SUBJECT:
Title
Future Parks Funding Options and Direction
Department
DEPARTMENT: Parks & Recreation
Presenter
PRESENTER: Luke Bolinger, Director of Parks & Recreation
end
Time
TIME ESTIMATE: 60 minutes
Fiscal
FISCAL SUMMARY:
N/A
Policy
POLICY ISSUES:
Tonight's discussion will focus on receiving Council direction on funding Erie's unfinished parks and present that direction as part of the 2026 Budget process.
Recommendation
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Staff request Council's direction on how to proceed with presenting park funding options.
Body
BACKGROUND OF SUBJECT MATTER:
At the March 13, 2025 Study Session, staff requested direction on which Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) projects to incorporate into the 2026 Budget. Although Council engaged in a robust conversation, Parks & Recreation staff did not receive clear direction on two parks that continue to surface in Council discussions: the proposed neighborhood parks in the Compass and Morgan Hill subdivisions.
In 2015, the developer of the Compass neighborhood dedicated 10 acres of park space without contributing funding for its development. In 2020, staff negotiated a fee-in-lieu agreement with the current Compass developer that provided seed funding for park construction. However, the funds remain insufficient to complete the project. That same year, the Morgan Hill developer dedicated 14.3 acres for a neighborhood park but was only obligated to cover the costs for grading, grass, and irrigation for 4.19 acres. Staff later negotiated a fee-in-lieu agreement to replace that scope of work and help support the park's design and construction.
As part of the 2022 Parks & Recreation Work Plan, staff organized community conversations and engagement events to shape conceptual designs for the park sites. In March 2023, staff presented both park concepts to Council. Council approved the concepts and directed staff to prepare design and engineering documents. Given the Compass neighborhood's maturit...
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