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Commission approves abandonment for Pence Park expansion after wide community debate; site plan modification tabled for revisions
Summary
The commission approved first-reading abandonment of part of SE 3rd Street to allow an expanded Pence Park project that adds turf fields, a multipurpose building, pickleball courts and playground improvements. Residents raised concerns about keeping passive green space, deed restrictions, and safety at adjacent railroad tracks; commissioners asked staff to incorporate requested changes and tabled the detailed site plan.
City staff and the project architect presented a design to renovate and expand Pence Park, including abandoning a portion of SE 3rd Street to add artificial turf fields, a new multipurpose clubhouse with restrooms and storage, shade sails and a small water mister play area, parking and (in revised materials) a half basketball court plus pickleball courts. The planalso proposes fences and a 25-foot buffer adjacent to the railroad to address safety concerns.
Public commenters were divided. Some neighborhood speakers urged preservation of open green space and warned against over-activating the park with too many courts and indoor facilities; others and several commissioners argued an activated, staffed park reduces crime, blight and calls for service and increases public safety. Legal staff reviewed a 1949 deed that conveys Pence Park to the city to be "maintained as a public park containing an athletic field and a children's playground" and warned of a possible reverter if required uses are abandoned for five years; legal recommended the indoor multipurpose room be explicitly limited to recreational uses consistent with the deed.
After discussion the commission approved first reading of Ordinance 26-022 to abandon a portion of SE 3rd Street and voted to table the related site plan modification so staff can update drawings to reflect community input (requested changes included a half basketball court, misting feature, dog waste receptacles, hedging along the rail buffer and a historical plaque or interpretive panel). Staff will return revised plans for second reading.
