Parks board approves using Legacy Gardens development fees to help finish Creekside Park

The Prosper Parks and Recreation Board voted unanimously April 9 to approve staff’s recommendation to accept park-improvement and dedication fees from the Legacy Gardens development and apply them toward completing amenities at nearby Creekside Park.

Parks Director Dan Baker told the board the Legacy Gardens developer will not build a standalone park but will pay combined fees totaling a little over $1.8 million. "Those dollars can be used to amenitize, create a site," Baker said, adding the town could use the funds to add playground equipment, backstops and pavilions in Creekside Park.

Baker described the fee components in detail: about $405,000 in park-improvement fees tied to unit counts and a land-value credit calculated from an acreage equivalent. He said, after credits, the town could likely free "probably anywhere from $600 to $700,000" to add amenities, though exact equipment and final costs have not yet been selected.

Board members asked how the fees and developer trail credits were calculated and who would be responsible for maintenance. Baker said the Legacy Gardens work will include new trails that qualify for reimbursement under the town’s development ordinance and that the Creekside developer had already contributed toward park construction; Parks staff will inspect and oversee safety and code compliance once equipment is installed.

A board member moved to approve the staff recommendation; the motion passed 5–0. The agreement will be forwarded to Town Council for final action; Baker said he plans to present it to council on April 28.

The board’s approval keeps the town’s options open for designing and funding specific amenities; staff told the board they will return with design proposals and more precise cost estimates before construction begins.