Oakhurst Park master plan prompts sustained neighborhood opposition; commission tables decision
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Summary
After hours of public comment on lighting, tree canopy, drainage, artificial turf and parking, commissioners voted to table the Oakhurst Park Recreation Master Plan for further socialization and to direct staff and consultants to amend the concept to recommend a traffic study before any decision to close 3rd Avenue; the item was deferred to Nov. 3.
A broad and sustained public comment period focused on the proposed Oakhurst Park Recreation Master Plan dominated the meeting. Dozens of residents and neighborhood advocates described the park as an essential local green space and urged the commission to preserve tree canopy, minimize synthetic turf, address drainage concerns, and avoid turning the neighborhood park into a high‑intensity sports complex.
Speakers living next to the park provided photos and personal testimony about nighttime light spillover from existing fixtures. "The lighting lights are often left on until 10 p.m., flooding nearby homes and disrupting wildlife," one resident said. Several speakers cited recent scientific reviews and local examples arguing that some artificial turf materials can raise concerns about heat and contaminant runoff into downstream creeks.
City consultants from Atkins and Parks staff presented a revised concept that removed proposed pickleball courts, relocated some courts, proposed a regulation‑size multipurpose field and included more emphasis on maintaining green space. Consultants estimated the net increase in developed area would be roughly a tenth of an acre but acknowledged that tree‑impact surveys and detailed stormwater design would be required at the design/permitting stage. Parks staff also noted a possible $1,000,000 match identified in the stormwater utility fund for related creek restoration projects elsewhere in the city.
Commissioners debated competing priorities: protecting neighborhood livability and tree canopy versus addressing documented needs for additional athletic fields as set out in the city’s recreational master plan. Commissioner Meyer moved to table the item to allow broader community socialization, require clearer labeling of the document as a concept plan, and direct staff to commission a traffic test/study regarding any closure of 3rd Avenue before adoption of a plan that presumes that closure. The motion to table—with directions to modify the plan language and to prepare a traffic study entry for the record—carried by voice vote; staff will return with revisions and additional engagement by Nov. 3.
