Cleveland Metroparks board of park commissioners approved the purchase of about 13.6 acres on Sept. 19 from the Ohio Department of Transportation in the city of Cleveland to support Cleveland Soccer Group’s effort to build a stadium and bring a new National Women’s Soccer League expansion team to Northeast Ohio.
Located in downtown Cleveland across the street from Progressive Field on undeveloped land, the proposed stadium location is an ideal site for public trails, parking, active transportation infrastructure, green space, plazas, and other associated park amenities. The site is also located near existing portions of the Slavic Village Downtown Connector Trail, Towpath Trail and Cuyahoga Riverfront Trail, and portions of other future planned trail connections.
“Cleveland Metroparks is proud to partner with CSG to help make Cleveland home to the next National Women’s Soccer team,” Cleveland Metroparks CEO Brian M. Zimmerman said in a news release. “The acquisition of this centrally located property near the heart of Cleveland aligns with our ongoing efforts to connect communities to and around downtown Cleveland through our growing trail network and we’re excited and hopeful that GSG and Cleveland will be successful in this tremendous opportunity.”…