The River Shapes Where Indian Hill's First Parks Plan Puts Its Biggest Changes

Why would the only synthetic turf field in Indian Hill's draft parks plan go at Kugler Mill Field, out on the Village's edge beside the Little Miami Scenic Trail? The Village's own documents give the answer. Of the five parks in the plan, the field consultants rate Kugler Mill as the "only viable synthetic-turf site among the field parks."

That one line explains a lot of the plan. MSP Design and Field Source presented the draft to Village Council on August 17, 2026. The Village says it has never had a formal parks master plan before. Its concepts change every one of the five parks. Where each change can go depends heavily on floodplain limits, and those limits push the most new construction toward Kugler Mill and the two parks on Drake Road.

Five Parks, and Nothing Else

Indian Hill set a narrow scope from the start. The Village's request for qualifications names five parks with active recreation and sports facilities: Camp Dennison Memorial Park, Camp Livingston Park, Drake Park, Kugler Mill Field and Stephan Field. It calls those five "the limit of the scope." It leaves out the Village's six passive-recreation parks, its green areas with or without bridle trails, and school-owned and privately owned facilities. Grand Valley and the bridle trails are outside the plan.

Plenty of residents took part. At the August presentation, the consultants said about 700 residents answered the first online survey and more than 600 answered the second. The Village also held open houses at Livingston Lodge on April 22 and July 9. The minutes list the themes that came out of that input: pedestrian safety, walking paths, field quality, drainage, accessibility, parking and circulation, and preserving community character.

These five parks see heavy use. Camp Livingston has six soccer fields. The 2026/27 IH Soccer Academy holds practices at Camp Livingston or Kugler Mill. IH Rec runs its K through 6 lacrosse at Camp Dennison and its youngest baseball teams at Drake Park. Stephan Field hosted the annual Easter Egg Hunt on March 28, and the Village's July 4 parade ended there this year.

Where the Water Sets the Rules

Two of the five parks sit beside the Little Miami River, and that limits what the plan can propose there.

Camp Livingston is the Village's northernmost park, at a little over 25 acres. It borders Sycamore Creek and the Little Miami, which is a State and National Scenic River, and the Village says "the majority of the park is located in FEMA-regulated floodplain." According to the minutes, parts of the current field layout "extend into areas where future development is restricted and therefore require reconfiguration." The draft rearranges the soccer areas for 11v11 and smaller formats and moves some small-sided fields or adds new ones. The site concept also shows about 52 parking spaces, a second access point, a drop-off area, about 36 street spaces, accessible walks and crosswalks, a shade sail, new playground surfacing and a new shelter. The concept sheet proposes no renovation of Livingston Lodge.

Camp Dennison Memorial Park covers 73.9 acres next to the same river. Today it has three baseball fields, six lacrosse fields, a batting cage and a one-mile paved walking path. The plan calls for drainage, accessibility work, trail improvements and "river access considerations." The minutes also rule out the obvious fix for wet fields:

"It was noted that due to floodplain restrictions, synthetic turf would not be a viable option at this location."

So the Camp Dennison concepts keep natural grass. They add north and south parking options, paved and mulch walking paths, an asphalt river-connection area, and lacrosse layouts that can be rearranged.

Kugler Mill Picks Up the Heaviest Load

The floodplain rules out turf at Camp Dennison and forces the layout changes at Livingston. That makes Kugler Mill Field, at 9950 Kugler Mill Road, the park with the longest list of new construction. The Village's park page says it has three soccer fields, parking, and "easy access" to the Little Miami Scenic Trail. The draft would add:

• A large synthetic-turf multi-use field with a fence around it, which can be restriped with temporary paint for an 11v11 game or several smaller fields
• A natural-turf field alongside it
• About 28 more parking spaces labeled for the bike trail, plus an asphalt connection to the trail
• A walking path, covered restroom and shelter areas, a storage shed and fencing
• Open space to the south kept for a stormwater basin and more parking

The turf field is also the least settled part of the plan. The minutes say "public opinion regarding synthetic turf remains divided and additional discussion will be required before any recommendation is finalized." The trail parking and restroom work don't depend on that decision. If Council approves the turf, though, a single field would become the Village's all-weather soccer site.

Baseball Moves Down Drake Road

The other big rearrangement involves the two parks across Drake Road from each other. Stephan Field is at 6400 Drake Road and Drake Park at 6375. Stephan has three baseball diamonds, four tennis courts, two pickleball courts and the trailhead for the Redbirdhollow Trail. That trail runs 1.5 miles from Stephan Field to a pull-off on South Given Road. Drake Park has three youth baseball fields.

Moving baseball out of Stephan is what frees room for the courts and the new Redbird Hollow trailhead. The 54-acre Redbird Hollow tract belongs to the Nature Conservancy and the Redbird Hollow Association, according to a 2020 Indian Hill Historical Society account. The plan doesn't change the hollow itself. It changes how people get into it from Stephan Field.

Where Things Stand in October

The Village wanted the plan finished by August 31, 2026, and the RFQ said design, bidding and construction at Stephan Field were on hold until the draft recommendations came in. Grant funding for those Stephan improvements has a December 31, 2027 deadline. That deadline makes Stephan the park most likely to move first, whatever Council decides about turf at Kugler Mill.

The August 26 Village Bulletin said Council would comment on a final report in September, then weigh feasibility, financial impacts and community support before deciding anything. At the August meeting, City Manager Minneci told Council the plan remained in draft form and that Council would keep reviewing the recommendations before setting implementation priorities. The August bulletin expected the final plan to be complete by September 30. The September 21 Council agenda had no Parks Master Plan item, and the September 30 bulletin's summary of Council actions reports no decision on the plan. The Village has published no budget. The RFI responses say "No published budget is available for this project," and the concept drawings carry no cost figures.

Council's next regular meeting is October 19 at 6:30 p.m. As of October 4, its listing has no agenda posted. Every item above is still a drawing dated July 6, 2026, and none of it has been approved.

Changes like these at Kugler Mill or along Drake Road can affect the streets around them, through more trail parking, a new crossing light or a different weekend traffic pattern. If you'd like help thinking through what the draft could mean for a property near one of the five parks, Luther Group Real Estate tracks Village Council records closely and can walk you through them. Schedule a Consultation when you're ready.