"A long-anticipated construction zone is Willow to Inman Street, what we have called Phase VI for over a decade." That's Cameron Fisher, chairman of the Cleveland/Bradley Greenway Board, writing in the Cleveland Daily Banner about a stretch of trail that is about 0.2 miles long. He added that he didn't yet have a projected start date.
The Greenway turns 25 this month. Its first quarter mile opened between 20th and 25th Streets in October 2001. In the anniversary year, almost all of the new trail is going in on Candies Creek and Fillauer Branch. The original Mouse Creek line is marking 25 years with its main park closed for renovation and its last gap still unbuilt.
Twenty Years on One Creek
For most of its life, the Greenway meant Mouse Creek. Fisher wrote that "for the first 20 years the focus was solely on Mouse Creek and the five miles on the ground between Willow Street (south) and Mohawk Drive (north)." The first mile along Candies Creek came later and runs between Candies Lane and I-75. Fillauer Branch is the third and newest creek in the system. It starts at a spring in East Cleveland, runs through the Lee University campus and the Spring Creek development, and empties into Mouse Creek at Tinsley Park.
The Greenway Board's capital list shows the same shift. Its July 2026 minutes list projects by fiscal year:
- An underpass beneath the interstate to reach Fletcher Park, in the city's FY27 budget
- Expanded parking at Candies Lane, to 56 spaces, also in FY27
- A $200,000 Candies Greenway extension at Sharp Park, in FY29
- A $1,000,000 Mouse Creek Greenway connection to the soccer complex, in FY29
On that list, Candies Creek has the most items. Mouse Creek's biggest one is still Phase VI.
Mouse Creek's Hub Is Closed Until November
For anyone who starts a run or dog walk at Tinsley Park, the change this fall is easy to see. The Cleveland Parks and Recreation catalog still lists Tinsley as "temporarily closed for renovations" and calls the new pickleball complex "coming soon."
The reopening date is set. The City Council's September 28, 2026 work-session agenda lists the Tinsley Park grand reopening for November 7, with the time to be announced. Earlier, City Manager Joe Fivas had named October 17 and November 7 as possible dates. He said the opening would be more than a ribbon cutting and might include a 5K or a pickleball or softball tournament.
Here is what's coming, per the Banner's report:
- A 20-court pickleball complex with eight covered courts, which takes Tinsley from 6 courts to 26
- A pavilion with an enclosed 700-square-foot building for a pro shop and storage, plus covered spectator seating on each side
- More parking, new pavilions, and new sidewalks
- A small-dog park twice its previous size
The work has spread onto the trail itself. Fisher described having to go around the construction on a morning run. He wrote that the pickleball complex "has permanently altered a previous entrance from the Tinsley parking lot" and that the dog park renovation "has pushed out onto the greenway as well." No section of the main greenway had closed at that point.
Tinsley also matters for the anniversary. In May, the Greenway Board agreed to make a 25-year highlight video and talked about how to finish a commemorative arch being built at Tinsley Park. In July, Fisher pointed out that Fillauer Branch starts and ends at Tinsley. He suggested adding an arch reading "Fillauer Branch Trail" to the columns already under construction, and the board formed a special committee to decide. So the arch marking 25 years of the original trail may also mark the entrance to the newest one.
Where Each Creek Stands This Fall
| Creek | What's new | Status as of early October 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Mouse Creek | Tinsley Park renovation, commemorative arch | Park closed; grand reopening November 7, time TBD |
| Mouse Creek | Phase VI, Willow Street to Inman Street | Right-of-way reported nearly complete; no start date |
| Candies Creek | Jim Sharp Park at 2300 Candies Lane NW | Open since May 2026 |
| Candies Creek | Trail extension under Candies Lane | Reported nearly complete; opening not confirmed |
| Fillauer Branch | Phase One, Blythe Ferry Road to Westview Drive | September 1, 2026 target; opening not confirmed |
| Fillauer Branch | Phase Two, Spring Creek to Elm Drive | September 1, 2026 target; opening not confirmed |
Candies Creek Got the New Park
While Tinsley has been closed, the Candies Creek side opened a new park. Jim Sharp Park is on Candies Lane across from the Greenway entrance. It is named for local developer James Ernest Sharp. The city held an open house there on Friday, May 15. The official grand opening and ribbon cutting followed on Saturday, May 16. The park has a stocked fishing pond and what the city calls the largest covered pavilion in Cleveland. Its turf play area includes in-ground trampolines, zip lines, and equipment built for children of all abilities. There are restrooms on site.
The trail link to the park is the part to check before you go. Fisher reported that concrete had been poured under the Candies Lane bridge to a temporary end point, and that the extension would stay there until the Greenway continues north from the park. We could not find a public notice confirming that the underpass connection is open. The city manager's September 28 report included an item on "Candies Greenway Improvements," but the agenda doesn't give details.
North of the park, the board's plans include connecting Jim Sharp Park to the trails at Freewill in FY29. A developer is working with the city on a connection to the Trails neighborhood, and the developer of the new Willow Creek subdivision is pursuing its own link to the Candies Creek Greenway. The board has also considered names for a trail at Freewill and Rolling Hills, including "Rolling Hills Nature Trail" and "Freewill Nature Trail."
Fillauer Branch Starts as Short Sections
Fillauer Branch has been built from the ends. There is a half-mile section at Schimmels Park at Lee University and the mile-long Casteel Connector between North Ocoee Street and Tinsley Park. Phase One is less than a quarter mile. It enters from the southeast corner of Blythe Ferry and North Ocoee, curves into the woods behind two apartment complexes, and comes out at Westview Drive. That puts it near the Bowman Hills neighborhoods. Phase Two picks up where the trail comes out from under 25th Street and runs to the dead end of Elm Drive, near Spring Creek and the former Jenkins Deli.
The board's July minutes gave both phases a target finish of September 1, 2026. That date has passed, and we found no public confirmation that either phase has opened. The board's update on cbcgreenway.com or The Greenway's Facebook page is the best place to check before planning a route.
Once the gaps are filled, the long-term plan is a loop. It would start at the Inman and Keith Street trailhead and pass under the Rotary arch, then follow Mouse Creek north through Greenway and Tinsley Parks. From there it would take the Casteel Connector to Fillauer Branch and Lee University, then return downtown on connector streets. That loop also depends on Phase VI.
The Missing Fifth of a Mile at Willow Street
Phase VI has been in the plan for years. The Greenway's chronology shows a TDOT grant for it awarded in September 2019. In July 2026, Fivas reported that right-of-way acquisition was nearly complete. The board treats it as a centerpiece of the anniversary. Its May minutes say construction progress on Phase VI "will be an ongoing highlight of the anniversary year."
Several improvements at the original trail's south end are waiting on it:
- A restroom at the Inman trailhead is listed as "TBA when Phase VI begins."
- Mile markers counted from the Inman trailhead are also "TBA when Phase VI begins."
- The board decided to hold off laying Rotary pavers until Phase VI starts.
- A historic marker at Dye Creek is listed as TBA once Phase VI is completed.
Development of the Inman trailhead is in the city's FY27 budget. Board members have discussed a passive park there and are researching whether the trailhead is the geographic center of the county. Fisher expects the 0.2-mile section heading south from Willow to close while it is built. He called that an inconvenience he would welcome, because the result would be "an unbroken linear park from Inman Street to just beyond Mohawk Drive … about five miles."
Dates for the Rest of the Fall
- October 23: The Greenway Board has scheduled a community event for the 25th anniversary, with board member Bill Estes overseeing it. No time or location had been published when this went up.
- Around town: New light-pole banners are recognizing the Greenway's 25th anniversary along with other local and national milestones.
- November 7: Tinsley Park grand reopening, time to be announced.
- November 19: The Greenway Board's last scheduled meeting of 2026.
The board has also previewed an updated Greenway map that shows Phase VI and the Fillauer Branch sections as completed. It is expected to be finalized and mounted later this year.
If a new connection on Candies Creek or Fillauer Branch is about to reach your street, we're glad to talk through what it means for your home. At Don Ledford Group, we follow these projects as neighbors, and we can start the conversation with an instant valuation whenever you're ready.
