Columbus Breaks Ground on Greenleaf Park at Brown and Greenleaf Roads
The 8.9-acre southwest side park includes accessible recreation and forms part of a $35 million investment following neighborhood pushback over McCoy Park.
Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther and city leaders broke ground Thursday on Greenleaf Park, an 8.9-acre neighborhood park at Brown and Greenleaf roads on the city's southwest side. The park is being built on land the city bought in 2023. Greenleaf Park is located near three Southwestern City Schools that together serve more than 1,500 students.
Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther and city leaders ceremoniously break ground on Greenleaf Park on Brown Road in southwest Columbus on Nov. 5, 2026.
Credit: Columbus Recreation and Parks · Supplied image Image source
Designed to serve more than 16,000 residents within a two-mile drive, the park is planned to feature an accessible playground, basketball courts, an outdoor fitness station, a walking path, an open-air shelter, picnic tables and space for tennis or pickleball. Detailed designs for Greenleaf Park are scheduled to be completed in early 2027, with construction expected to wrap up by the end of that year.
Greenleaf Park serves as a partial replacement for amenities previously planned at nearby McCoy Park, where the city intended to build a therapeutic recreation space for people with disabilities before designating the property for a National Women's Soccer League training facility. Some southwest Columbus residents voiced frustration over the relocation, noting that Greenleaf Park is about 2.5 miles away from McCoy Park and arguing that the site is not accessible for everyone.
The city formed the Southwest Park Working Group to ensure recreation amenities originally planned for McCoy Park are delivered to the community. Ginther billed the broader plan for accessible recreation in the area as a $35 million investment in southwest Columbus. Department of Neighborhoods Director Kym Douglas said the city plans to engage heavily with local residents because the community knows best what it needs.
McCoy Park is set to eventually receive adaptive sports fields and playgrounds open to the public, while an adaptive soccer field is planned for Berliner Sports Park. Columbus Recreation and Parks Department Director Bernita A. Reese said Greenleaf Park represents an important step toward transforming this neighborhood into a vibrant space where residents can gather and connect for years to come.
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Supporting evidence (4)
Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther and city leaders broke ground Thursday on Greenleaf Park, an 8.9-acre neighborhood park at Brown and Greenleaf roads on the city's southwest side.
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A new neighborhood park is taking shape in southwest Columbus, where city leaders broke ground on Thursday, officially starting construction. Columbus Mayor Andrew J. Ginther joined city and community partners for the groundbreaking of Greenleaf Park, an 8.9-acre development near Brown Road and Greenleaf Road.
Greenleaf Park is located near three Southwestern City Schools that together serve more than 1,500 students.
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Greenleaf Park is expected to provide a more centralized gathering place for the Southwest Columbus community. The site is also near three Southwestern City Schools that together serve more than 1,500 students.
Designed to serve more than 16,000 residents within a two-mile drive, the park is planned to feature an accessible playground, basketball courts, an outdoor fitness station, a walking path, an open-air shelter, picnic tables and space for tennis or pickleball.
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The park is designed to serve more than 16,000 residents within a two-mile drive, and is planned to include a modern playground with enhanced accessibility features, a fitness station, basketball courts, space for tennis or pickleball, an open-air shelter, picnic tables, a walking path and more.
Columbus Recreation and Parks Department Director Bernita A. Reese said Greenleaf Park represents an important step toward transforming this neighborhood into a vibrant space where residents can gather and connect for years to come.
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Greenleaf Park is expected to provide a more centralized gathering place for the Southwest Columbus community. The site is also near three Southwestern City Schools that together serve more than 1,500 students.“This is an important step toward transforming this neighborhood into a vibrant space where residents can gather, connect and enjoy the benefits of their community for years to come,” Columbus Recreation and Parks Department Director Bernita A. Reese said.
Supporting evidence (7)
The park is being built on land the city bought in 2023.
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The 8.9-acre park on Brown Road is expected to have an accessible playground, sports fields and courts, a walking path, an open-air shelter and a parking lot. It's being built on land that the city bought in 2023.
Detailed designs for Greenleaf Park are scheduled to be completed in early 2027, with construction expected to wrap up by the end of that year.
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Detailed designs for Greenleaf should be finalized by early 2027, with construction expected to wrap up by the end of that year.
Greenleaf Park serves as a partial replacement for amenities previously planned at nearby McCoy Park, where the city intended to build a therapeutic recreation space for people with disabilities before designating the property for a National Women's Soccer League training facility.
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Greenleaf is a partial replacement for promised upgrades to the nearby McCoy Park. The city had planned to turn McCoy into a therapeutic recreation space for people with disabilities. McCoy Park is now slated to become the home of a training facility for a National Women's Soccer League team.
Some southwest Columbus residents voiced frustration over the relocation, noting that Greenleaf Park is about 2.5 miles away from McCoy Park and arguing that the site is not accessible for everyone.
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Some southwest Columbus residents have said they are unhappy with the change. Greenleaf is about 2.5 miles away from McCoy. Residents say it's not accessible for everyone.
Ginther billed the broader plan for accessible recreation in the area as a $35 million investment in southwest Columbus.
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Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther billed the larger plan for accessible southwest Columbus recreation as a $35 million investment.
Department of Neighborhoods Director Kym Douglas said the city plans to engage heavily with local residents because the community knows best what it needs.
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But Kym Douglas, director of the Department of Neighborhoods, said on Thursday that Greenleaf is part of a larger plan that came from feedback from people in the area."We plan to engage heavily with the folks who make up this community because we know that the community knows best what they need," Douglas said.
McCoy Park is set to eventually receive adaptive sports fields and playgrounds open to the public, while an adaptive soccer field is planned for Berliner Sports Park.
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McCoy Park is set to eventually get some adaptive sports fields and playgrounds that will be open to the public. Berliner Sports Park is expected to get an adaptive soccer field.
https://columbusrecparks.com/connect/about/capital-improvement-projects/southwest-area/
Supporting evidence (1)
The city formed the Southwest Park Working Group to ensure recreation amenities originally planned for McCoy Park are delivered to the community.
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The Southwest Park Working Group was created to ensure the parks and recreation amenities originally planned for McCoy Park are delivered to the community.