Consultants unveil Town Center Park concept; council endorses schematic design step

Consultants from Schooley Caldwell Associates and Realm Collaborative presented a conceptual master plan for Grove City’s Town Center Park, a roughly 3.5-acre area composed of multiple parcels. The council and park board expressed support and directed staff to proceed to schematic design.

Sam Rosenthal, principal with Schooley Caldwell Associates, described the planning process, which included stakeholder interviews, site visits and coordination with city staff and event partners. Brian Bernstein of Realm Collaborative presented conceptual visuals that emphasize a “promenade” connecting Broadway to the park via Park Street, stronger pedestrian edges, flexible central lawns for festivals, a pavilion at the terminus of Park Street, a restroom location near Civic Place and potential play and winter features.

The plan’s goals include creating a flexible, four-season public space that supports events, preserves pedestrian access to town-center businesses and reduces maintenance costs. Consultants showed festival configurations, everyday-use scenarios, and winter/holiday treatments and said the design is intended to increase visitor comfort through tree canopy, seating edges and a strengthened connection to Broadway.

Councilmembers discussed grass versus paved surfaces, maintenance and accessibility. Councilmember Berry urged preserving lawn areas for family and children’s play and noted wheelchair access must be retained; he said hardscape can create heat and reduces playability. Staff and consultants acknowledged the trade-offs: irrigated lawn requires maintenance and may need restoration after events; extensive paving reduces maintenance but limits informal play.

When asked about cost, the consultants provided an early order-of-magnitude estimate in the range of $8 million to $15 million, describing that a final number depends on design choices such as the pavilion’s level of conditioning, materials and restroom specifications. Park board members and event partners told staff they are “overwhelmingly in support” of the concept, the consultants said, and the council endorsed advancing to schematic design and more detailed cost estimates.

Next steps are schematic design to refine program elements, circulation, material selections and phasing; staff said they will return to council with refined costs and a recommended implementation approach. Councilmembers also discussed staging during construction to minimize disruption to annual events.