Vacant land left after a shopping center was torn down and that wasn’t used when a new interchange was built are both planned to become new parks in Greenwood.
More than 40 acres of park land would be added to city, with the properties at the northwest corner of the Worthsville Road and Interstate 65 interchange and at the southeast corner of Madison Avenue and County Line Road.
City officials said both properties will add needed park land to the city, which should have significantly more parks for its population, according to a 2015 study.
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The city is still deciding what should be included in both properties, and a timeline for when any work would begin, how much projects could cost and where the funding will come from hasn’t been determined yet, said Rob Taggart, Greenwood parks and recreation director.
City officials want to host a meeting this summer to get ideas for potential amenities at one park, an eight-acre property near County Line Road and Madison Avenue that had been home to a mostly vacant shopping center that officials had long called an eyesore.
The center was demolished earlier this year after the city purchased the property. The city had talked with a developer about the potential for a type of raised development at the site, since it is in a floodplain, but for now is moving ahead with plans to convert it to a park, Greenwood Mayor Mark Myers said.
At the second new park, which would be on about 40 acres of land at the Worthsville Road interchange with I-65, the plan is for a park with a focus on athletics, with softball and baseball diamonds, a playground, shelter house and other amenities, such as a splash pad, Taggart said.
The land was originally purchased for the interchange project, which was paid for by the city and state. The city was required to pay its half of the cost upfront, and now the state is giving the remaining land to the city to even out the cost of the project, Greenwood capital projects manager Kevin Steinmetz said. Last week, the Greenwood Redevelopment Commission unanimously approved an agreement with the state to accept the land.
The new park will fill a need for public outdoor recreation space in the southeast side of the city, and allow for the city’s youth sports programs to grow, he said.
The location of the property near the interstate will also make it ideal for travel teams, who could rent the facilities from the city, Taggart said.
One challenge with the property will be access. Due to the way the interchange was constructed, the property lacks any direct access points to Worthsville Road. Greenwood plans to reach out to Clark-Pleasant Schools to discuss partnerships with them since the middle school is just west of the property, Taggart said.
The city has been eyeing options for a new park on the southeast side of Greenwood for a while, and for a time had looked into the possibility of buying a 40-acre farm property east of U.S. 31 between Stop 18 and Worthsville roads.
A 2015 study identified park space, neighborhood playgrounds and trails as amenities that should be top priorities for the parks department. Greenwood has 14 parks and about 290 acres of park space now, but should have more than 500 acres given its population of more than 50,000 residents, the study said. The study listed softball diamonds, soccer fields, playgrounds, trails and open park space as areas the city should focus on.
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Two new parks are being planned in Greenwood. Here are the locations of both sites and what the current plans are:
Where: 1265 N. Madison Ave.
Size: 8 acres
Plans: A public meeting later this summer will gather input on what amenities should be included in a park at this site.
Location: Northwest corner of Worthsville Road and Interstate 65 interchange
Size: 33 acres
Plans: Softball and baseball diamonds, a playground and shelter house
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