Commission names park for Rev. Dr. Anna Price amid debate over parcel size, preservation and affordable housing

The City Commission voted to name a portion of the city-owned property at Southwest 64th Terrace in honor of Rev. Dr. Anna Price, the city’s first African American mayor. Mayor Fernandez and several commissioners framed the vote as a recognition of Dr. Price’s decades of community service, particularly her work with Upward Bound and local scholarships.

Sponsor Commissioner Rodriguez said his intent was to dedicate land adjacent to the historic Marshall Williamson homestead so the park and the homestead could be experienced together. He moved to reserve “not less than the eastern 80 feet” of the parcel for a passive park named for Dr. Price; the motion was seconded and carried. Commissioners debated the parcel size and whether to preserve more of the property for future affordable-housing development; Commissioner Corey and others urged leaving a western portion available for townhomes or affordable units.

Public comment was lengthy and supportive of the dedication: resident James McCants urged preservation of the Williamson property’s trees and historic fabric, saying the acreage helped define neighborhood history. Jeffrey Watson, and other community leaders who credited Dr. Price with decades of community programs, asked the commission to act while she can still attend a dedication. Several speakers emphasized that any dedication should preserve the site’s historical trees and consider an affordable-housing component on remaining parcels.

City attorney and staff clarified the legal description of the parcel after a drafting discrepancy was identified; the mayor modified the sponsor’s motion during the meeting to mirror the lot dimensions of an adjacent property and asked staff to coordinate a follow-up survey and replat when needed. The motion passed with the recorded tally (vote counts announced by the clerk at the time). The commission instructed staff to return with survey detail and implementation steps, and several members asked for protections for the historic trees.

The item prompted discussion about the naming ordinance (whether to permit dedications for living honorees and what vote threshold should apply). Some commissioners said an ordinance change might be appropriate later; for this item they used the existing process with a majority vote to proceed.

Next steps: staff will confirm the exact parcel lines via survey and return with a design/implementation plan that includes tree preservation and options for reserving remaining land for affordable-housing development or other uses.