Linden residents will soon get a new 7-mile long, 58-acre park after Columbus City Council voted last week to accept grant money for the project.
The Linden Green Line will stretch from Windsor Park near 17th Avenue to Cooper Park in the Northland community along an abandoned rail corridor. Columbus is using nearly $5 million for the park, half of which is from grant money.
The city plans to construct a 10-foot wide path and restore natural areas on the land by 2025.
The grant from the 2023 Clean Ohio Green Space Conservation Program is worth $2,474,000, and a funding match from the city doubles the project's cost to $4,948,000.
Anthony Winton lives on 21st Avenue near the land for the planned park with his children. Winton says he's lived in North Linden for almost his whole life and thinks the park could be good for him and his neighbors, but is concerned about traffic congestion.
"I'm for it, as long as it's safe and they can build some kind of fence or something, because like I said, it's a heavy population of cars going each way," Winton said.
Besides the walking path, the park will include plantings for forests, native shrubs, wildflowers and open green spaces.
Winton said the park can be something people from around the city can come to Linden to see. He said adding something like this could be a change of pace for Linden, which he says hasn't been in the news for good things recently.
"As long as they can provide some kind of safety for the people that's going and coming, it might work out," Winton said.
The city said it is also seeking public input about whether to add other amenities like play spaces, gathering areas, seating and exercise equipment.
The park is going to include up to 40 access points.
The park also passes through the center of a future project called Kilbourne Run Sports Park, which is projected to open in 2025.
