CNC Master Plan

In March 2008, the CNC Board of Trustees adopted CNC PLAN 2011 – a three year strategic plan. The plan calls for the creation of a comprehensive master plan for Rowe Woods due to three factors;

1. acquisition of the 235-acre Groesbeck Property in 2004,
2. development of a Land Management Plan for Rowe Woods in 2007, and
3. a need for additional facilities to better serve members and visitors; in particular, an expanded emphasis on early childhood. 

In March 2009, the Board approved The Rowe Woods Site and Facility Master Plan. This plan represents the most comprehensive site plan since CNC was created in 1965 on the 175 acres originally owned by Carl and Mary Krippendorf.

The Board selected The Kubala Washatko Architects, Inc. from Cedarburg, Wisconsin as the planning team leader based on their significant experience planning and designing facilities for environmental education centers, and hired  Meisner + Associates/Land Vision of Cincinnati as the landscape architects on the project.

CNC's Four Stories

At the start of the planning process, we identified the four stories that we want every visitor to hear when they visit CNC. They are;

1. natural history of our lands,
2. cultural legacy of the people on our lands,
3. our sense of community, and
4. stewardship and restoration of our lands.  

Next, the design team developed a hierarchical list of patterns which reflect CNC’s priorities. Each pattern identifies a problem and its solution to be reflected in the master plan and all future site and facility designs. Then the team completed a comprehensive assessment of existing facilities along with an inventory of the surrounding lands. As a final point, we combined the existing site and facility inventory with the individual space needs identified in a comprehensive programming process led by the architects. 

Below are the proposed site maps of the core areas of the Rowe Woods site. It proposes a campus approach with several separate but clustered buildings, rather than one large single facility. The engineering assessment of the Rowe Visitor Center suggests that a replacement will be in CNC’s best interest to meet its additional space needs in an environmentally sustainable manner.

The Highlights of the Plan

• New Visitor Center and Education Building just north of Rowe Visitor Center
• Conversion of Rowe Visitor Center to an outdoor pavilion and amphitheater
• Creation of a large outdoor gathering place as the center of activity
• Location for Constructed Wetland for Sewage Treatment
• Location of a Natural Free Playscape and Nature Preschool to support expanded early childhood programming
• Expansion of the All Person’s Trail
• Expanded parking capacity
• Enhancement of the CincyNature Camp facilities in the Groesbeck Core

	Click here to view the Krippendorf Core site plan map
	Click here to view the Groesbeck Core site plan map

This plan will guide CNC's planning through 2020 and beyond. It will ensure that decisions made in the near-term fit into a long-term strategy for land use. For more information on the Rowe Woods Site/Facility Master Plan, contact executive director Bill Hopple at (513) 965-4246 or