Topic Workshop #1 Recap
What We Did…
On Wednesday, April 24, 2024, the Eastland community came together at Barnett Community Center to discuss mobility, access, community gathering, and sustainability. We had 62 participants and 15 representatives from various City of Columbus departments. The information below is a high-level summary of what was discussed during the workshop.
Please visit the documents page to download the full presentation.
What We Heard…
Community Gathering
First, we discussed community gathering, which encompasses parks, green spaces, recreation, and public spaces. We focused most heavily on parks and recreation in our discussion and activity.
We heard from a representative from Columbus Recreation and Parks Department (CRPD) about planned investments in the Eastland area, including:
Mason Run Park – a future park site located just west of the former Eastland Mall site
Helsel Park Improvements – improvements to the visitor experience at Helsel Park
Big Walnut Trail Extension – a planned extension of the Big Walnut Trail from Refugee Road to Main Street, running along the Big Walnut Creek
Alum Creek Trail Connector – a future multi-modal connection to the Alum Creek Trail near the west side of the Eastland area, connecting with the shared use path along Refugee Road
Existing and planned park and trail improvements
We organized the discussion around the three major park typologies found in the Eastland area: neighborhood parks, community parks, and regional parks. These park typologies guide the types of activities found in parks and investments made by CRPD.
Neighborhood Parks
The Eastland area contains three neighborhood parks: Easthaven Park, Maybury Park, Walnut View Park.
Neighborhood parks are developed parks with an emphasis on both active and passive uses that are usually self-directed (non-facilitated/non-programmed). Usually, these spaces serve residents of the immediately surrounding neighborhood, or within a half-mile radius.
Then, we asked people to describe their perfect day in a neighborhood park. The post-it notes show some of the resulting ideas from community members.
Community Parks
The Eastland area contains one community park and one future community park: Helsel Park and Mason Run Park (future).
Community parks are developed parks with both active and passive uses that serve two or more neighborhoods. These parks have the capacity for programmed and facilitated recreation.
Then, we asked people to describe their perfect day in a community park. The post-it notes show some of the resulting ideas from community members.
Regional Parks
The Eastland area contains one regional park: Nafzger Park.
Regional parks are developed parks that have a metropolitan draw and serve multiple communities for both active and passive uses. These parks serve as a destination for tourism, enhance the identity of the region, and provide for a half- to full-day experience. They also host large-scale organized events such as sporting events and festivals.
Then, we asked people to describe their perfect day in a regional park. The post-it notes show some of the resulting ideas from community members.
Mobility and Access
The next topic we covered was mobility and access in Eastland. We covered topics like walking and biking access, transit access, and safety for all modes of transportation. City of Columbus representatives shared about the City’s many mobility-related initiatives, including Vision Zero, LinkUs, and the ongoing Bike Plus Plan.
What would help to connect you to the places you go?
Walking
We asked people to generate ideas for mobility improvements they’d like to see in the Eastland area as it relates to walking. The post-it notes show some of the resulting ideas from community members.
Biking & Trails
We asked people to generate ideas for mobility improvements they’d like to see in the Eastland area as it relates to biking and trails. The post-it notes show some of the resulting ideas from community members.
Transit
We asked people to generate ideas for mobility improvements they’d like to see in the Eastland area as it relates to transit. The post-it notes show some of the resulting ideas from community members.
Sustainability
The definition of sustainability is meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. In recent years, Columbus has created plans that focus on Sustainability:
These plans have relevant recommendations related to sustainability, biodiversity, climate change, resilience, and more that can be integrated into the recommendations of the Eastland Community Plan to effect change at the neighborhood level.
First, we asked community members to rank the importance of sustainability topics for the Eastland Community Plan to address. The top three choices were: air quality, water quality, and alternative / active transportation. Then, we asked people to brainstorm actions that would have the biggest impact on sustainability in the Eastland area.
How to Stay Involved
This was the first of five workshops that will be held to address priority topics identified by the community. We still need your voice and your ideas represented at the upcoming Topic Workshops—see below for registration and other ways you can stay involved over the next few months. We’ll continue to post updates and share other opportunities to engage as they arise.
Register for the Topic workshops to be held over the course of the spring and summer.
Share your ideas or open ended thoughts about Eastland’s future on the Vision Wall.
Tell us a bit about the places where you go or avoid in Eastland.