Residents of Clark and Floyd counties will soon get a taste of what the ongoing Ohio River Greenway Project could become — and it’s much more than a system of multi-use pathways and river views.
The current project involves a seven-mile stretch of walkways and bike lanes from the Sherman Minton Bridge in New Albany to the Big Four Bridge in Jeffersonville, though sections of the Greenway are still under construction across both counties. The anticipated completion date for the pathways is 2018.
On Monday, the Paul Ogle Foundation will release an 8-page rendering of a new Greenway 2040 Master Plan which will run inside the News and Tribune. The master plan details a vision of an extensive, linear park system surrounding the Greenway. The project’s original master plan was completed in 2002.
About a year and half ago, the Ogle Foundation approached the Ohio River Greenway Development Commission about creating a new, more extensive master plan, according to foundation President Kent Lanum. The commission welcomed the idea and the foundation offered to fully fund the plan.
The foundation contracted with two Louisville-based architecture firms, Bravura Corporation and Rundell Ernstberger Associates, and 21st Century Parks to create the new master plan. The result, which was entirely funded by the foundation, is a vision that Lanum said could transform the river communities and become a national attraction.
The latest rendering was presented to the Greenway Commission Thursday. The commission includes city officials from New Albany, Clarksville and Jeffersonville. Phillip Hendershot serves as the commission’s chair.
“This master plan refresh really is kind of a bigger picture vision of what this Greenway corridor, and even some areas outside of how we currently define the Greenway corridor, could be if taken to the next level,” Hendershot said. “It’s exciting and it’s big.”
The signature feature of the master plan is a roughly 545-acre Grand Park, an idea Lanum said came from public input. He compared the idea of Grand Park, which would sit northwest of the Loop Island Wetlands, to New York City’s Central Park.
Aside from potentially creating a space for special events and recreation, an important piece to the Grand Park area would be connecting pathways back to the waterfront, Lanum said. That section of the Greenway extends north around Loop Island and away from the Ohio River. Because that area is a flood plain, the architects proposed building a cloud walk, a pathway elevated 50 to 60 feet that would run along the river and offer views of New Albany and downtown Louisville.
The master plan also addresses problematic areas along the Greenway. Near Emery Crossing, an area of the Greenway still under construction, the shoreline is eroding due to an overflow of water hitting the shoreline. The plan suggests using gabions, wired baskets of rocks, to block the flow of water and protect the shoreline. The plan also includes small island structures off the shore that would help restrict water flow.
“It really is amazing what the designers have come up with when you turn them loose to really think big and visionary,” Hendershot said.
Hendershot said the features in the master plan that stood out to him most at Thursday’s commission meeting were the sky piers located in each city along the Greenway. The piers look like large bridge structures that end at the shoreline.
“I think [the piers] would be a great way to draw the whole corridor together with a common feature,” Hendershot said.
Also included in the master plan is a Grand Park boathouse and an Ohio River Tram. Lanum said he would estimate the entire master plan could cost around $150 million, but stressed that the final plan could be “a total 180” from what the master plan proposes.
“This purely was a gift to the community to show them what it could look like if they really wanted to put something into it,” Lanum said, adding that the foundation received extensive public input via community meetings and online surveys.
Funding for any portion of the master plan could come from private or federal dollars, depending on the need and what entity owns the property. But Lanum stressed that no property is in jeopardy of eminent domain, adding that he wouldn’t be involved in the project if that were the case.
Another potential source for funding, Lanum said, is the statewide Regional Cities Initiative. Signed into law in May, the initiative would partner the state with two regions it designates based on an application that outlines potential uses for the $84 million up for grabs. Applications are due by Aug. 31 and One Southern Indiana CEO Wendy Dant Chesser expects the process to be competitive. The Greenway 2040 Master Plan outlines the kind of project the Region Cities Initiative was designed for, Dant Chesser said.
“They’re looking for those quality of place projects that are going to have a long-term economic impact in a region,” she said. “And the nature of the Greenway is perfect for that.”
Regions have to establish a five-member Regional Development Authority, or RDA, in order to apply. Dant Chesser previously told the News and Tribune that the more cities and counties on board with the RDA, the more competitive the region is. The Greenway 2040 Plan would include New Albany, Clarksville and Jeffersonville in Clark and Floyd counties. Dant Chesser said that makes the project a good candidate for funding.
“It’s absolutely critical that we show that the projects have been well thought out and they’re very doable and that there’s been public input into the process,” Dant Chesser said, though she admitted the project wouldn’t be cheap or easy. A long-term strategy would need to be in place and the project could be done is phases, she said.
Lanum said a long-term plan is important to getting and keeping people interested in the project. The commission would need to figure out how the river communities would work together to maintain the park system, including maintenance and funding. Lanum estimated the plan would require 2 to 3 percent of the total costs per year for maintenance. For the proposed Greenway 2040 Master Plan, that could mean $3 to $4.5 million per year.
Despite the high price tag, Dant Chesser and Lanum said the positive economic impact the master plan could have would be significant. A linear park system, they said, could attract residents, increase home values and attract businesses.
Widow’s Walk Ice Creamery in Clarksville is one of the only businesses on the Greenway west of the George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge, according to Widow’s Walk owner Bryan Fraley. Fraley bought the Victorian-inspired property next to the ice creamery in 2006 and leases some of the space to a salon. The portion of the Greenway in front of his property, where he also lives, has been completed for about six years.
“People have always come here to this location to take in the view of Louisville,” Fraley said. “Of course with the Greenway there are lot more bicyclists and pedestrians that come over here and enjoy it.”
In 2013, Fraley started renting bikes to his growing clientele. The bike rental and ice creamery are open from April to October. Last year, the business rented out nearly 2,000 bikes, Fraley said.
“Every Saturday and Sunday is non-stop, and then every evening is always busy for us too,” he said.
Fraley said a 2008 Clarksville master plan depicted restaurants and even a condominium near the Greenway.
“I think if they ever do anything like that, it will create a great draw for Clarksville,” he said.
Fraley said that though he and his clients enjoy the Greenway, he’s waiting for construction to be finished so there aren’t any breaks in the pathway.
While the Greenway 2040 Master Plan offers what Lanum called a “generational” vision, the Greenway Commission is focused on finishing what it started as far back as the early 1990s when the commission was first formed.
“Right now we are kind of focused on some outstanding issues regarding the multi-use path,” said Greenway Project Director Shaunna Graf.
Graf said one of the most critical pieces to the pathway, the Silver Creek Crossing, will soon be under construction. The crossing would connect the path near Loop Island and bridge together Clark and Floyd counties.
“Anybody that rides the Greenway or walks the Greenway knows it is the most important thing to be able to have connectivity on our waterfront,” Graf said.
Graf said the roughly half-mile section between 18th Street and 8th Street in New Albany will also soon be under construction.
Funding for each section of the Greenway comes from different sources, Hendershot said. The marina in Jeffersonville, for example, is almost all privately funded. The Silver Creek Crossing is expected to receive 80 percent of its funding from the Indiana Department of Transportation.
“There may be some challenges in coming up with all of the money, but a substantial portion is committed and there’s certainly enough to proceed as far as we know,” Hendershot said.
As for the Greenway 2040 Master Plan, Hendershot said the commission will assess what would be required to implement parts of the plan and figure out how it connects to ongoing construction on the multi-use pathway. Any portion of the master plan that addresses problematic areas, like the erosion near Emery Crossing, would probably be a priority, Hendershot said.
“You have to put the vision out there first and then figure out what you think is the best project to pursue first,” Graf said. “And that will be up to the participants of the Ohio River Greenway Commission to be able to prioritize just like they did with the multi-use path.”