MANSFIELD — A new, free parking lot with 29 spaces in downtown Mansfield could be ready for vehicles by the end of May or early June, according to city engineer Bob Bianchi.
The city has entered into a 10-year lease with First English Lutheran Church, 53 Park Ave. West, which owns the largely unused lot on the west side of Mulberry Street along Park Avenue West.
The project, fueled by money from the Downtown Improvement Fund, will go to Mansfield City Council on March 1 for consideration. It was first discussed by the Downtown Improvement Advisory Board in June 2021.
During an improvement board meeting Thursday afternoon, Bianchi said the estimated $135,000 project, if approved by City Council, will be designed and then bid in April with construction in May.
“We think this project will have a beautification component to it, whereby a landscaping strip will be installed along Park Avenue and Mulberry,” Bianch said, “with signage promoting the free parking.”
He said on-street parking along Park Avenue will also be improved. He said the project will add an entrance/exit to the lot from Mulberry Street.
A mound of dirt on the south side of the current parking lot will be removed, the engineer said.
“It will be completely new asphalt with striped pavement markings to designate the spots. Curbing will be installed along the parking lot,” Bianchi said.
The parking lot would be just to the east of the planned Imagination District, a joint venture between the Little Buckeye Children’s Museum and the Renaissance Performing Arts Association.
The Imagination District will occupy five acres of land in downtown Mansfield and comprises Little Buckeye’s new museum, an outdoor plaza, Theatre 166, the Renaissance’s education center and the Renaissance Theatre.
The Downtown Improvement Fund began when City Council approved a $5 increase in motor vehicle registration fees in May of 2018. It generates about $225,000 annually.
The advisory board makes recommendations on how to use the funds, which then requires City Council approval.
