The City Desk article in the 7/2 Weekly reported on the City Council’s new development fee ordinance for parks. Two thirds of our neighborhood parks were created prior to 1980 and citizens spoke out on the deterioration of these public spaces due to lack of funding.
Despite citizen input to support the staff recommendation the Council watered it down by amending it to provide 50% credit for private open space offsets.
Our City has the lowest ratio of public park space to population in the County due to not updating our ordinances since the 1960s. Population increases put more pressure on existing neighborhood parks. Offsetting public open space with even more private open space builds inequality not community.
I am disappointed that the Council diminished the public benefits to favor developers who’ve had a sweet deal for over forty years by only paying a one-time maximum fee of $50/residence for parks.
