Forest Lake commission signals preference for two neighborhood parks in Hidden Creek concept plan

The Forest Lake Parks and Recreation Committee on Monday signaled a non-binding preference for two neighborhood parks as part of the Hidden Creek South development, asking the developer to return with two concept designs and addresses of comparable completed parks for site visits.

City planner Ken Roberts reviewed the concept-level Hidden Creek plan and said the Headwaters planned unit development, first approved in 2006, would add roughly 173 single-family lots in future phases and that developable acreage for those phases appears to be between 40 and 50 acres. Roberts said park-dedication is typically calculated as 10% of developable acreage — which in this preliminary estimate would translate to roughly 4–5 acres — and that stormwater ponding and the collector-design of Headwaters Parkway affect what land can count toward dedication.

Developer representative John Dobbs urged building a neighborhood park now using existing park-dedication funds and future fees rather than waiting years for piecemeal construction. Dobbs said the project already includes about 3.14 acres set aside and listed fee amounts the applicant says have been or will be dedicated in early phases ($92,500 already dedicated, $120,000 planned next phase and an estimated $462,500 from future phases at current fee levels). "Our goal is to build it now," Dobbs said, asking the commission to tell staff how to program the space.

Commission concerns focused on safety and access. Staff and public-works representatives advised against direct driveway and parking access onto Headwaters Parkway, noting the street is designed as a higher-volume collector and will include a center median that could complicate turns and pedestrian crossings. Commissioners discussed trade-offs between accepting additional land vs. accepting cash-in-lieu of land and emphasized that park-dedication fees collected by the city are not automatically earmarked for the originating subdivision.

After extended discussion about long-term land availability, walkability and the trade-offs of drawing users across Headwaters Parkway, the commission expressed a verbal consensus (not a formal vote) preferring two neighborhood parks sized roughly in the neighborhood-park range rather than a single large destination park. Staff said they will ask the developer to return to the commission at a future meeting with two refined concepts and comparative site addresses for commissioners to visit.

Next steps: the developer will prepare alternate concept plans (including a larger central park and a two-park/quadrant option) and return for further commission feedback; any formal actions on land dedication or funding remain subject to future council decisions and formal platting and zoning reviews.