CINCINNATI — After gathering input from community members and west side residents, Great Parks has released the final master plan for its newest park in Westwood, located on the 22-acre former Gamble estate.
"We are grateful to the community for engaging with us to design what will be an incredible neighborhood park that will enhance the quality of life for residents," said Todd Palmeter, Great Parks CEO, in a press release.
Palmeter said Great Parks' discussions with residents helped finalize the blueprint for the park's future roughly four months after the deadline for community input last September.
According to Great Parks, the planning process included engaging with over 2,000 people — more than 50 of whom were children aged 5 to 12.
They also worked with community organizations like the Westwood Historical Society, the Westwood Community Urban Development Corporation (WestCURC), Westwood Works, Westwood Grows, Westwood School and the Cincinnati Recreation Commission.
"WestCURC representatives participated in every meeting of the Great Parks advisory committee as the master plan was developed and it is entirely consistent with the priorities of the Westwood neighborhood," said Greg Hand, WestCURC president, in a press release.
At its core, the final design doesn't differ dramatically from the first draft plan, released on Sept. 2.
Pedestrian-friendly walkways and entrances to the park remain a priority, including 1.4 miles of accessible trails. Play areas for children also haven't changed; two "informal nature play" areas are marked out on both plans and the the accessible treehouse plan doesn't appear to have changed.
What is different is that the community seems to have leaned toward a greenhouse space over pavilion structures on the east end of the park. Suggested locations noted in the first draft plan for community beds outside that greenhouse space don't appear on the final plan.
The barn's viewing deck is still in the plan, though a new addition now highlights the building next to it as the future home of year-round, accessible restrooms.
The former carriage house on the property will be renovated into a space for community gatherings, with an additional interpretive space for education.
The bulk of the property is still intended for forest, meadow, wooded wetland and riparian restoration — along with plenty of trailside opportunities to admire those restored spaces.
According to Great Parks, the Gamble estate transformation will be handled in four phases. Completion of the entire plan could take up to seven years and cost over $18 million, Great Parks said.
The first phase of the park's development will involve improving pedestrian access. It's currently a pedestrian-only space, with no access to parking or vehicles. Phase one will also include repairs to historic assets on the site and the installation of necessary utilities.
Those changes will begin in late 2024, according to Great Parks.
Later phases will add the planned vehicular access, restrooms and an indoor interpretive space intended to accommodate school groups.
Great Parks of Hamilton County acquired the former Gamble estate property in August 2021 and announced its intentions to craft the space into a green oasis in the heart of Cincinnati's largest neighborhood.
But before that, the fate of the property was uncertain as Greenacres Foundation, the property's previous owner, debated whether to sell the property or develop it into a subdivision. In 2020, the Greenacres Foundation put out a request for proposals to local home builders in the Greater Cincinnati area, but those plans never culminated in anything substantial before the property was acquired by Great Parks the following year.
Long before all of that, however, the former Gamble property has carried years of history within its boundaries. The once-working farm was where James Norris Gamble, the son of one of Proctor & Gamble's founders, lived from 1871 until his death in 1932.
In the kitchen of the house that once sat on the property at 2918 Werk Road, Gamble invented Ivory Soap.
