76th Street

One block north of 76th Street on Pleasant Avenue is Lincoln Park or Lincoln Field Park. Many neighbors do not even know of its existence, those that do do not think much of it as it tops the list of parks in the worst state of repair in Richfield. In recent years the city has begun to develop plans to renovate Lincoln Park and had attempted to procure funds from the state to contribute $550,000 to renovate the park as part of a deal for the city lost out when the Metropolitan Airports Commission canceled Richfield’s lease on property that had been used for over 40 years with 13 ball fields, a golf course, and community gardens (city has committed to matching the state’s contribution for a total of $1,100,000). However, this did not pass and now the city is putting away the money a little bit at a time to raise funds for the renovation.

Opportunities
Next to Lincoln Park is Woodlawn Terrace Trail Court. While not a nuisance it no longer fits the area that has grown around it and it the age and deterioration of the manufactured homes put it as risk of future blight. The city has an opportunity if Woodlawn becomes available for redevelopment to become a valuable addition to the park and with the addition of new affordable housing replacing the city maintenance facility at 76th and Pleasant Avenue and 76th and Lyndale Avenue the city would not only be replacing the loss of older affordable housing stock with new housing but they will be increasing the number of affordable housing units.

The initial design calls for four ballfields but there is a plan now that calls for three ballfields and a playground after neighbors expressed interest in having the playground that was removed replaced.