Design team unveils Hayden Canyon Park master plan; phase 1 estimated at $5.9 million

Designers working with a city-led steering committee on Tuesday presented the final concept master plan for Hayden Canyon Park, an 18.5-acre site adjacent to Hayden Canyon Charter School.

Bernardo Wills landscape architects and partner Welch Comer described a plan that preserves a wooded perimeter, creates a roughly one-mile loop trail and concentrates active recreation in a central zone. The proposed program includes multiple pickleball courts, two basketball courts, two tennis courts, a large community playground and shelter, restrooms, a skate park, a pump-track/BMX feature, an off-leash dog park, a multiuse central lawn and a winter sledding hill where topography allows. The plan also sets aside a half-acre parcel for potential public-safety use.

Team lead Lehi Hatch told the council the project grew from three public workshops and a steering committee. The designers said they matched the park package to Hayden's 2040 parks plan criteria for a community park and prioritized amenities the public wanted. They reported about 91 stalls in one primary parking field and a secondary parking area of about 51 stalls; planners described surface choices that mix paved and compacted-gravel trails.

The design team presented a recommended Phase 1 scope that would deliver the 2040-required base park elements and estimated Phase 1 construction at roughly $5,900,000. The architects estimated the total buildout cost, at present-day prices, at about $12.9 million. The presentation included a detailed line-item cost breakdown to be provided to the city.

Councilors and staff used the presentation to flag next steps. Questions focused on maintenance obligations and ongoing operating costs, how the charter school would share or access park facilities, fencing and parking logistics adjacent to the school, and phasing and funding options. Designers said they had not completed a full maintenance-cost analysis and recommended that the city account for long-term staffing and equipment needs when evaluating construction phases. The steering committee and Hayden Canyon Development Group committed to fund portions of the base package; staff and council noted the city would still need to identify additional funding and long-term maintenance resources.

Councilors also discussed the park's relationship to Hayden Canyon Charter School. Designers described gates and controlled connection points so the school could access park pathways and use outdoor learning spaces while court games and play areas would remain part of the public park. Staff said any future agreements to share or transfer portions of the site with the school would come back to council in a formal agreement.

Mayor and council did not take an action to adopt the plan Tuesday; the presentation served as an informational step to inform future budget and implementation decisions.