Proposed Plan
riverside REGIONAL park: ADVENTURE IN THE MAKING
Since January 2017, Indy Parks has explored new features and enhanced existing amenities at Riverside Park through our park master plan, which will guide development of the area over the next 20 years. The addition of an adventure play and nature experience was included in the master plan with focus on the 200 acres of land located north of 30th Street.
This area includes a variety of natural features and terrain, river ecosystems including Crooked Creek, and the old Lake Sullivan just south of I-65. It is bordered by the White River on the east and Cold Spring Road on the west. This project will provide new and exciting experiences for residents to engage with nature. The site is open and we encourage you to visit to experience its natural beauty and provide feedback on the vision for the future!
PROJECT PHOTOS
WHAT’S HERE NOW
As a part of the process for transforming this park space and developing the new design and layout, a site inventory was conducted to map the existing conditions. Click the maps below for more information.
This map identifies ways that people can access the site, whether by bus, car, bike, or on foot. It also shows the utilities that serve the site such as electric, water, sewer, gas, and communications. Many of the utilities are buried underground and cannot be seen, but their locations will need to be considered when planning future park features. A 50’-wide sanitary sewer easement that runs through the site will also have to be considered.
This map shows the types of soils found below the surface of the park and where surface water was found. Understanding the soils below the surface helps planners know where to locate future park features and how to build them so they last. It also determines what plants will grow best in various locations in the park. In order to confirm the soil types, the project team dug soil pits to analyze what elements make up the soil. The soil test pits are shown as dark dots on the map. The test pits were carefully replaced after they were analyzed. Soil samples varied in the amount of organic matter, minerals (clay, silt, sand, gravel and stones), water, and air they contained. These amounts determined each soil type and what they were suitable for. For example, some soils were seasonally wet or poorly drained and would be good for a wetland, but not for a park building. Existing wetlands are shown on the map in green. One of the defining features of wetlands is that they have special soils. These soils occur in areas where water can sit for a period of time. Wetland soils take a long time to drain water, but are important ecological features because they clean stormwater.
This map shows where rivers, creeks, and ponds are located and how surface water flows in and around the site. The White River flows from the north to south and is located to the east of the site. Crooked Creek flows from the west to east and empties into the White River near where Interstate 65 crosses the river. The watershed boundary is shown on the map by a blue dashed line. It separates the land area that drains to Crooked Creek from the area that drains directly to the White River. All of the proposed park except the high ground along Cold Spring Road is in the flood plain. This area will be under water when the White River and Crooked Creek experience 100-year floods. 
This map identifies vegetation on the site. Heritage trees are designated as trees over 18 inches diameter at breast height (DBH) and are also a heritage tree species. Significant Trees that standout because of their size, shape, and quality are indicated with stars. Poor Quality Trees that may be dead or in poor health are indicated with black dots. In more urban settings, poor quality trees might be removed for safety reasons. However, in a nature park these trees can provide habitat for birds, bats, other wildlife, and beneficial plants that feed off of the dying plant material. All other good quality trees can be seen on the aerial photo underlying this map. Tree experts called arborists know that a healthy tree’s roots extend far beyond the tree itself and damage to the ground under and around a tree can kill it. The Critical Root Zones shown on this map estimate the land area occupied by the roots of high and medium quality trees on the proposed park site. This information will be used during design and construction to protect and avoid damaging desirable trees.