“Cornerstone Park was constructed with the intention that it would be enjoyed by patrons after daylight hours,” Joey O’Brien, the city’s interim economic development administrator/assistant city planner, said in a recent memorandum.
It’s part of the Cornerstone of Centerville development at the intersection of Feedwire Road and Wilmington Pike, a mixed use development with an assortment of retail, restaurant, office and residential land uses. Illuminated trails within the park connect the development’s residential units to its commercial areas, he said.
“Keeping the park open after daylight hours allows for safe and efficient walkability encouraging economic growth and vibrancy,” O’Brien said.
Centerville City Council approved has an ordinancethat paved the way for the rule change, which the city said will allow for safe connectivity to Cornerstone’s residential developments through Cornerstone Park after nearby restaurants close.
Midnight was proposed because most Cornerstone North businesses, including Kroger and many restaurants, close at 11 p.m.
“So if you are there until the restaurant closes, you can safely travel home through Cornerstone Park,” O’Brien said told city council Nov. 21.
City council in 1975 approved an ordinance stating parks in the city could only be open during daylight hours, from dawn to dusk, and that a special exception can be made by the city manager for special events such as summer concert series and things of that nature, he said. The ordinance remains in place for all other parks.
Construction of Cornerstone Park, which started in 2019, made city staff examine that regulation, O’Brien said.
“The park was constructed for many reasons, largely being an amenity for those who lived in the cornerstone development as well as for the businesses in the development as well, creating walkability within there and being a link between those large apartments, townhomes and the commercial areas in Centerville,” he said. “And when the park was constructed, it was designed to be illuminated so that those pathways were safe to traverse through after dark hours, especially in the winter.”
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