A $5 million center is being envisioned that would provide Richmond youths with hands-on learning experiences on the shores of the James River.

The nonprofit James River Association, a mostly volunteer guardian of the river since 1976, announced the proposal Tuesday as a major element of its James Changer campaign that is seeking to raise $20 million for river improvement.

The plan for the center emerged after Arlington-based The Conservation Fund completed the purchase of the last big piece of privately owned riverfront property along the south side of Dock Street between Belle Island at 2nd Street and the Intermediate Terminal and Rocketts Landing in Fulton.

Completed last week, the purchase of the 5.2-acre property in the 3000 block of Dock Street consummated a deal that former City Councilman Parker C. Agelasto engineered in his current role as executive director of the nonprofit Capital Region Land Conservancy.

Mr. Agelasto announced the purchase plan in April and arranged for The Conservation Fund, a national nonprofit with deeper pockets, to take on the purchase while the CRLC raised the $4.87 million purchase price.

“The ability to help our partners purchase and secure key properties like this one quickly and effectively is what The Conservation Fund was built for,” said Heather Richards, the fund’s Mid-Atlantic regional director.

Mr. Agelasto has reported that the Capital Region Land Conservancy has raised more than $3.6 million and is continuing to seek funds.

Meanwhile, the national fund, with the approval of the city and other parties, has agreed to sell 1 acre to the James River Association as the site for its new center. If all goes well, the center could be operational in 2024, the organization noted.

“Our goal is to ensure that every child growing up in ‘America’s Best River Town’ is introduced to the James River and enjoys a lifetime of benefits that the river can provide,” said Bill Street, chief executive officer of the James River Association, in outlining the vision for the center.

“Building a leading-edge education center on Richmond’s riverfront would expand our ability to engage local youths, particularly in the historically underserved East End,” Mr. Street stated.

Such a center would aid Richmond Public Schools in its efforts to provide place-based science learning, according to Josh Bearman, who oversees science instruction in city schools.

“The James River Center would represent a great opportunity for our students to take part in meaningful environmental science education that focuses on the issues and resources within their city,” Mr. Bearman noted.

Mr. Agelasto has said the plan is to transfer the remaining 4.2 acres to the city to become a publicly accessible portion of the James River Park System and a link in the walking and biking Capital Trail that links Richmond and Williamsburg.

The city has secured matching grants from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund and the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation to assist the city in reimbursing The Conservation Fund and providing for improvements and continued maintenance.

Mayor Levar M. Stoney applauded the work of the nonprofits in securing this property for parkland “that would benefit Richmonders for generations to come.”

City Council President Cynthia I. Newbille, 7th District, and Council Vice President Ellen F. Robertson, 6th District, also expressed appreciation for the work of the nonprofits in securing the property.

“The plans slated for this area are transformational in nature and will continue to make our city a better place to live, love, work, learn, play, visit, enjoy and raise a family,” Ms. Robertson stated.