A plan to enhance Strongsville’s Town Center and make the area more pedestrian-friendly has been unveiled.
The Strongsville Town Center Enhancement & Walkability Initiative includes a series of new amenities – including an interactive fountain/splash pad, a new pavilion and a new community playground – that would be added to the area west of the Ehrnfelt Recreation and Senior Center.
City officials will seek grants to pay for the projects, estimated to cost about $3 million.
Mayor Tom Perciak announced in September that Strongsville would seek to improve its town center, an area that includes the Commons, Strongsville Library, Rec Center and Castletown Playground and draws tens of thousands of visitors each year.
More than 1,000 residents responded to a survey seeking input into what new amenities to include in the plan.
The plan would include:
- New Community Playground – fully ADA compliant to accommodate children with disabilities. Estimated cost: $600,000
- Community Pavilion – featuring a fireplace and enclosed meeting space. Estimate cost: $500,000
- Family Restrooms – five family restrooms that would accommodate disabled individuals. Estimated cost: $490,000.
- Interactive fountain/splash pad – a water feature for children, including those with disabilities. The design has not yet been determined. Estimated cost: $550,000 to $800,000.
- New Public/Green Space – a staging area for food trucks, farmers markets and other community events. There would also be fenced-in green space for events like movie nights, and the access road would be redesigned.
- Improved Connectivity and Walkability – upgrades to existing walkways and trails, including Freedom Trail; completion of the trailhead north of the Rec Center walkway to better access the Backyard Preserve and hiking trails; increased pedestrian safety through new connections in the farmers market area; updated signage to identify the trails and amenities.
- New entryway on Zverina Drive – better access including a roundabout at the existing three-way stop at Castletown Playground; a new paved parking lot next to the Strongsville Food Bank, new walkways and a gateway monument sign. Estimated cost for new connectivity and walkability is about $325,000.
The new playground and a splash pad were among the top three new amenities chosen by residents in the survey this fall. An outdoor pool received the most votes
Strongsville’s Town Center has been the focus of multiple improvements in recent years, including redevelopment of the Westwood Commons retail center, the new food bank facility, new crosswalks and pedestrian signals at Strongsville Middle School, new ADA curb ramps and pedestrian signals at the Pearl-Westwood and Pearl-Royalton intersections, upgraded lighting on the Commons and Freedom Trail, and stamped concrete branding for crosswalks and walkways.
Recently, the clocktower on the Commons was renovated, Old Town Hall was repainted and Castletown Playground was repaired and painted.
To see a presentation on the new plan,
please click here.
