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Council to consider amendment to downtown park sale after cost increases; city will retain two lots and phase work
Summary
City staff said a third amendment to the downtown purchase-and-sale agreement will sell only Lot One to the developer to avoid exceeding competitive-bidding thresholds; Lot Two and Lot Three will remain city property so the project can be competitively bid and phased. Updated cost estimates push the project toward roughly $2.5–$3 million.
Scott Morris and city staff updated commissioners on the downtown park project and explained why the third amendment to the purchase-and-sale agreement is necessary.
Morris said the original plan relied on proceeds from the development to cover park construction, but design evolution and rising costs mean the full park would push the contract beyond public-competition limits. “We can't just give Hammer Williams another $1.7 million because we believe that we would run a foul of the public competitive bidding act,” Morris said. Amendment Three narrows the developer sale to Lot One only; Lot Two and Lot Three will remain city-held so the city can combine the approximately $1.3 million from the lot sale with other funding and competitively bid completion work.
Staff provided cost estimates discussed in the presentation: a previous estimate for the Lot Two portion at roughly $1.6 million, another portion at just under $1.0 million, and additional features that could push the overall cost to about $3 million. Morris and staff said the city and developer negotiated a moratorium on major construction through Jan. 31 to avoid interfering with a major celebration, but they have softened the language to allow mutually agreed preparatory work — for example, spreading dirt (estimated at about 10,000 cubic yards mentioned during the discussion) and some utility or grading work that would not impede the event.
Key scheduling steps: a county-courthouse hearing on March 30 to complete alley vacations; a special MAPC meeting on April 2 for the preliminary plat; council final-plat action at the April 7 meeting; and filing by April 8 so Lot One can close and the developer can proceed. Staff said remaining design work (Alabac Design reportedly at ~90% per staff) would be completed and the city would evaluate phased bidding and fundraising options to complete the park.
Next steps: Commissioners will consider Amendment Three on the agenda; staff signaled the project will continue but on an adjusted timeline and budget and that preparatory work may proceed by agreement while major construction is deferred.
