Biggest master plan in Boston Common history reimagines park

Officials in Boston are unveiling a new master plan for the future of Boston Common on Wednesday.

It envisions a park with better sports facilities, dining options, a denser tree canopy and an array of new restrooms.

The $28 million sale of Winthrop Square garage was a windfall for efforts to renew Boston Common. Now, city officials have a clearer picture of where to spend the money.

People can sometimes feel disappointed after entering the park from the well-manicured public garden, said Liz Vizza of the nonprofit Friends of the Public Garden. Calling the master plan the most comprehensive in Boston Common's four-century history, she said the park will better match its historical character with its contemporary needs.

"It's a plan of action that builds on looking at all of those different lenses: history, use, landscape character, and how it can grow in a sustainable way in the world of climate change," she said.

The plan includes a basketball court, an expanded visitor center, and a dine-in restaurant overlooking a renovated Frog Pond.

Members of the public can express their own priorities for the plan's implementation during a 45-day public comment period that ends Nov. 30.

According to Mayor Michelle Wu's office, the master plan sets five guiding principles:

Ryan Woods, Boston's commissioner of parks and recreation, said in a press release that the plan results from a robust community outreach process.

"Future park users will find improvements throughout the common with increased flexibility, better use of space, new features, and enhanced visitor orientation and interpretation," Woods said.