CLEVELAND — Gordon Park South is a 50-acre park in Cleveland’s St. Clair-Superior neighborhood that’s basic. It has a handful of baseball fields, a small playground and not much seating or places to fire up a barbecue.
Cleveland Metroparks, the Mandel Foundation, and LAND Studio want to change that and have started planning to reimagine the park.
David Wilson, director of parks and community with LAND Studio, a nonprofit that works in art, community engagement and public space planning, said resident feedback is critical to improving the park.
“It’s always important to have community voices at the table, not at the end of the process, but from the very beginning informing what they want to see in a space that is theirs,” Wilson said. “We are merely interpreters of that vision."
The city transferred the operations and management of the park to Cleveland Metroparks in October of 2023 with the purpose of bringing improvements to infrastructure and amenities.
Wilson said the park once had tennis courts and an aquarium. He said early interactions with residents have raised ideas about more seating, paved trails, space to accommodate car shows, and better utilizing green space for today's popular sports.
“Communities shift… preference for activities have shifted, so we are hearing much more from the St. Clair-Superior community about what their wishes are and how they can accommodate the activities that are happening now in that space,” Wilson said.
The first of several community meetings is Tuesday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at EJ Kovacic Recreation Center at 3250 St. Clair Ave. in Cleveland. A website has been set up to keep residents up to date.
Wilson said there will likely be short- and long-term park improvement projects, and Cleveland Metroparks expects to start on some as early as next year.
