Agenda - Parks and Recreation Commission - 01/08/2004

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File 2001004 Staff reviewed the draft ordinance with the Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission (PR_AC) on December 13, 2001 and with the Ptanning Commission on December 19, 2001. There were no changes made to the ordinance after those meetings. No formal public hearing is required. 3. PROPOSED ORDINANCE AMENDMENTS Major changes to the park dedication requirements are recommended. Key concepts in the draft regulations: Establishing the standard for an adequate park and trail system at the level of service that existed when the Comprehensive Plan was adopted in 2000. The ordinance would, set a per capita standard for park land based on the City's 2000 population (based on the Census) and the acres of park land documented by the 20.00 inventory (with an addition for acres of trail outlots which were not documented in the plan.) The level of service standard for commercial and industr/al development would be based on the number of employees' that existed in the City at that same time, using the fourth-quarter 1999 estimate of jobs in the City (the most recent, and as close to the same date as the 2000 Census as available.) Tying the park dedication requirements closely to the Comprehensive Plan and the needs generated by the particular development should be more defensible than the current practice.- The current standard is dedication of 10% of the [and area of the subdivision, with an increasing percentage based on the density of development. While the "10% rule" has been used by many cities since the courts upheld an ordinance using this standard many years ago, it is less defensible today. Recent legislation requires.cities to account for and justify the 'basis for all fees charged for new development. The new ordnance will put the City on firmer footing w/th respect to park fees. ' Finding that residential development creates approximately 90% of the need for park and recreational land and facilities in Plymouth, and commercial industrial development creates approximately 10% of the need. While it is difficult to estimate how much of the need for new park and open space is created by non-residential development, commercial and industrial (C/I) uses do put demands on the City's park system. Employees working in Plymouth participate in the City's recreation programs, use. the trail system during their workdays, and use parks for company functions, among other benefits. The City has historically collected park dedication fees from new C/I development and should continue to do so. There are no good surveys existing in Plymouth or elsewhere that we can rely upon to determine the relative burden C/I should bear. Staff is recommending that Plymouth use the standard selected by the City of Bloomington: that 10% of the demand for parks be met by development. Bloomington found that commercial development accounts for 10 to 30% oft heir active park space use. In choosing their standard; they considered several issues including the concern that park dedication would be perceived as an added "tax" on C/I development, and that the fee could create a competitive disadvantage for C/I properties. Bloomington had relatively' P. 5