Fairfield City Manager Scott Timmer and Fairfield Township Administrator Kim Lapensee both gave updates on their community’s growth and future plans at the Fairfield Chamber of Commerce sponsored gathering.
“Throughout the last couple of years we have made a concerted effort to enhance our park experience – both with new features and active programming,” Timmer said. “Park usage is up across the board.”
Altogether, there were 858,600 visits to city parks last year, up 5.5 percent from 2023. That included 206,600 people at Waterworks; 170,700 at Harbin; 113,000 at Village Green; 51,100 at FurField Dog Park; and 39,900 visiting Marsh.
Improvements were made to Village Green, Harbin and Marsh parks with a splash pad set to open this spring at Harbin.
This year Fairfield will make additional improvements at Harbin Park and finalize a master plan for Marsh Park that includes fishing piers, parking, trail connectivity and other features.
Fairfield Twp. has also seen improvements to its park system.
“In the last couple of years we’ve done a lot of major renovations to the parks,” Lapensee said.
Among the upgrades to Heroes Park were the addition of a Veterans Memorial and redesign of the playground. Equipment was also replaced at Shafer’s Run Park. Three pocket parks were added on Milton, Lenox and Fairfax streets.
“They’re just small pocket parks and sit in neighborhoods that don’t have parks,’’ Lapensee said.
Future plans include upgrading the dog park and trails at Shafer’s Run Park and converting a tennis court at Heroes Park into four pickleball courts.
Unlike Fairfield, the township is also growing residentially with single-family and townhomes being built in the Timber Trails and Walden Springs subdivisions.
Together, the city and township funded a roundabout at Tylersville and Seward roads where a joint economic development district was formed that includes an industrial park, benefitting both communities.
In December, Schneider Electric announced projects in both the city and township. It will spend $25 million to retool its Union Centre Boulevard building in Fairfield. It is adding a 446,000-square foot building in the Fairfield Logistics Center on Seward Road in the township.
Other recent projects in the township, Lapensee said, include the addition of Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers, McDonald’s, Tidal Wave Auto Spa and Club Pilates in the Princeton Road corridor. Food manufacturer Latitude 36 opened on Seward Road and employs 170.
Fairfield has put an emphasis on development/redevelopment of the Ohio 4 corridor and its Town Center, along with retaining its 1,200-plus businesses. A pending land swap with Hamilton will give the city a nearly 5-acre tract at the corner of Nilles Road and Wessel Drive to develop.
“It is very rare that a community is able to take control of nearly five acres of unused land in their downtown,’’ Timmer said. “We look forward to seeing what this site can become.”
Plans are in the works to redevelop the former Forest Fair Mall, largely a blighted eyesore, straddling the Fairfield/Forest Park border.
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