Dallas Park and Recreation seeks fee increase to help fund land acquisition

The City Plan Commission recommended reducing a fee for land acquisition paid by developers by half in February.

Contessa Fowler considers herself a Dallas parks regular.

On Wednesday, she spent time on the walking trails at Kiest Park in Oak Cliff with friend Danita Summers.

"We’re just walking and strolling and talking," Fowler said.

Fowler added she frequents Kessler Parkway and White Rock Lake Park in east Dallas too.

For Summers, getting out and walking provides a respite from a busy schedule.

"I think walking is great for mental health, it’s great to catch up with friends," Summers said. "It’s a free activity so we enjoy it.”

Kiest Park is one of the largest in Oak Cliff and part of the Dallas Parks system that covers over 21,000 acres and 410 parks.

Dallas Park and Recreation has plans for growth too.

Assistant director Ryan O'Connor says the park system will need to acquire more land to expand green space access.

"We want 100% of our residents to live within a 10-minute walk of a park or green space," O'Connor said. "We’re at about 75% right now.”

The parks department collects a fee for park land dedication that brings in approximately $3 million annually, according to the department.

However, the money must be evenly divided among seven zones within the city, which means it rarely has enough for any significant land purchases, especially with rising property values in the city.

O'Connor said an increase in fees for developers for both single-family and multi-family developments will help the land acquisition fund be in a better position to make larger purchases.

"We will have a better ability to be able to have those fees accumulate quickly enough to be able to go out and buy land,” O'Connor said.

The City Plan Commission last month took a different route, citing the current housing shortage, recommended reducing the land acquisition fee by half to help spur more affordable development.

Any proposed change to the existing ordinance, passed in 2018, would require action by the Dallas City Council which could take up the land acquisition fee issue as early as April.

For Fowler, she believes most park users would support a policy that allows the parks department to grow quicker.

"We need more green spaces so we can absorb more heat and then we’re not as hot," Fowler said. "Instead of just like more apartment complexes that are shooting up everywhere.”