We are residents of Fairview Park, Ohio, that care about saving an important piece of green space in our city. We call ourselves the Coffinberry Collaborative. That's because we are collaborating with other current and former Fairview Park residents, city officials, and school officials to make community green space on the former Coffinberry School property a reality.

The Coffinberry School property has been used for community gatherings and recreation in Fairview Park for over 50 years. When City and School officials wanted the property rezoned from civic/recreation to single family residential as part of the 2005 Gemini Project, many Fairview Park residents spoke out about their concern over the loss of community green space. In response to concerns, City and School officials committed to preserving community green space on the property as part of the redevelopment process. The vision for community green space on the Coffinberry School property is captured in Fairview Park’s 2005 Master Plan update, with 15 lots for homes and 3 lots for community green space. This vision was also advanced in our 2013 Master Plan update.

Fast forward 10 years to 2015. Garland New Homes purchased the former Coffinberry School property from our Board of Education and intends to build 18 homes. He isn't required to preserve any community green space. We believe that the redevelopment on the Coffinberry School property should remain consistent with Fairview Park’s Master Plans (15 homes, 3 lots for green space). We value community green space in Fairview Park and don’t want to lose this community asset for today’s residents and future generations.

Through the Coffinberry Collaborative, Fairview Park residents are working to buy back approximately 2 acres from Garland New Homes for community green space. We hope that once our city and school officials see how committed we are to making this community green space goal a reality that they, too, will contribute to our efforts. But right now, this is a very resident-driven effort. Regular residents trying to do the right thing. Because if we don't, who will?

It's a huge goal and we can't reach it alone. We need help. Help from you. Help from other Fairview Park residents, past and present. Help from people who have visited Fairview Park and see how special our community is. People who have never visited Fairview Park but care about the idea of saving green space from development for people and wildlife to use and enjoy.

The Fairview Park residents participating in the Coffinberry Collaborative are asking for your donation. We know this is a big deal and we don't take this request lightly. No donation is too small. All good green things usually start from a seed. The faster we can reach our fundraising goal, however, the better the chance we have to convince the developer to sell acreage back to us. Every day, we see signs of the new development heading our way, like yellow flags marking the gas lines. They are a reminder the clock is ticking.

You can help us save approximately 2 acres of this green gem in Fairview Park. It is the last undeveloped piece of land in this inner ring suburb of Cleveland. This green space has a history of community gatherings and children growing together. But history is about to be rewritten for this green space. How the story unfolds is up to us. And you. We know with collaboration among residents, and our friends and family across Ohio and beyond, we can make a little mark on history. A mark that is green and natural and loved.

Thank you for reading our story and making a donation. The first thing we plan to do if we achieve our buy-back goal is to throw the biggest community celebration ever. You'll definitely be invited. We'll want you to see firsthand the beautiful community green space that you helped us to save. 

With appreciation,

The Coffinberry Collaborative