Over the last few weeks, a couple of readers have reached out, wondering about the green space next to the Ingersoll Commons project at 16th & Master. For those unfamiliar with Ingersoll Commons, it's a 10-unit affordable housing project from Community Ventures which went up last year on an enormous parcel that had been sitting vacant for many years. This project is unique for a couple of reasons, not just because it's a new construction affordable housing project in the heart of student housing country. It's also quite unique because the plans include a large green space along 16th Street, taking up more of the parcel than the residential component. We told you about the groundbreaking for this park at the beginning of this year.
With construction three quarters of a year ago, you'd think that the park would be finished and neighbors would be enjoying this new green space. But unfortunately that isn't the case. If you visit the park, you'll discover that quite a bit of construction has taken place, with paths, benches, trash cans, and solar panel powered lights installed. But instead of a vibrant green space, it's an overgrown brown space, with dried out grass covering much of the site.
Does anyone have any idea what's going on here and why the park isn't yet finished? We aren't exactly sure of the mechanics of creating a new park, but we'd bet that it involves the collaboration of many City departments including Parks & Rec and PWD (at least according to the sign). In our experience though, when a park gets started it doesn't typically stall out just before the finish line. Does anyone living in the area able to provide some additional info / context for this situation? Does anyone know when we can expect to see the park open to the public? Would it be asking too much to have someone come in to cut the grass?