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Parks board subcommittee outlines site survey and environmental review for Parkdale and Highland Park
Summary
The Parks board’s planning subcommittee reported early work on Parkdale and Highland Park: members said a land survey and Phase I environmental review are required before major park work or formal transfer, and they suggested applying for grants and preparing a master plan over the next year.
The Lucas Parks and Open Space Board heard an update from the Parkdale/Highland Park planning subcommittee on early-stage site work and grant planning.
Chair John Elliott summarized a subcommittee meeting with Neil and other members, saying the group wants to begin master planning prior to the city’s budget season. The board emphasized that the parks will not be formally managed by Lucas until the required technical and legal steps are complete.
"So we have to have a survey done, then we have to have the phase 1 environmental done," a board member said, describing the immediate prerequisites before design or transfer can proceed. Members noted additional unspecified ‘‘hoops’’ and regulatory steps that must be completed before the parks can be considered fully integrated into Lucas’s park system.
Board members discussed a best-case timeline of about a year to move from planning to completion of necessary studies, while recognizing many tasks (surveys, environmental review, grant applications) would likely require outside funding and staff time. The board agreed to expand the planning circle with community volunteers and to pursue grant opportunities to offset city costs.
The subcommittee asked staff to continue preparing a master-plan outline and to begin identifying grant programs and partners; members said they will formalize a public meeting notice when more than two board members join a planning session to meet open-meeting requirements.
Next steps: secure survey and Phase I environmental quotes, identify possible grant sources, and schedule a public meeting to broaden stakeholder input.
