Bellevue cuts ribbon on Beach Park expansion

The City of Bellevue and Southbank Partners cut the ribbon on an expansion of Beach Park this week.

The expansion comes as the result of the city buying up a tract of land adjacent to the park for about $700,000, according to Mayor Charlie Cleves. The land will not only expand the footprint of the park itself, but it will also be integrated into the Riverfront Commons, augmenting the project’s trail network. The city will retain ownership of the land itself.

The city’s purchase, Cleves said, would allow the network to have a continuous trail between Bellevue and Dayton that leads down along the Ohio River front. There had already been some initial clearing for the beginnings of a trail by the time of the ribbon cutting.

“In fact, while I’ve been working on this property for the last week or so, I’ve seen several bikers have come down and just flew across here on bikes,” Cleves said.

Cleves said the expansion adds about “50% to our Beach Park.” The city hopes to build an amphitheater for public events on the land. The extra land could conceivably allow for food trucks and other items for events, as well.

“This Riverfront Commons project has become Northern Kentucky’s riverfront district, and our goal is to create an unbridled destination for every season of life,” said Southbank Partners President and CEO Will Weber.

Check out some concept designs for the expansion below.