standing at 6855 Fortino Street Now
The renovation was led by Confluence landscape architects with JLG Architects and paid for by the 2023 Apple Valley Parks Referendum. JLG lists these pieces in the finished park:
- Purple Bear Playground. This is the centerpiece, with slides and climbing elements by Earthscape Play and Midwest Playscapes and a big purple bear character that gives the playground its name.
- Amphitheater and bandshell. The stage moved to the southwest side of the park and now faces a gently sloped natural bowl lawn. The bandshell has a thermally modified wood canopy and polished black concrete laid in an ashlar pattern.
- Interactive splash pad. Its drains collect the water and recycle it for the park's irrigation, a system designed with Reengineered.
- A shelter and a large mobile LED screen.
- Restroom building. It has three ADA-accessible restrooms, exposed cross-laminated timber decking, and a connection to a looped trail system.
- Expanded parking. Part of the new lot is set aside for food trucks.
Every building is solar-ready, so photovoltaic panels can be added later. That's a long-term detail, and it fits a park whose most expensive features were designed for a summer that hasn't come yet.
The grand opening ran from noon to 7:30 p.m., with food trucks, park dedications and an official ribbon cutting. It ended with Urban Classic, a tribute to the music of Earth, Wind & Fire led by drummer Michael Bland, who played with Prince and the New Power Generation for seven years. For a first night, that showed what the bowl lawn is for. Facing the stage from the slope during a horn-section set is the use the stage relocation was planned around.
Which Parts Work in October
Fall is a good test of this design, and the results are mixed. The Purple Bear Playground and the looped trails need nothing but daylight and a jacket, so those are the parts of the renovation a resident can count on through October. The restroom building next to the trail matters more than it sounds. Accessible restrooms beside a loop make a longer walk with small children workable in a way the old park couldn't always offer.
The splash pad is harder to pin down. The city hasn't published a seasonal schedule for it, so it's best to check with Apple Valley Parks & Recreation before promising anyone water play. Nothing is scheduled for the amphitheater or the LED screen yet. The Apple Valley Arts Foundation's event calendar lists no upcoming events after the September 26 opening. A city design presentation uses "Downtown Movies in the Park" as the name for the Kelley Park stage, but it gives no dates. Movies on the lawn are an intended use of the space, not something on the calendar for this fall.
That gap is the clearest evidence that the park arrived out of season. Its paved, accessible, all-weather pieces are ready to use now. Its gathering pieces will wait for programming, and in Minnesota that probably means spring.
The Indoor Half of the Relay: Picklehall at 7169 153rd Street W.
Picklehall takes over the role Kelley Park can't play in winter. In June, the city's community development newsletter reported that the concrete walls and structural framework were largely in place for the 18-court facility at 7169 153rd Street W., being developed by Markid II Properties. Plans include a food hall with four restaurant vendors and a tap wall. The vendors announced so far are:
- North Star Deli
- El Sazon
- Habibi's Halal
- Traveler's Tea Company
The Star Tribune's September 8 roundup describes the tap wall as self-pour and lists Picklehall under "coming soon," with an opening planned by November 2026. As of the end of September, no opening has been announced, so November is a target, not a date to plan around.
The El Sazon stall carries a backstory. Owners Cristian and Karen de Leon closed El Sazon Cocina & Tragos at 5309 Lyndale Ave. S. in Minneapolis on Aug. 15 after almost three years. They are keeping their other El Sazon businesses and Xelas, and they plan a new El Sazon at Picklehall. An operator who left a Minneapolis storefront and chose an Apple Valley pickleball hall as the next address is a signal about where these owners expect winter foot traffic in the south metro.
Picklehall's design is the reverse of Kelley Park's. The park relies on weather and draws crowds with programming. The hall is enclosed, and its food keeps people there between games. A household could use the park through October and then move indoors when the playground gets too cold.
The 148th Street and Cedar Avenue Openings Underneath It All
Between the two anchors, Apple Valley's everyday food options grew this year. Several new places have opened on and near West 148th Street:
| Spot | Address | What it is | Opened |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Golden Nuts | 7535 W. 148th St. | Sweets and snack shop, expanding from Columbia Heights | March 2026 |
| Serious Sanji | 7625 W. 148th St. | Soup dumplings, dim sum, noodles, bubble tea; first Minnesota location | June 2026 |
| Chicken Salad Chick | 14658 Cedar Ave. | Chicken salad on croissants or bread; first Twin Cities location | July 28, 2026 |
| 7 Brew | 15440 English Ave. | Arkansas-based drive-thru coffee chain | June 2026 |
Three of those four are firsts for Minnesota or the Twin Cities. The franchisees behind Chicken Salad Chick plan more locations across Hennepin, Ramsey and Dakota counties, so the Cedar Avenue store is where that expansion begins. Serious Sanji's warm dumplings and noodles suit October better than anything on a food-truck menu.
October's Calendar Stays Away From the New Park
The city's October events are at the familiar locations, not at Kelley Park:
- Saturday, Oct. 3, 9 a.m. to noon. The Big Apple Garage Sale in the Splash Valley Water Park parking lot.
- Tuesday through Thursday, Oct. 6 to 8, 6 to 8 p.m. Fire Department open houses at Station 1 on Oct. 6, Station 2 on Oct. 7 and Station 3 on Oct. 8.
- Saturday, Oct. 31, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. A free Trunk or Treat at the Splash Valley lot, 14421 Johnny Cake Ridge Road, with city vehicles and staff, according to the Apple Valley Chamber's listing. It hasn't appeared on the city's own October calendar yet, so check the details closer to the date.
After that the calendar goes quiet. The city's November listing shows only the General Election, and no holiday tree lighting had been posted as of late September. That quiet stretch matches Picklehall's November target.
Two more fall completions round out the season. At Redwood Park, the new community pool opened June 5, and the inclusive destination playground is expected to be finished this fall. Next to the Orchard Place Apartments at 15665 English Ave., the rebuilt North Creek Greenway trailhead is planned with a plaza gathering area, gazebos, pergolas and extra seating. The whole project is expected to finish in November 2026.
Kelley Park's First Full Season Is Summer 2027
Taken together, the timeline is clear. Kelley Park's paved and accessible features are ready this fall. Picklehall is aiming to carry the indoor months starting in November. The bandshell, the bowl lawn, the LED screen and the recycling splash pad will get their first full season in summer 2027, a year after the city's original June 2026 target.
Every time a new park or a destination like Picklehall comes to downtown Apple Valley, the story buyers hear about the area changes. For homeowners thinking about a 2027 listing, Shelly Rae and the team at Your Home By Design can show how to stage and time a sale so the photos and showings land when Kelley Park is in full use. Start Your Home By Design by scheduling a free market and staging consultation.