Grasslands Park

Table of Contents

About Grasslands Park

This neighborhood park has a playground, picnic area, and connection to the MKT Trail. Residents in the Grasslands neighborhood petitioned the City Council for the park and raised the funds to purchase the property. A portion of the development cost was also funded through private donations.

Park amenities

Activity areas

  • Playgrounds

Picnic areas

Trails

Park history

In 2002, Grasslands neighborhood residents became concerned over the impact that proposed plans to develop an 11 building apartment complex would have on their neighborhood. Concerns included the belief that the proposed 72 unit complex with 170 parking spaces was geared toward student occupants and the adverse affect on the greenbelt and trail buffer due to its close proximity to the MKT Trail. John Ott, representative of the Grasslands Neighborhood Association, expressed these concerns to the City Council at the August 5, 2002 Council Meeting, along with the residents’ proposal to create a benefit district to pay a portion of the acquisition cost so that the property could be developed as a neighborhood park. When invited to do so, about 100 residents of Grasslands in the audience stood up at the Council Meeting to show their support for the park proposal.

At the September 16, 2002 Council Meeting, the City Council approved the request of the Grasslands Neighborhood Association and passed an ordinance to authorize the purchase of the property for park purposes. The City agreed to finance the $680,000 purchase price up front from the designated loan fund, which was to be repaid from the following sources:

  • $400,000 from tax bills issued against property in the benefit district described in Ordinance No. 017433 passed on September 16, 2002.
  • $150,000 from private donations to be received by the City at the time of closing on the purchase of the property on Clarkson Road.
  • $130,000 from the sale of a portion of the property on Clarkson Road.

The property was purchased from Planet Development, LLC in October 2002 for $680,000. The purchase of the park property was fully funded by the Grasslands residents and is a great example of true neighborhood support for a city park.

The funding for the park development was budgeted in Fiscal Year 2008 in the amount of $148,042, which included $100,000 from the Park Sales Tax, $13,042 in donations, and $35,000 in force account labor. The park was completed and dedicated on October 10, 2009.

Park dedication

Date: October 10, 2009

Dedication Programopens PDF file

A small group gathered at 10:00 am Saturday morning, October 10, 2009 to celebrate the park dedication. Remarks by Parks and Recreation Director Mike Hood, Mayor Darwin Hindman, and John Ott (representative of Grasslands Neighborhood Park) centered around the successful partnership between the neighborhood and the City of Columbia in bringing the park development to a reality.

Grasslands Park Dedication

Grasslands Park Dedication

Grasslands Park Dedication

Grasslands Park Dedication

Grasslands Park Dedication

Grasslands Park Dedication

Dedication at Grasslands Park

Capital improvement projects and council items

year completed project description council items
2009 Grasslands Park Development View Council Item