Work to begin for new Uptown park in spring - ToledoNewsNow.com: News, Weather & Sports for Toledo, OH

Groundbreaking is set for spring for the new Uptown Green park, in Toledo's Uptown neighborhood.

Work will convert a 2.5-acre brown field site into a new park, along Madison Avenue between 18^th and 20^th Streets.

"We really want it to be a public gathering space," said Julie Champa, Uptown Association Executive Director. "We want it to be open, friendly and welcoming to everyone in the neighborhood and outside of the neighborhood."

A new park design has been unveiled, which includes walking paths, an amphitheater and a rain garden.

"We really developed it through the businesses and residents of the neighborhood to provide elements we think are really going to best fit the needs of the neighborhood," Champa said.

Near the park site are businesses including Valentine Vintage, and owner James Valentine said he's excited about improvements in the area.

"A lot of other new businesses are coming down, and with the new park that's going around the corner, that's going to be good also," he said. "We're getting back to a small-town vibe here."

A new business to Uptown is Great Finds on Adams, and Julie Hopfer is also hopeful for the future.

"I think we can have a little Shipshewana, that's what I think," Hopfer said. "People like Shipshewana because of the quaintness, and I think we have that here."

Champa said the project will be completed in about two years, to provide a catalyst for further development.

"[A] 2.5-acre green space just lends itself to additional housing, residential, businesses all around that area," Champa said.

The association raised $500,000 in local matching funds to secure a $1.5 million Clean Ohio grant for the project.   

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