Southborough park commission delays Fable Park decision pending parking study

The Town of Southborough Park Commission on Tuesday reviewed feedback on two design options for the proposed Fable Park and agreed to pause firm design decisions until a parking feasibility study clarifies how many on‑site and on‑street spaces the project can reliably deliver.

Chair Kristen said the commission received "a lot of good feedback" at the recent Touch a Truck event and that families were particularly engaged about the park designs. Holly, a designer from Activas, told commissioners the design team can add a fence or other barrier around the splash pad and reconfigure entrances so playground users do not walk directly into water features, changes that the team can capture more clearly in follow‑up plans.

Why it matters: Commissioners said parking — not design taste — is the project’s primary constraint because any CPC or town‑meeting funding decision will hinge on demonstrable feasibility and costs. With Favville Hall's deed and planning approvals showing 12 associated parking spaces (eight required along Central Street and four additional 'floater' spaces), commissioners said they need a clear counting method (and confirmation of daytime availability) before asking CPC for construction funds.

Commissioners and staff described the feedback they heard at Touch a Truck, including enthusiasm for a water element and requests for more shaded seating and accessible walking routes. One recurring concern was parents’ discomfort with no defined boundary between a playground and a splash pad; Holly said the design team can incorporate fences or controlled entrances to address that.

On parking, Holly outlined options and tradeoffs: formal parallel parking along Central Street could yield roughly 13 spaces in the currently available stretch; angled parking (30°, 45° or 90°) would increase capacity but would require pushing into the hillside and likely involve Select Board approvals and police review. Holly said a high‑level memo about angled‑parking counts could be ready by the week of Memorial Day, with a fuller memo two weeks later and additional cost estimates after that.

The commission discussed whether to treat 30 spaces as a planning "anchor" (several commissioners said that number would be acceptable) and whether Favville Hall's deed language — which allows Favville to use its spaces after 5 p.m. and for specified events — constrains daytime park use. Staff said Favville's deed and planning-board condition require marking 12 spaces and that the four 'floater' spots may be designated by the property owner.

Kristen said she will circulate a draft note to the Select Board (via staff) outlining parking questions and concerns so the commission can seek clarity on whether Central Street spots can be reserved or signed for park use during daytime hours. Commissioners disagreed about whether to press the Select Board aggressively; one commissioner urged framing the request as an appeal for signage and dawn‑to‑dusk reservation rather than a confrontational demand.

The commission voted to approve its March 18 minutes by roll call (Christine Raylander: Yes; Don: Yes; Kristen: Yes).

Next steps: The design team will provide a short angled‑parking memo within a few weeks and a more formal memo (and cost opinion, if authorized) shortly after. Commissioners said they want final materials in July so they can present a comfortable CPC narrative and, if appropriate, a funding request at the fall town meeting.