Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board accepts Ewing Woods land donation and sets new fee-per-acre for raw parkland
Summary
The Lancaster Board of Park Commissioners accepted a donated parcel for the Ewing Woods development in lieu of the parks fee and set a new fee-in-lieu valuation of $55,977.89 per acre after debating competing valuations.
The Lancaster Board of Park Commissioners voted March 4 to accept a land donation from the Ewing Woods project in lieu of the usual parks fee and to set a new fee-in-lieu valuation for raw acreage.
Chris Tumblin, representing Ewing Woods, asked the Board to accept donated land located east of Sheridan Road instead of paying the standard parks fee. After discussion, the Board approved acceptance of the donation; Commissioners Kristina Crites and Kari James voted in favor and Commissioner Bob Lovell voted no.
The meeting then turned to how the city calculates the fee in lieu of land. Superintendent Steve Gayfield noted the current fee formula produced a value of $38,741.59 per acre. Commissioner Lovell offered a higher calculation of $81,218.82 per acre based on his analysis. Law Director and City Prosecutor Stephanie Hall said her office’s valuation was $55,977.89 per acre, explaining the discrepancy resulted from different definitions of “raw acreage” (her valuation excluded a parcel Mr. Lovell had included). After questions and discussion, Lovell moved to set the fee at $55,977.89 per acre; the motion was seconded by Crites and passed unanimously.
The Board did not provide additional detail about which specific parcels were included or excluded under the differing calculations during the meeting. The acceptance of the Ewing Woods land donation and the new per-acre fee are the most recent steps; the Board did not identify further procedural deadlines at the meeting.
