Mesquite council grants 25% parkland fee waiver for Avanti Hills senior housing

The Mesquite City Council voted 6-1 to grant Avanti Hills a 25% waiver of the city's parkland dedication fee after hearing a staff overview and arguments from the developer.

Adam Bailey, Director of Planning and Development Services, told the council the Avanti Hills senior community is proposing about 260 multifamily units at East Glen Boulevard and Clay Mathis Road and would provide approximately 5.67 acres of on-site open space and a range of resident amenities (pickleball, pool, walking trails, dog park, community garden and other features). The city ordinance requires 4.73 acres of dedication or a fee in lieu; staff noted a full fee in lieu would be roughly $925,000 and a 50% credit would equate to about $467,265.50.

Developer Allen Knoll said the project is an affordable senior community working with the city—s Housing Finance Corporation and argued the seniors who move in are likely to use on-site amenities and place less burden on parks than a family-oriented development would. He said tax-credit financing for the project makes it important to keep as much funding on-site as possible to support resident amenities and programming.

Councilmembers debated precedent, usability of on-site acreage (some areas are detention/drainage), whether amenities are private or public, and the city's need for park funding. One councilmember said the Palladium senior project was handled differently because of financing differences. In the end, Councilmember Merton moved to waive 25% of the fee; the motion passed 6-1.

Council noted the fee revenue remains useful for park projects such as Copeland Park and asked staff to account for fund allocation if future credits are granted.

The motion to reduce the parkland fee passed 6-1; the city clerk will reflect the waiver amount in the development agreement and track the use of any fee revenue.