Parks and Recreation Board accepts 22.11-acre park donation, approves Juniper master plan

The Rockwall City Parks and Recreation Board voted to accept a 22.11-acre public park donation tied to phases 1 and 2 of the Juniper Subdivision and approved the subdivision's master open-space plan, board members said at their March meeting.

City staff told the board the donated parkland far exceeds the currently required dedication and recommended acceptance of the park and associated pro rata equipment fees of $215,822.88; staff also said cash in lieu of land would not be collected for the phases now under review.

Staff presented the preliminary plat for phases 1 and 2 and the master plat for the full Juniper development, describing the donated park as centrally located between the new ninth grade center on John King Boulevard and the proposed Juniper neighborhood and as outside the flood plain. "The frontage along John King Boulevard will also provide good visibility, automobile access to the public park," a city staff member said during the presentation. Staff recommended acceptance of the public parkland and the pro rata equipment fees and noted the project falls in Park District 12 (with parts of the master plat also in Park District 14).

The board discussed parking, connectivity and park siting. One member asked whether on-street parking might become an issue similar to earlier neighborhood parks; staff replied that for many neighborhood parks the city plans for walkability but retains an extra acre in some parks to accommodate on-site parking if the park sits on a major roadway. "When they're on the periphery, accessible to a major roadway, we want to give ourselves that extra acre to provide parking so that it was accessible to automobile traffic," a staff member said.

Staff described the master plan's trail network: the applicant will construct a 10-foot trail along John King Boulevard, two trailheads (one on John King Boulevard and one along FM 205) and an internal 8-foot trail system, in addition to the required 5-foot sidewalks through the subdivision. The applicant must return to the Parks and Recreation Board with site plans and a recommendation for amenities for two amenity centers and the layout of the two trailheads before finalizing those elements.

On the preliminary plat and acceptance of the parkland and fees, the board approved the motion with six board members voting in favor and one absent. On the master plat and open-space plan, the board approved a motion requiring the applicant to return with site plans for amenities; no detailed vote tally for the master-plat motion was recorded in the meeting transcript other than that the motion "passes." The preliminary phases under review will include the 22.118-acre parkland donation and the assessed pro rata equipment fees of $215,822.88; cash-in-lieu was waived for this dedication.

Board members and staff noted the development will provide substantially more park and green space than minimums and that portions of the property will be preserved as native prairie. One board member asked that, when the project returns for a future final plat or site plan, staff and the applicant consider whether small lots could be reconfigured to create additional usable park space in phases 3'7s area.

The board's acceptance of the parkland and approval of the master plan are recommendations to city council concerning acceptance of the land and future improvements; the applicant must return with site plans for amenity recommendations and trailhead layouts for board review.