City parks staff seek $166,955 transfer of PLDO fees to help build Greyhawk Park; council to consider supplemental appropriation

Lana Thielen, design development manager for the City Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services department, briefed council on a request to move parkland‑dedication fees and a developer donation into the Greyhawk Park construction account and to place a supplemental appropriation on the council consent calendar.

Thielen said the Spectrum Loop Apartments development elected to meet its neighborhood park obligation through fees in lieu of land and donated an additional $90,515.72 so that the developer’s combined neighborhood and community contributions totaled an even $400,000. The city’s requirement for the neighborhood component could have been met with 1.2 acres of land, Thielen said, but staff determined the fees and donation would better support construction of the nearby undeveloped Greyhawk Park. She said the developer’s neighborhood park fees and donation were collected at the time of first building permit and are now in the PLDO fund.

Thielen presented the funding picture for Greyhawk Park: pooled sources include TOPS funding, Conservation Trust Fund (CTF) dollars and the PLDO fees and donation. She said the estimated construction cost is between $2.2 million and $2.4 million. The requested supplemental appropriation would move $166,955 from the PLDO fund into the Greyhawk Park project account for construction; Thielen said that after the transfer, the Woodlands neighborhood service area PLDO balance would remain “a very strong balance” (she said the prior balance was a little over $1,100,000).

Parks director Britt Haley placed the item in context, saying the department balances deferred‑maintenance needs across existing parks with funding to build parks tied to new development. Haley said prior councils adjusted PLDO rates and that sustainable funding for parks remains a long‑term policy question; she noted the department has also explored special‑district and impact‑fee approaches as part of earlier studies.

Council members asked about total construction cost and funding sources. Thielen reiterated the $2.2–$2.4 million construction estimate and said staff expect the pooled funds (TOPS, CTF, developer donation and PLDO fees) to be sufficient for construction beginning in spring. The parks advisory board had reviewed the supplemental appropriation and recommended it, Thielen said. Council members present agreed to put the supplemental appropriation on the consent calendar for the next regular session; no final appropriation vote occurred during the work session.

Thielen said Spectrum Loop Apartments’ neighborhood park fees and the donation were due at first building permit, and that the developer followed through by submitting the fees and donation in November 2024. Staff said the developer’s neighborhood obligation had been calculated as 1.2 acres or $66,955 in fees in lieu for the neighborhood park component; the donation rounded the developer’s total PLDO obligation toward $400,000. Thielen said the supplemental appropriation would move $166,955 from the PLDO account to the Greyhawk Park project account for construction work planned this spring and summer.