Orange County opens first phase of Horizon West Regional Park with $15.6 million investment

Orange County officials and community members marked the ribbon cutting for the first phase of Horizon West Regional Park, highlighting infrastructure completed to support future recreational features. Speaker 1 opened the event and said the park’s initial facilities are now available to the public.

The county described the project as a $15,600,000 investment supported by the Board of County Commissioners. Speaker 2 said they and Commissioner Wilson broke ground on phase one nearly two years earlier and framed the work as part of the county’s long-term parks inventory.

"This 215 acres is gonna be able to actually provide a space for not just playgrounds, but many other features including hiking trails, sports fields, [and a] splash pad," Speaker 1 said, describing the scope of amenities planned across the site. Speakers also noted that phase one focused on infrastructure: power, a road, and a wide sidewalk designed to improve access for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians.

Speaker 3 described earlier informal use of the land — people cutting their own paths to reach a pond — and said the new restroom and formal access points will make the park more family-friendly and easier to use.

Speaker 2 placed the new site in context for residents, saying the county now lists more than 15,000 acres in its parks inventory and called this the county’s 114th park. Speaker 4 invited neighbors to use the space and noted county leaders and the mayor attended the opening.

"This is what local government does best, is to invest in quality of life things," Speaker 1 said, thanking residents for attending. Officials said additional features beyond phase one will be completed in later phases; no formal votes or actions were recorded at the ceremony.