City Council to consider land purchase to expand Pacana Park

The City Council and mayor on Feb. 19 will discuss and possibly take action regarding the purchase of 10 acres from Community of Hope Church at a cost of $70,000 per acre, not including ancillary costs and fees.

The item is on the agenda for the Council’s next regular meeting. Martin McDonald, who oversees the city’s Parks, Recreation and Libraries department has requested the purchase of land located at the northwest corner of Porter Road and Adams Way, immediately south of Pacana Park (see “Pacana Park and Community of Hope’s financial base could both grow in proposed dual real estate deal“).

In addition to the purchase, McDonald has requested that the Council and mayor authorize City Manager Kevin Evans to close the deal with the church including, but not limited to, signing an agreement for a parking license, an option agreement, a reciprocal access agreement and closing documents.

Community of Hope is expected to close escrow on the purchase of 15 acres of land designated for worship from El Dorado Holdings, including the 10-acre parcel the city is considering purchasing. A phone call to Lead Pastor Rusty Akers of Community of Hope Church seeking clarification of the proposed agreements related to any possible sale was not immediately returned.

On Jan. 8, however, the Parks, Recreation and Libraries Committee discussed a proposed site plan dated Nov. 2, 2007, for the proposed expansion. It included two fields for dual use between soccer and football teams, open space and two parking lots with 90 spaces in one and 60 spaces in another.

Expansion of city parks, city officials and outside consultants agree, is necessary to meet the demands of a growing city with an active, young population.

Adding 10 acres to Pacana Park would be a starting point, but not sufficient.

“There will have to be more,” said Dean Chambers, a project manager with J2 Engineering and Environmental Design.

The city has hired J2 Engineering to do research regarding what sort of recreation facilities are needed locally and then to participate in the design process once a plan is in place.

“Today, based on current population, we are saying there really needs to be four Little League baseball fields, and there are none,” Chambers said. “For softball, there is a need for three additional, beyond existing fields – even if we counted all the softball fields that are in HOAs and the two at Pacana, there would need to be three more.”

Chambers said the estimates were based in the results of a survey conducted during Founder’s Day in October 2007.

Preliminary results were first released a month later. Chambers last month told the Council he expected to wrap up their ongoing research and project planning by September.

On Monday, during a round table for city candidates to meet with and question staff, McDonald spoke of plans for a 260-acre regional park and tentative plans for a park in Eagle Shadow using about 33 acres El Dorado Holdings agreed to donate to the city in August 2007.

“That was contingent on the market taking an upturn,” McDonald said of Eagle Shadow, which is north of the Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway and east of White and Parker Road.

In apparent reference to the status of the mostly hush-hush process of the proposed Pacana Park expansion, McDonald said it was not unusual for cities not to keep citizens informed of the details of such projects until they have become final. McDonald and Akers have both repeatedly declined to comment on any pending real estate transactions until after the close of escrow, saying it could threaten the deal.

As McDonald concluded his remarks during the question-and-answer portion of the round table, he said that “There are some other projects in progress that are too early to discuss.”

“I don’t want to over promise and under deliver,” he said.

If you go:
What: City Council Meeting
Time: 7 p.m.
Date: Feb. 19
Where: Global Water Facility, 22590 N. Powers Parkway.

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