A portion of Seventh Avenue North will permanently close at the beginning of the year as construction ramps up for the Parkview development in Burns Bottom.
Nic Parish, of Friendly City Development Partners and the Burns Group, said the street will still extend to the Fourth Street M.B. Church parking lot, so congregants will still have access. But the remainder of the street – roughly extending 200 feet behind Little Dooey, leading to the Roger Short Soccer Complex – will be eliminated.
“The only way from Fifth Street (North) to (the Roger Short Soccer Complex) will be Fifth (Avenue), which is where most people use it now,” Parish said. “You have a light there. That light’s getting traffic upgrades in the Fifth Street improvement project that’s going on right now.”
Parish, county and city representatives met on Tuesday for the first Partners in Progress meeting to discuss the street closure and other potential challenges that could arise for the Roger Short Soccer Complex as construction at Parkview begins.
The group aims to create specific recommendations for both the city and county ahead of next year’s budget process to prepare for increased traffic, parking demand and maintenance concerns that could come with the development.
“We want to think about problems and challenges that may or will happen before they happen, so that we can address them before we have them on top of us,” Tom Velek, deputy director for Lowndes County Recreation Department, said of the group’s purpose. “… We want to be proactive. We want to think about all the issues, from parking to usage to everything.”
The Parkview project is the culmination of a decade-long effort by the Columbus Redevelopment Authority, which purchased and cleared more than 70 lots in the Burns Bottom neighborhood between Third and Fourth Street and Second and Seventh Avenue North. Friendly City Development Partners announced plans earlier this year to transform the area into a mixed-use neighborhood featuring new homes and commercial spaces.
Parish said a groundbreaking for the project is expected in early spring 2026. Construction on houses will begin that winter, and he expects residents to begin moving into properties in early 2027.
“At this rate, stuff’s moving really fast, working on some mixed-use buildings and kind of budgeting out some of that, so you may see some commercial popping up this time next year as well,” Parish said.
Parish estimated the development would add between 350 to 500 new residents to the area adjacent to the soccer complex – an influx that could strain parking and traffic.
Velek said Seventh Avenue North serves as a primary entry point for the soccer complex and the only access point for tour buses that bring athletes to the fields on the north side of the complex.
“It’s going to be an adjustment not having that access because if (Third Street North is) full, and you’re trying to take a full-size tour bus down and make that turn, it’s going to be tough,” Velek said.
As a solution, Jimmy Parker, a member of the Columbus Soccer Organization board, suggested expanding Coretta Street, a one-way street running along the back side of the soccer complex to the west, into a two-way street to serve as an egress for the complex. County Engineer Zach Foster said he would explore the idea ahead of the group’s next meeting.
Parking and facility use
Other concerns raised in the meeting include the lack of parking at the soccer complex and potential field overuse that could come with new residents.
Parish said homes at Parkview will have their own parking, but on-street parking slated for the development will also be available for residents, including the spaces in front of houses on Third Street North that will face the soccer complex.
“I think you’ll lose 20 to 40% of that (parking) on a given weeknight because somebody’s going to come home from work before soccer practice, and they’re going to park in front of their house,” Parish said.
Velek said parking is already the “single greatest complaint” he gets from those who use the soccer complex. Additionally, with so many new residents having direct access to the soccer complex through their front doors, the recreation department could see an increase in foot traffic on and around the fields.
“The immediate challenge for me in my role with the county is maintaining and integrity of turf quality, so that we can still claim to be a competition-grade sports complex, and not an occasional park where we play (recreational sports) and a couple of other things,” Velek said.
As a potential solution to both issues, the group discussed the likelihood of expanding the soccer complex.
Parish estimated the county owns about 21 acres around the complex, including roughly 13 wooded acres along Coretta Street and another eight acres behind the soccer fields on the north side of the complex. That space, he suggested, could be used for designated competition-grade fields.
“Is there a way to lay out key field sizes that can be fenced in and reserved for championship-level play, whatever is needed to be back there?” Parish said. “That still leaves the general practice facility stuff closer to town too. Roughly looking at that, 21 acres would double the amount of playing turf that’s there right now.”
Jeff Smith, Lowndes County supervisor for District 4, suggested representatives from the group present ideas to the board of supervisors as progress moves forward. He added the group, which plans to meet again in December, should clearly communicate with the public as construction progresses.
“We want people to support this growth and change,” Smith said. “You will have some opposition, and we know that, but the more communication we get out there, the better this whole thing will flow.”
McRae is a general assignment and education reporter for The Dispatch.
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