A rendering of the design for Origin Park in Southern Indiana, a park that will be developed by River Heritage Conservancy and a number of partners. Image courtesy of RHC.
NEW ALBANY — Though the bulk of Origin Park would be in Clark County, a key piece of the plan involves New Albany’s shoreline.
As it attempts to build consensus with public and private partners, River Heritage Conservancy Executive Director Scott Martin presented the design plan to the New Albany City Council on Monday, about two months after details of the massive project were unveiled.
“A lot of the plans we have are unapologetically aggressive, and ambitious, but they also show belief in our community,” Martin told the council.
River Heritage announced in September that it had raised about $10 million of the $130 million goal for the park. The nonprofit has also obtained several parcels of land.
Origin Park would have vast features, using the natural elements of the Ohio River’s north shore to create recreational amenities while protecting wetlands and wildlife.
Martin said it would be the first climate change-adaptive park in the South or Midwest, and would be designed to handle the “poorly behaved” Ohio River when flooding covers portions of the shore.
“You may hike it in June, you may paddle it in April,” Martin said.
River Heritage has already had a dam removed from Silver Creek that will allow for paddling and kayaking.
The 600-acre park would include a 5-kilometer pedestrian loop that would allow for connectivity from Louisville to New Albany. Plans also call for 1.5 miles of parkway that would connect Clark Boulevard in Clarksville with East Main Street in New Albany.
Martin said that would provide “another anchor with an absolutely vibrant and electric downtown on one end and then a world-class park and landscape on the other.”
The park could provide redevelopment opportunities for the city and “set a trajectory for New Albany for the next 100 years,” Martin said.
There’s also been discussion about pedestrian use of the Kentucky and Indiana Bridge, but multiple efforts over the past decade to garner access to the railway span have been denied by Norfolk Southern.
New Albany hasn’t confirmed that it will partner with River Heritage in the project, which is expected to take about two decades to complete. The city has continued to expand and improve its portion of the Ohio River Greenway. Additionally, Mayor Jeff Gahan has vowed to continue to work on a rails-to-trails project that would connect New Albany’s shoreline with Bedford through a 63-mile path that would follow abandoned CSX railways.
Multiple council members did speak in favor of Origin Park on Monday and stressed that New Albany should be a partner in the effort.
“We should be involved in this as New Albany in a big way, and if we’re not, I want to know why not,” Councilman Al Knable said.
He called Origin Park a “generational project” that could “redefine the area for multiple lifetimes.”
Councilman Scott Blair also emphasized the regional impact the park could have if it comes to fruition.
“It’s going to be a game-changer for Southern Indiana and the Louisville Metro area,” he said.
But Councilman Pat McLaughlin pointed out the project will involve a major investment by the city and said that commitment has to be taken into consideration.
“People have got to realize it isn’t just money that we’re looking at helping to induce this and bring along, we’re also giving real estate away that belongs to the taxpayers and that’s something we have to look at critically and also know what this entity, River Heritage, and what the city may have planned for that as well,” he said.
Administration officials including New Albany Flood Control Director Chris Gardener and New Albany Redevelopment Director Josh Staten have been involved in discussions with River Heritage.
Staten told the council that he will appear before them to provide an update when there’s more to report, as Blair insisted that the council should be involved in the process.
Martin said that the city wouldn’t be “giving away” property. Martin referenced New York City’s Central Park as an example of the type of public-private partnership that Origin Park would follow.
“No conservancy takes a gift of land. They’re all about partnerships and inter-local agreements,” he said.
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