Comprehensive Plan & Parkland Dedication Ordinance

1. City of College Station
Parks and Recreation Department
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Comprehensive Plan &
Parkland Dedication Ordinance
Proposed Changes – October 12, 2017

2. Parkland Dedication
General Park Definitions:
• Neighborhood Park
• Smaller in size
• Located within neighborhoods and subdivisions
• Basic amenities – playground, benches, walking paths, etc.
• Smaller service area
• Community Park
• Larger in size
• Located on fringes or outside of neighborhoods and subdivisions
• Larger, more active amenities and facilities – pools, athletic complexes, restrooms, parking,
etc.
• Larger service area
• Designed as a destination park (draws individuals from community)

3. Parkland Dedication
College Station and the ETJ are divided into Park Zones. Parkland
Dedication Funds can only be spent within the Park Zone in which it is
collected.
Parkland Dedication land & funds are collected for BOTH
Neighborhood Parks and Community Parks, in four categories;
• Neighborhood Park Zones (currently 29 zones)
• Land or fee in lieu of land
• Park development or re-development fee
• Community Park Zones (currently 4 zones)
• Land or fee in lieu of land
• Park development or re-development fee

5. Comprehensive Plan
• Recommended Changes to Neighborhood Park Zones:
• Recommended by the Parks & Recreation Advisory Board (July 11 mtg.;
unanimous) and Planning & Zoning Commission (September 21 mtg.; 5-1 vote)
• No longer include Neighborhood Park Zones in the ETJ
• Problematic with small parcels of land for the City to maintain with no taxes collected to
maintain them.
• Collection of fees with no existing parks to spend the funds on for development or
improvements
• Expansion of the ETJ will increase the problems
• Combine Neighborhood Park Zones with smaller areas left inside City Limits with
adjacent Neighborhood Park Zones
• Due to no longer including Neighborhood Park Zones in the ETJ
• Combine Zones 9 & 24, 11 & 14, 13 & 20 (reduces zones from 29 to 16)

7. Comprehensive Plan
• Recommended Changes to Community Park Zones:
• Parkland Dedication Land and Fees will still be collected in the ETJ as these
parks are designed as destination parks for the entire community.
• Reduce the number of Community Park Zones from 4 to 2
• Addresses current and future issues with Parkland locations within the ETJ, expansion of the
ETJ, and any City annexation.
• Acquisition of land for parks will be more flexible

9. Comprehensive Plan
• Recommended Changes to Designated Park Zones:
• NOTE: Current Parkland Dedication Funds will be “grandfathered” to the
Zones they were collected in, and will follow the Parkland Dedication
Ordinance in effect at the time of collection.
• (Both Neighborhood and Community Park Zones)
• The Planning & Zoning Commission additionally recommended that the
Neighborhood Park funds already collected in the ETJ be refunded.

10. Parkland Dedication Ordinance
Proposed Changes

11. Parkland Dedication Ordinance
• Proposed Changes to Unified Development Ordinance:
• Sec. 12-8.8(A) “Purpose” and Sec. 12-8.8(C)(9) “Use of Fees”
• addition of verbiage to include improvements of parks as an allowed use of collected
parkland dedication fees
Recommended by the Parks & Recreation Advisory Board (July 11 mtg.;
unanimous) and Planning & Zoning Commission (September 21 mtg.; 5-1
vote).

12. Parkland Dedication Ordinance
• Proposed Changes to the Unified Development Ordinance: Parkland Dedication
• Sec. 12-8.8(F)(2) “Special Fund; Right to Refund”
• Extend the time period (from 5 years to 10 years) in which collected parkland
dedication fees are to be spent
• Addition of verbiage to include “encumbered or expended” in relation to the use of
collected parkland dedication fees
Recommended by the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board (July 11 mtg.; unanimous
vote)
Not recommended by the Planning and Zoning Commission (September 21 mtg.; 1-5
vote)
• 10 years is too long a time frame for right to refund
• The term “encumbered” is too broad of a term and could circumvent the time frame of
the right to refund
• Additionally recommended a change to the ordinance for the right to refund to be
automatic and not by request.