Willoughby moves forward with plans for riverfront land connecting city parks

With its shops and restaurants, the City of Willoughby has long been a popular destination for folks looking for something to do on a weekend. Now, the city is hoping to expand those options to include greater outdoor options.

"We want Willoughby to be the destination, not just in Lake County but in all three counties, Lake, Cuyahoga and Geauga County," said Mayor Bob Fiala. "Our hope is that when people have a weekend free, they want to go somewhere that we're a destination for them."

Between two city parks on the Chagrin River, Todd Field and Daniels Park sits 105 acres along the river that was, in part, the site of a former nursery. Land that was most recently under the control of a local private school. When the city was given the opportunity to acquire it using a mix of federal, state and local funds, they took advantage of the chance.

"The property had been leased for years as a nursery and went dormant maybe about ten years ago and then sat empty for all that time. That's when the city became interested and thought that this would be a great linkage between two of our parks," Fiala said.

The goal now is to create what the mayor called a showcase for environmental sciences.

"And what that means is we're going to have trails, some pavillions for teaching and recreate the natural habitat that was there years ago."

They also plan to put bridges over the river at Todd Field and Daniels Park.

"If you know anybody that has a bridge for sale, we're looking for two of them," Fiala said. "And that will provide access to two miles of trail network across the river."

Crews will likely start some of the restorative work, removing invasive species and creating wetlands, before eventually installing the trails and connectors this fall.

"Our hope is that by 2026 we're going to have full use of the property," he said. "Willoughby for years has been known as a great little downtown. Well we're recreating our story to say we're a great little downtown with a lakefront and a riverfront and we welcome everybody to be a part of it."