On July 16, 2019 at 8:30 am a private meeting facilitated by the Department of Recreation and Parks was attended by invitation only by a group of folks representing Casto, Delawanda community, Clintonville Area Commission, Our Lady of Peace and Columbus Recreation and Parks Department. The main subject of the meeting was an update on improvements for Kenney Park that are a first step to prepare for the possible construction of a residential development at Graceland. To be clear, the residential development has no financing at this point in time.
An easement transferring property from Graceland to Recreation and Parks was recorded in 2016. The following changes to the parking area at Kenney Park are slated to begin July 17, 2019:
Construction of stairs down to the park;
- ADA parking—current location is planned at the far north end of the park; access to the park for the mobility challenged individual is still up in the air;
- Temporary repairs to the existing guardrail. Once construction of the residential development is complete, tall parking blocks will replace the guardrail; there will be other improvements to the parking area after continuing talks between Casto and R&P;
- Casto reps confirmed that the R&P parking lot would not figure in the number of parking spaces required for the residential development or the shopping center;
- CAC asked that the salt storage building be improved to prevent leeching of the salt into Bill Moose Ravine;
- The port-a-john will be relocated and screened pending continuing negotiations with R&P;
- There will be some tree trimming on the southern property line of the shopping center, but no wholesale removal of trees is planned.
This parking area will be located behind the LAFitness building and north to the end of the parking lot. Temporary signage will make traffic flow clearer once these improvements are complete.
Current timeline for completion of these improvements is 5 weeks.
