COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Columbus City Council has given the city attorney the green light to spend up to $5 million to purchase land for a “linear park” that extends through Linden and Northland.

On Oct. 9, city council approved the acquisition of approximately 58 acres of former train tracks on the Northeast Side, which the city intends to transform into a long, narrow park, named the Linden Green Line. The strip of land averages about 80 feet wide and stretches seven miles.

The funding of the project comes from a $2.47 million grant awarded by the Ohio Public Works Commission, which was matched by the city, according to a city council ordinance. 

The location of the proposed park would run north from Windsor Park in Linden, past State Route 161, to Cooper Park in Northland. A map of the proposed park shows the Linden Green Line could potentially connect with other public parks and shared-use paths branching off the main corridor.

Based on a study of city neighborhoods by the Columbus Department of Parks and Recreation, 131,000 residents would be within a 10-minute drive of the Green Line.

“These areas are underserved by parks and trails,” said Community Relations Chief at Columbus Recreations and Parks Dominique Shank. “By providing this type of park space in the inner city communities of the city, the city will begin [urbanizing] and building out areas inside of the city limits.”

While Councilmember Mitchell Brown said the Linden Green Line will be the “first-ever linear park in central Ohio,” the long, narrow design of the park is seen across the United States, with the most popular example being the High Line in New York. 

Shank said the city intends to start clearing debris and bushes in February and aims to start construction in March 2025. A completion date for the project has not been made publicly available.