O-2006-1444-G - Laserfiche WebLink

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Overview The City of La Porte adopted a Development Ordinance (#1444) in 1985, with a park dedication provision (Section 12.00 - 12.10), requiring developers to give the city land or money to ensure adequate parkland in newly developed neighborhoods. Under the current Development Ordinance, a subdivision developer in La Porte is required to provide 1 acre per 160 dwelling units, or $175 cash per dwelling unit, to the City. The City has the right to reject an offer of land, and insist on the cash, should the Park Zone possess adequate park property. When it was implemented, the intent of this provision was to ensure that citizens have access to open space as the City continues to grow. Parks in neiQhborhoods add social and recreational opportunities, while incorporating aesthetics Within the community. Over time as costs have increased, it has become evident that our ordinance is relatively weak and does not cover the cost of acqUiring and developing future parkland to meet the needs of our future neighborhoods. Current Status Most cities in Texas base their parkland dedication fees on the concept that the fee should cover the cost of acquiring and developing enough land for a park to service the new subdivision. A fee based on residential land costs and development costs of would be appropriate for implementation to developers to cover the cost for park development for future subdivisions. Survey results of cities in the area with similar sections (or separate ordinances) in place; indicate an average range of between $250 and $600 per dwelling, but a number of cities have recently increased their development fees comparable to our proposal. The maximum per unit fee in Texas at present is the City of League City, at $1,500 per dwelling. A strong dedication ordinance sends the message that neighborhood residents should pay for neighborhood services, such as parks, induding land and development costs, for their neighborhoods. In other words, the burden of providing new park services should fall primarily on new residents, while existing residents pay for maintenance, upgrades of neighborhood parks, and new park facilities that serve the entire city. As our ordinance currently stands, fulfilling the dedication requirements allows our entity to acquire in some cases, but certainly does not cover the costs to acquire and develop needed park property. If the City already owns a parcel of land, then the existing ordinance will generate revenue toward development of the property. However, the optimum dedication does not generate enough revenue for our entity to purchase land and fully develop the property. A good example of this is the recent Spencer Landing subdivision where money collected in park development fees was insufficient to provide both park land and development. Staff is recommending adoption of the proposed amendments to the Development Ordinance to provide a substantial increase in the ordinance park dedication fee to meet future neighborhood parkland acquisition and development is in order. The intent is part of an effort to generate enough revenue to offset the cost of the development of a neighborhood park. People move to La Porte for specific reasons, and "quality of life" is a primary reason. Adequate park space is a fundamental service our department must provide. Staff feels that having a speCific fund with assets dedicated to the total development of a park, as it becomes needed, is more reasonable than raising taxes. We provide a lifestyle choice in our city for the citizen who desires to live here. Their voices are unified and clear when they demand more parks and open space (see the 2001 City of La Porte Park Master Plan). Proposed Change Based on research of other Texas cities, combined with information provided by the La Porte 2001 Parks Open Space and Trails Master Plan, staff has proposed the following Page2of3