Expanding the future Metropark in East Toledo’s Marina District with a horseshoe-shaped “emerald necklace” of green space is expected to be a cost-effective way of providing more recreational opportunities for the region at large while also pumping new life and excitement into the east side.
Scott Carpenter, Metroparks Toledo spokesman, said Monday the park district envisions development of a multiuse trail north of Front Street between I-280 and Waite High School that people would use mostly for walking their dogs, hiking, and running through a large chunk of East Toledo known as the Garfield neighborhood.
It would make people feel as if they’re inside the new waterfront park along the Maumee River even though they’re actually going past Waite High School, its athletic fields, and dozens of East Toledo homes.
Much of the green space — especially near the athletic fields — already exists. By knocking down some vacant buildings and developing the trail, there’d be a great tie-in to the future park, he said.
“We’re just kind of connecting the dots of the green spaces that are already there,” Mr. Carpenter said. “With this park, there seems to be an extraordinary possibility of connecting to the neighborhoods.”
The latest concept was unveiled at a meeting with residents last week by Cheryl Zuellig, a presenter for the architectural firm of SmithGroupJJR, which is designing the project. Its goal is to design the Marina District’s Metropark and its adjoining emerald necklace with International Park and Main Street in such a way that it’s all viewed as one blended multiuse district.
Planners are hoping it will improve property values, reduce crime, and provide a major lift to a rough-and-tumble part of East Toledo. The design includes urban camping and a host of other activities inside the park.
WATCH: Metroparks’ waterfront plans presentation
Andy Knopp, an architect with Thomas Porter Architects, a downtown firm that helped design Hensville and has done work on the east side near Waite, said an emerald necklace of green space could provide psychological and safety benefits to a part of East Toledo that needs a boost.
“I think it can promote interest in the East Toledo area and promote a greater sense of community for the people who live there,” he said. “If you do something with lighting and signage, people will tend to use it more. You won’t have to do a lot if the green space is already there.”
His father, Danny Knopp, an east-side resident, said anything that makes Main Street and its surrounding East Toledo neighborhoods more enticing is a positive thing.
“The [emerald] necklace would be a great fit,” he said.
Dan Steingraber, an East Toledo appraiser and community supporter, said the general idea of an emerald necklace goes back to the days when developer Larry Dillin was trying to attract shops, theaters, and restaurants to the Marina District years ago.
READ MORE: Metroparks’ Downtown Toledo Master Plan | Metroparks presentation posterboards
“There’s a good buzz about the park,” he said of the Marina District.
He said he’s glad the project is in the hands of Metroparks Toledo because the park district is “really, really good at what they do.”
That buzz is carrying over to Main Street, which Mr. Steingraber believes could benefit greatly if the Marina District’s streetscape is extended to businesses.
Chris Hall, a local Realtor and the 2014 president of the Ohio Association of Realtors, said park-like settings could be blended in a way that brings “a sense of community back to the east side that’s been gone for a while.”
“You don’t have to look farther than downtown. Look what’s happening there,” Mr. Hall said, adding that the east-side improvements “could be very, very cool.”
“It’s not far-fetched,” he said. “[East Toledo] could a destination.”
Contact Tom Henry at thenry@theblade.com, 419-724-6079, or via Twitter @ecowriterohio.
First Published June 26, 2018, 10:00 a.m.
