The Parklands at Floyds Fork will more than double in size next weekend. The park will hold events on Friday, Saturday and Sunday to commemorate the opening of 677 acres of new public space in southeastern Jefferson County.When it’s finished, the Parklands will cover nearly 4,000 acres of land. Now, only about 400 acres are open to the public. But next weekend, 21st Century Parks will open an additional 677 acres.The new space includes the Humana Grand Allee, which Parks Director Scott Martin said will probably be a main destination for park-goers.“That’s a half-mile long promenade that’ll be home to festivals, events, it has a wetland in the center,” he said. “And what it’s designed to be is the best walk in Louisville. So anytime you want to come out for a walk and see different stuff that’s going on, that’s where you can do it.”The new acreage also includes five more miles of the Louisville Loop and a 22-acre great lawn.Martin said the Parklands’ goal is to follow the example Frederick Law Olmsted set more than a century ago when he designed the city’s Cherokee, Shawnee and Iroquois parks.“We’re getting ahead of development and putting in a green infrastructure ahead of time,” Martin said. “We think the park will serve not only economically, but for health, recreation, for bringing the community together, and really help to shape what it means to live in Louisville for the next 100 years.”The entire park system is scheduled to open by 2015.
