Committee accepts fees-in-lieu for Marchstone phase 1, declines on-site park/conservation in Phase 1

The Parks, Recreation and Conservancy Committee voted to accept a staff recommendation that Phase 1 of the Marchstone development proceed without on-site parkland or designated conservation parcels, provided the developer pays the applicable fees and the village uses those funds to improve nearby facilities and pedestrian connections.

Speaker 2, the parks staff presenter, described the Phase 1 preliminary plat as approximately 128 dwelling units and told the committee the phase “doesn’t offer any of those” conservation parcels or wetlands suitable for park dedication. He walked the committee through the village’s park dedication calculations and the alternative of requiring fees-in-lieu when acreage cannot be dedicated in a given phase. Speaker 2 said the development’s configuration and site conditions make direct parkland dedication impractical for Phase 1 and noted timelines that could push some construction work into late summer or September.

Speaker 4 moved a resolution that Phase 1 require no on-site parkland or conservation dedication as long as “all fees are collected and such fees are used to enhance 3000 Evergreen Parkway, [the] 17-acre expansion of Bear Park (reviewed in 2016), and to construct an 8-foot-wide blacktop path connecting Marshall Boulevard and portions of the new development.” The motion was seconded and the committee voted in favor; the motion carried.

Committee members debated tradeoffs: several members, including Speaker 1, noted the proposed subdivision sits within walking distance of multiple existing parks (Evergreen Park, Bear Park and the soon-to-open Glacier Ridge playground) and argued that in-lieu fees invested across those nearby parks could yield greater public benefit than a small, difficult-to-maintain parcel inside the new subdivision. Others urged the village consider land acquisition when financially feasible for later phases.

Staff provided numerical detail on current and projected funds tied to development fees: Speaker 2 said fees collected could total about $103,009.12 for conservancy-related charges for Phase 1, and mentioned larger cumulative improvement-fee balances (figures cited in the meeting included an approximate $645,000 fund balance from prior collections). Committee members requested additional detail about the accounts that will hold fee revenue and whether interest or indexing will be applied to future phases.

The committee’s action advances negotiations with the developer: staff said a developer agreement and final plat language will follow as part of the normal planning and review process. The committee did not adopt any changes to the village’s parkland ordinance during the meeting.

The Marchstone item was introduced and discussed from SEG 393 through the vote at SEG 1166; the motion language offered by Speaker 4 appears in the meeting record and the vote was recorded as carried.