Frequently Asked Questions
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Frequently Asked Questions 1. Why is the City building a Community Sports Park? In 2019, the City of Columbus established a development agreement with the Franklin County Board of County Commissioners and the Crew SC Soccer organization to keep the Columbus Crew SC in the City. This agreement describes the construction of the new soccer stadium downtown as well as the redevelopment of the Historic Crew Stadium (formerly known as MAPFRE Stadium) and portions of the surrounding State Fairgrounds into a Community Sports Park. The Columbus Recreation and Parks Department, with the mission to connect people through the power of nature, wellness and creativity, will build a first-in-class, tournament-grade sports and recreation facility that will also serve the recreation needs of the local community. Investing in recreation facilities is part of ensuring Columbus is a great place to live and to visit. 2. Why did the City select this location? Columbus Crew’s move to a new stadium downtown presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reimagine what the Historic Crew Stadium and surrounding area looks like and how it will be used by residents and visitors. The Columbus Community Sports Park will be located on state owned property that the City will lease through an agreement with the Ohio Expositions Commission. This project will create new green space, park space and recreational programming on the near northeast side of Columbus, in and around neighborhoods where they are much needed. Neighborhoods are the City’s foundation. Strong and healthy neighborhoods include safe and inviting places to gather, be active and enjoy the outdoors. The Columbus Community Sports Park will provide park and recreation space to the 200,000 residents who live within three miles of the site. Facilities, fields and green space will be easily accessible to neighborhoods including: Milo Grogan, Weiland Park, Linden, North Columbus, Glen Echo, Indianola Trace, University District, Clintonville and others. 1 3. Will the Columbus Crew be involved with the Community Sports Park? The Columbus Crew will control the Historic Crew Stadium located next to the Community Sports Park. Both the Crew and the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department are committed to being good neighbors to one another and serving the residents in the surrounding area and broader community. 4. How can the Community Sports Park be accessed? The Community Sports Park is situated on the near-northeast side of Columbus, west of Interstate 71, between East 17th Avenue and Hudson Street, providing convenient highway access. The nearest bus stations include E Hudson Street & Silver Drive, N 4th St & Clinton Street and N 4th Street & Maynard Avenue, all within a 20-minute walk of the site. The City is also exploring ways to connect the site to existing and future shared-use paths in the area. 5. Who are you building the Community Sports Park for – who will use it? The Columbus Community Sports Park will provide much-needed access to park and recreation space to the 200,000 residents who live within three miles of the site. Facilities, green space, and park amenities will be easily accessible to neighborhoods including: Milo Grogan, Weiland Park, Linden, North Columbus, Glen Echo, Indianola Trace, University District, Clintonville and others. With a first-in-class, tournament-grade sports and recreation facility as a component of the park, the Community Sports Park will also help Columbus grow as a destination for regional and state tournaments and events. These events, typically held on weekends or during the summer, will offset the annual operating costs for the community while also boosting spending on local hotels, restaurants and other visitor attractions. 6. When will the Community Sports Park be built and opened? In spring and early summer of 2021, the department is seeking public input via a survey (http://bit.ly/ccspsurvey21) and is conducting stakeholder outreach on potential facilities and amenities for the Community Sports Park. There will be a community update after this phase is complete, and the conceptual design will be used to hire a project architect. The Columbus Recreation and Parks Department anticipates that detailed design and construction will take 18-24 months, with design primarily in 2021-2022 and construction in 2022-2023. 7. What type of sports facilities will be there? It’s important to note that nothing has been decided. There will be facilities and amenities for organized and informal recreational use with two primary components: • Organized sports programs, leagues and tournaments - fee based • Informal recreation and community park space – free and open to the community Organized Sports Program Spaces – COULD Include • Multi-use wood courts • Indoor field space • Meeting rooms, classrooms • Rock climbing wall 2 • Outdoor, covered pickleball courts • Concessions area • Tournament-level synthetic turf field(s) Informal Sports and Community Park Spaces – COULD Include • Mixed-use grass field(s) • Basketball courts • Additional green space – outdoor courtyard, open shelters and picnic tables • Walking and bicycling trails, with exercise stations • Playground and/or splash pad • Skate park 8. What is the plan for security at the Community Sports Park? Columbus Recreation and Parks Department prioritizes the safety of residents and works with the Columbus Police Department to patrol and secure the city’s parks and recreation centers. 9. How will you determine who will receive first priority to use the facilities? Like the department’s other sports and recreation facilities, the Community Sports Park’s formal facilities will use a reservation system. The informal spaces will be available on a first come, first served basis. 10. Will we have to pay to park? (typically, parking is charged for that area on weekends) It’s important that the Community Sports Park is accessible to the community. The project team is carefully weighing options for parking fees. The goal is to identify ways to limit or eliminate parking fees for general use and identify appropriate parking fees for special events such as tournaments to offset operational costs. The project team is also working to ensure that multiple modes of transportation are safe and available for residents to access the park. 11. What is the process for obtaining feedback from the public? In December 2020 and January 2021, sports organizations that might use the facility gave feedback about potential use for sports leagues and sports tournaments. In early summer 2021, the Department is seeking public input via a survey (http://bit.ly/ccspsurvey21) and conducting stakeholder outreach on potential facilities and amenities for formal and informal recreational uses at the Community Sports Park. There will be a community update after this phase is complete. Updates will be online: crpdsports.org/communitysportspark. Project website visitors also can sign up for updates on the site. In addition, the department will share project updates on social media. 12. Will there be any live dialog with any of the decision makers? Due to the current public health emergency, the team is exploring how to use technology to receive public input while limiting large, in-person gatherings. Additional feedback opportunities will be posted on the project website. 3 13. Who are the individuals involved in making the decisions around what features will be included in the park? Public input will guide the decision-making process to ensure that the Community Sports Park benefits the community and will be used by residents. The City also will consider the feedback of community sports organizations which have already provided feedback on use for potential leagues and tournaments. It also will analyze how the Community Sports Park ties into other existing facilities throughout the City and region. In early summer 2021, the department is seeking public input via survey (http://bit.ly/ccspsurvey21) and conducting stakeholder outreach on potential facilities and amenities for the Community Sports Park. There will be a community update after this phase is complete. 14. Will the fees to use the Community Sports Park be affordable to local community residents? The Columbus Community Sports Park will have facilities and amenities for organized and informal recreational use. The City’s goal is to provide low and no-cost recreational opportunities for local community members when the park is not in use for tournaments and other special events, similar to Berliner Sports Park. It is important to note that the Historic Crew Stadium is still controlled by the Columbus Crew and will continue to host concerts and other special events that are not a part of Columbus Recreation and Parks Department programming. The City can use the stadium for special events, but has no set plans to do so yet. 15. Who is paying for the Community Sports Park? The original budget for the sports park as agreed upon in 2018 agreement with the Crew was $12M. The City is committed to funding the project as needed through bond sales to meet community requirements. This is a one-time request that does not affect the normal annual budget for the Recreation & Parks Department. A goal of the project is to provide a facility whose annual operating costs can be offset by special events in order to minimize the costs to residents. 16. Where can I learn more? Updates will be posted on the project website: http://crpdsports.org/communitysportspark. Project website visitors also can sign up for updates on the site. In addition, the department will share project updates on social media. V5, July 12, 2021 4 .