Lents got an early Christmas gift this year with the announcement that several groups are coming together to begin development of a master plan for Lents Park.

At a Monday night meeting at the Reedway Place apartments in Lents, Commissioner Nick Fish announced that more than $100,000 in funding has been secured to fund development of a master plan for the 38-acre park, which is the heart of the Lents neighborhood. The majority of the funding will come from the Lents Town Center Urban Renewal Area.

The last master plan for Lents Park was drafted in 1981, before construction of Interstate 205 through the heart of the neighborhood.

“This is excellent, and overdue news,” said Nick Christensen, a vice chairman of the Lents Neighborhood Association and a member of the Friends of Lents Park steering committee. “Lents Park has several areas that need improvement and tremendous opportunities to better serve the community’s needs.”

Parks Director Zari Santner outlined the master planning process at the meeting, which was attended by representatives from the neighborhood association and several grassroots groups dedicated to community improvement. Groups with members at the meeting included the Lents Neighborhood Association, the Lents Urban Renewal Advisory Committee, the Green Lents initiative and Friends of Lents Park.

According to Santner, the process should take about a year, and will rely heavily on community involvement. Opportunities for involvement will be announced at a later date.