Small Spaces, Big Ideas:
Turning Unused Property into a Community Asset

It’s a common problem for municipalities: There’s a piece of land that they own. Maybe it’s left over from a recent redevelopment, or they’ve just acquired it somehow over the years. It’s just sitting there, not really doing anything. It’s too small to sell, but too big to ignore. The question is … how can we put it to good use? What would be the best way to use it for the benefit of the community?
A municipality can take an idle piece of property and use it as a unique opportunity to enhance the community. Here are some ways how.

Creating a sense of place
Successful communities develop a visual theme that clearly identifies them. Some design characteristics may include signage, landscaping and lighting. Utilizing these elements can turn a small, spare piece of property into an opportunity to highlight a community’s identity and sense of place. Through use of more sophisticated elements such as outdoor sculpture, a community can use a spare piece of property to create a landmark. A landmark will not only make it easier for people to navigate their way through a community, but it can also create a more positive first impression for a visitors. “First impressions are critical in terms of how people identify with a community,” says Jose Castrejon, the Vice President of Landscape Architecture and Planning with MSP.
West Chester Township’s new Towne Centre Park is an example of how a municipality used a valuable piece of land to create a sense of place. A thriving community without a proper “downtown”, West Chester is currently creating a public gathering space that will serve as a future home for events such as a Farmer’s Market, an Art Show and a Friday Night Concert Series. Featuring a striking clock tower and lush landscaping, the Towne Centre Park, along with the adjacent new Towne Centre Square office and retail development, will create a true “downtown” experience, as well as a unique identity and sense of place for the West Chester community.

Memorials
Another option for putting a piece of property to good use is to create a memorial. A memorial can enhance the community by paying respect to people or events in history that have helped shape it. The City of Bowling Green, Kentucky utilized a piece of open land on their Fairview Cemetery to create a new Veteran’s Memorial. Besides adding beauty and a sense of history to the property, the Veteran’s Memorial also facilitates community involvement by serving as the location to begin and end the Veteran’s Day Parade.

Showing the way
Often municipalities will include requirements in regards to their visual identity in their zoning code. These issues can sometimes seem vague or unclear to developers. A spare piece of land can be an opportunity for the municipality to demonstrate the proper way to implement its zoning requirements in terms of elements like landscaping, street lights and furniture, or sustainable design elements.
When it comes to financing a project like a landmark, park or memorial, there are various ways funds can be obtained. Some of the possible resources include Community Development Block Grants, Arts funding, and government funds allotted for projects that involve sustainable design projects. For more information about grants, visit the following links:

Ohio Department of Natural Resources – Community Assistance Programs
http://ohiodnr.com/grants/tabid/10762/Default.aspx

The General Code Advantage – Successful Grant Writing
http://www.generalcode.com/grants/grant_writing_get_started.html

Ohio EPA – Office of Environmental Education: Grant Guidelines
http://www.epa.state.oh.us/oeef/html/grantee_resources.html

Just Grants! Ohio
http://www.grantsoh.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=links.display

Questions about the best way to turn a spare piece of land into an asset for your community? Call Jose Castrejon, MSP’s Vice President of Landscape Architecture and Planning, at 513.759.0004