What is the Joyce Hughes Park?
The Joyce Hughes Park is a .8-acre park in the neighborhood of Weinland Park. It is located at the corner of Grant Avenue and East Sixth Avenue. The park is named after longtime Weinland Park resident Joyce Hughes, who was an important community leader. Is the Joyce Hughes Park a public park? No, it is a private park. But Thrive (the developer of the park) and the Jeffrey Place NCA (the owner of the park) have promised that the park will be open to the public.
Who owns the park?
The park is being constructed by Thrive, but when it is finished, it will be owned by the Jeffrey Place New Community Authority (NCA), which is governed by a board of trustees. The board of trustees has 7 members: 4 chosen by Columbus City Council and 3 chosen by Thrive. The Jeffrey Place NCA also owns property in the Jeffrey Park development in Italian Village.
What is an NCA?
An NCA is a special unit of government under state law (Ohio Revised Code Chapter 349). An NCA is created when a developer asks city council to create one. Once created, the NCA can collect money in the form of a community development charge from people who live in the NCA area. The NCA uses this money to help pay for community facilities and other improvements to the property. Projects in central Ohio that are owned by NCAs include the Village of New Albany; Bridge Park in Dublin, Ohio; Pinnacle Golf Club in Grove City, Ohio; and Tanger Outlets in Delaware County, Ohio.
Questions? Comments? While the park is under construction, please reach out to Thrive with questions or comments. You can also get involved with the Weinland Park Community Civic Association’s Joyce Hughes Park Committee, a group of neighbors working together to serve as a community voice related to the park’s development and use. The committee can be reached at [email protected].