Park dedication fee cut by City Planning Commission alarms Dallas Park and Recreation Board

The Dallas Park and Recreation Board on Feb. 28, 2025 was briefed on a code amendment after the City Planning Commission unanimously approved an amended ordinance that reduced the board’s recommended park dedication fees by about 50 percent, staff said.

Board members and department staff said the cut will materially reduce the city’s ability to accumulate funds for parkland acquisition and could shift the burden for buying land onto future bond programs. Ryan O'Connor of Park and Recreation (staff) told the board the planning commission’s change reduces projected fee revenues sharply and complicates efforts to buy land in Dallas’ high-cost market.

Why it matters: Park dedication fees are a recurring local revenue source used to buy land and make park improvements as developments are built. Park staff said the fees were designed to let money accrue in geographic “zones” so the city could buy land when the right opportunity arises. With the CPC reduction, staff said, fees will not accumulate fast enough to fund typical land purchases in Dallas, where recent acquisitions have cost in the mid-six-figure to million-dollar range.

Ryan O'Connor, Park and Recreation staff, summarized the planning commission action and the likely effects: “I just don’t see… the fee record of everything being able… to accrue to a point that we’ll actually be able to go out and buy a piece of land.” Director Jenkins added that the reduction “would definitely have a negative impact to our ability to acquire land acquisition.”

What staff presented: O'Connor said the department proposed modest increases to bring fees more in line with peer cities and to compensate for never having raised the fees since the ordinance was adopted. The department also recommended shrinking seven mitigation zones to five so funds accumulate faster. At the CPC hearing, commissioners approved two amendments: (1) a 15 percent credit proposal for developers who provide a trailhead as part of a qualifying project, and (2) a motion to cut the department’s recommended fees roughly in half. O'Connor showed comparisons to other Texas cities and said the CPC recommendation left Dallas well below suburban peers and likely insufficient to support land purchases over the 10-year refund window embedded in state law.

Board reaction and next steps: Several board members described the CPC action as “shocking” or “terrible news” and urged rapid advocacy with council members. Multiple board members asked staff to draft a resolution opposing the CPC reduction and to brief the Parks, Trails and Environment committee as soon as possible. Staff said the code amendment will next be briefed to the council committee and is expected to come before city council in March or April 2025. Board members discussed coordinated outreach, including an official resolution from the Park Board and individual meetings with council members.

Key numbers and program details discussed during the briefing: staff reported approximately $13 million in existing park dedication funds split across the city’s zones; a 50 percent reduction to the proposed fees; a 10-year period after which applicants can request refunds if funds are not spent; and recent land values that make small zone balances insufficient for standard land acquisitions. Staff warned the reduction will likely force the department to seek meaningful land-acquisition allocations in future bond packages.

Board members asked staff to return with a draft resolution and a coordinated plan to present to council members and the Parks, Trails and Environment committee. The board scheduled follow-up advocacy in mid-March to attempt to reverse or modify the CPC action before council consideration.

Ending: Park staff said they will brief the parks committee next month and prepare draft materials for council members; board members signaled they will push for restoring most or all of the fee increases the department originally recommended.