Deerfield Township Trustees Announce Greenspace Visioning Process for Kingswood Site
September 07, 2017
Christopher Romano ● Daniel J. Corey ● Wayne Speer– Board of Trustees
Tom Raga – Fiscal Officer Eric Reiners - Administrator
Tom Raga – Fiscal Officer Eric Reiners - Administrator
Deerfield Township Trustees Announce Greenspace Visioning Process for Kingswood Site Deerfield Township Trustees have announced more details on the visioning process that will guide the development of greenspace at the former Kingswood Golf Course site, including the date of the first community meeting, the hiring of a consultant and a list of the kinds of amenities to make this public space a unique opportunity for the community.
The first public meeting will be held from 5:30p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday, September 25, 2017 at Deerfield Township Station 57, located at 3435 US 22, Loveland OH 45140. It will focus on the 30 acres of Kingswood property set aside for greenspace. Helping guide that meeting and the overall visioning process will be MKSK, an award-winning planning, urban design, landscape architecture and entertainment design firm recently hired by the Township.
Two additional public meetings are being planned to ensure residents can provide their input on other elements of the Kingswood development plan with elected officials, designers and other consultants, include the master developer.
“Now that preliminary planning for the Kingswood development is underway it’s time to add details to the vision, and our residents are central to that process,” said Deerfield Township Board of Trustees President Chris Romano. “We have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to create public space that adds to Deerfield’s quality of life. And we need to do it as a community.”
As part of the vision planning process for the Kingswood greenspace, Deerfield Township Trustees have directed MKSK and Township staff to evaluate a number of items for the 30 acres. These include but are not limited to:
• A performing arts theatre
• Open area with amphitheater
• Pedestrian bridge across I-71
• Dedicated Deerfield farmers market space and structure
• Trails and paths for park patrons and for use by the cross-country teams
• Identifying protected habitat areas with interactive educational components
• Nature play-scape area, to include a potential splash pad component that has a unique natural element
• Opportunities for local school programs and/or spaces within the sitePond area for programming and activities
• Community gathering space
• Dedicated space for programmed fitness activities
• Green infrastructure components to help protect the environment and downstream watershed, and to ensure that infrastructure components have an educational opportunity.
• Protecting mature growth on the site
In additional to announcement of the greenspace visioning process and hiring of MKSK, the September 5 Trustee meeting also featured presentations by the ROYAL Theatre Company and the Arts Alliance on the value of considering the arts through this vision planning process.
“It is good to see that the Township realizes the importance of having an arts component in the
Kingswood greenspace,” said Meredith Raffel with the Arts Alliance. “Residents I’ve talked to definitely want this. I encourage them to get involved.”
Karen Kilgore from the ROYAL Theatre Company agreed. “We have a chance to do something truly unique that residents will enjoy for years. It will be fun to see what ideas come out of this process.”
Deerfield Trustee Wayne Speer is glad the Kingswood development planning has reached the point where residents can take a more active role. “We’re starting with a blank canvass,” he said. “Let’s create this vision together.”
The first public meeting will be held from 5:30p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday, September 25, 2017 at Deerfield Township Station 57, located at 3435 US 22, Loveland OH 45140. It will focus on the 30 acres of Kingswood property set aside for greenspace. Helping guide that meeting and the overall visioning process will be MKSK, an award-winning planning, urban design, landscape architecture and entertainment design firm recently hired by the Township.
Two additional public meetings are being planned to ensure residents can provide their input on other elements of the Kingswood development plan with elected officials, designers and other consultants, include the master developer.
“Now that preliminary planning for the Kingswood development is underway it’s time to add details to the vision, and our residents are central to that process,” said Deerfield Township Board of Trustees President Chris Romano. “We have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to create public space that adds to Deerfield’s quality of life. And we need to do it as a community.”
As part of the vision planning process for the Kingswood greenspace, Deerfield Township Trustees have directed MKSK and Township staff to evaluate a number of items for the 30 acres. These include but are not limited to:
• A performing arts theatre
• Open area with amphitheater
• Pedestrian bridge across I-71
• Dedicated Deerfield farmers market space and structure
• Trails and paths for park patrons and for use by the cross-country teams
• Identifying protected habitat areas with interactive educational components
• Nature play-scape area, to include a potential splash pad component that has a unique natural element
• Opportunities for local school programs and/or spaces within the sitePond area for programming and activities
• Community gathering space
• Dedicated space for programmed fitness activities
• Green infrastructure components to help protect the environment and downstream watershed, and to ensure that infrastructure components have an educational opportunity.
• Protecting mature growth on the site
In additional to announcement of the greenspace visioning process and hiring of MKSK, the September 5 Trustee meeting also featured presentations by the ROYAL Theatre Company and the Arts Alliance on the value of considering the arts through this vision planning process.
“It is good to see that the Township realizes the importance of having an arts component in the
Kingswood greenspace,” said Meredith Raffel with the Arts Alliance. “Residents I’ve talked to definitely want this. I encourage them to get involved.”
Karen Kilgore from the ROYAL Theatre Company agreed. “We have a chance to do something truly unique that residents will enjoy for years. It will be fun to see what ideas come out of this process.”
Deerfield Trustee Wayne Speer is glad the Kingswood development planning has reached the point where residents can take a more active role. “We’re starting with a blank canvass,” he said. “Let’s create this vision together.”
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About the Kingswood Development
The Kingswood development comprises 110 acres in Deerfield Township that used to house the Kingswood Golf Club. The site, owned by Deerfield Township, is envisioned as a balanced plan for smart growth that creates jobs, eliminates debt, provides greenspace, strengthens schools and improves the overall quality of life in the Township. More information is available at the updated and improved Kingswood website, including plenty of information about the development’s past and present and its importance to Deerfield Township’s future.
The Kingswood development comprises 110 acres in Deerfield Township that used to house the Kingswood Golf Club. The site, owned by Deerfield Township, is envisioned as a balanced plan for smart growth that creates jobs, eliminates debt, provides greenspace, strengthens schools and improves the overall quality of life in the Township. More information is available at the updated and improved Kingswood website, including plenty of information about the development’s past and present and its importance to Deerfield Township’s future.
4900 Parkway Drive, Suite 150 Deerfield Township, Ohio 45040 513-701-6958 ● 513-701-6996 Fax ● www.choosedeerfield.com
