On July 3, 2025, the Planning and Zoning Commission voted to recommend that City Council rezone the Christianson Park parcel from NRC (neighborhood residential/park) to Institutional. Staff and commissioners said the change is intended to allow park amenities — such as a splash pad and restroom structure — to be developed with fewer conditional‑use permits.

Staff explained that within the NRC district many accessory structures require conditional‑use approvals; changing the zoning to Institutional would allow a specified number of accessory buildings based on lot size by right. Staff said the parcel is roughly 3-plus acres and Institutional zoning would permit accessory buildings appropriate for parks without repeated conditional‑use requests.

A commissioner summarized the planning rationale: NRC’s accessory‑use rules can make building the kinds of facilities a public park needs — restrooms, splash pads, covered structures — more procedurally difficult. “Institutional allows a certain amount of accessory buildings by right based on the size of the lot,” staff said; commissioners agreed that rezoning would better align the parcel’s future park improvements with city expectations.

The commission moved and seconded a recommendation of approval. The motion passed with no recorded opposition; the rezoning recommendation will go to City Council at its next meeting for final action.

The commission noted that design details and any conditional‑use aspects not covered by the Institutional designation would be resolved during subsequent permitting.

Background: Christianson Park currently contains pickleball courts and is in the process of adding a splash pad; the rezoning is intended to simplify the regulatory path for park facility construction.