While more and more housing developments continue to rise up in lots downtown, some city officials are making a push for green space and fresh air.

Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, introduced a resolution for a new Mifflin neighborhood park Tuesday at the city’s Common Council meeting. There is no location picked out yet, but Verveer said they are looking at costs ranging from $4 million to $7 million.

“I think that’s an indisputable fact that this area is in real desperate need of additional green space and recreational space,” Verveer said. “I’m very optimistic that Common Council will go along with the development of a new neighborhood park. The money is there. We have over $7 million in hand that can be spent to develop this.”

Verveer has been pushing for this project for a few years now. Calls for a new park came when the city’s downtown plan was adopted by Common Council in 2012. The plan called for the creation of a new park in the Mifflin neighborhood, as close to Bassett and Johnson Streets as possible, Verveer said.

While the increased housing density and the many new units in the area make a good case for the park, Verveer said even without those, it is still a necessity.

“Even if not a single new bedroom was constructed in the neighborhood, we still desperately need additional green space and park land,” he said.

Kay Rutledge, parks development manager, said she thinks a park in the Mifflin area would provide a number of advantages for nearby residents.

Members of the neighborhood currently have to walk to Brittingham Park on West Washington Avenue or James Madison Park on West Gorham Street if they want to enjoy a park, Rutledge said. Having a park in the Mifflin area would add a place to “get away from the hustle and bustle” in the residents’ own neighborhood, she said.

“It’s definitely an advantage to the people who live close by. They don’t have any green space,” Rutledge said. “It definitely increases your quality of life by having a park space accessible.”

Verveer said the biggest roadblock will be looking to secure appropriate properties on which to develop the new park.

Some property owners are holding on to their land with hopes of developing them into housing or business projects in the future, Verveer said, so the toughest part will be finding landowners willing to negotiate with the city.

Rutledge said the proposal still has several steps to take before the city starts looking for a location. The plan will go before the Board of Park Commissioners and the Board of Estimates in December before seeking final approval from Common Council in January.

Looking ahead, Verveer said he is hopeful about the future of the proposed park.

“I’m remaining optimistic, and I certainly hope that we have enough willing sellers to do this, to make this dream become a reality,” Verveer said. “It’s something that I’ve long thought is way overdue.”