A. Fees or Land Dedication Required. An applicant for a residential building permit, a residential subdivision, a residential planned unit development (PUD), a residential mobile or manufactured home park, a residential partition or the addition of more bedrooms to an existing dwelling shall be required to contribute cash for the development and acquisition of parks, dedicate lands for park development, or a combination of both at the option of the city. All land considered or required for parkland dedication shall be based on the city master park plan map, referencing areas planned for park development and upon the standards and criteria in division B. below. The exact amount of the cash contribution shall be fixed and due at the time of the issuance of the building permit by the Building Official. The cash contribution will be assessed in accordance with the most current rate setting resolution.
B. Standards and Criteria for Parkland Dedication.
1. Lands shall be selected by the city for reservation as park and recreation areas in accordance with all of the following priorities:
a. City comprehensive plan;
b. City master park plan;
c. Conveniently located areas where recreation opportunities can be created to best serve neighborhood needs;
d. Property is adequate as to size, location and topography to satisfy the needs of the city’s residents and not unduly impair the builder’s ability to develop the property;
e. Lands that coordinate well with surrounding jurisdictions’ park and open space plans; and
f. In no case shall land dedication requirements be in excess of 15% of the gross land area of the development without the agreement of the developer.
2. The decision of whether land is acceptable for use by the public for park and recreation purposes is to be made by the City Planning Commission based on the findings and planning set forth in the city master park plan. Formal acceptance of parks and recreation lands required to be dedicated shall be by the City Council following any land use hearing and recommendation by the City Planning Commission. In all cases, except for PUDs, actual dedication of land shall occur prior to final plat sign- off. Dedication of land in the case of a PUD shall occur, by separate instrument, prior to commencement of construction of the project.
3. If land proposed for dedication to the public does not meet the criteria set forth in the city master park plan, then at the option of the city, a park system development charge shall be required.
4. Once calculated, the dedication of land shall remain the same and not change, unless the original plans are altered.
C. Procedures for Land Dedication. Development applications shall include a scaled plan which identifies the sites proposed to be dedicated as parkland.
1. Parkland and recreational sites shall be clearly and accurately depicted on the final plat map and documented in the tax lot files. All phased residential subdivisions and planned unit developments shall show any proposed parkland for dedication on the overall master plan plat for the proposed development in addition to other anticipated public facilities. The master plan as finally approved and accepted by the Planning Commission is considered binding on all future phases. Any requests by the developer to change parkland dedication for future phases must be brought back to the Commission for approval. In the case of phased development where separate plats are recorded, land dedication shall occur prior to final platting of 40% of the gross land area.
2. Tentative approval of parkland boundaries shall be made by the hearing body at the time of the public hearing on the development proposal.
3. All sites shall be dedicated in a condition ready for full service including electrical, water, sewer and streets as is applicable to the location of the site or as is acceptable to the city. Improvements to any specific site may be delayed until completion of necessary infrastructure and/or improvements to adjacent sites can be made at the discretion of the city. In case of phased development, sites may be improved as each phase is developed rather than at the time of original dedication. An environmental audit sufficient to meet DEQ requirements shall be required on all parkland proposed to be dedicated to the city prior to acceptance. The cost of this audit shall be split equally between the city and the developer.
4. All lands dedicated to the city for parkland and recreational space shall be conveyed to the city either by warranty deed or be depicted on the final recorded plat as so dedicated. The conveyor shall be responsible for payment of all title searches, real estate taxes and recording fees at the time of conveyance.
D. Options for Meeting System Development Charge Requirements.
1. Any land proposed or required for parkland dedication, including improvements thereon, shall be appraised at its fair market value at the time it is dedicated to the city. The cost of the appraisal shall be divided equally between the developer and the city. This value of the property shall be credited toward the system development charge calculated for the development, with the difference being the cash owed the System Development Improvement Fund. In no case may the city require more land of the developer than would be required if the entire amount of the system development charge was paid in cash. Similarly, no developer may dedicate parkland above the valuation required by the system development charge so that the city would be required to refund money to the developer, unless mutually agreed upon by the city and developer.
2. If no parkland dedication is required or requested by the city, the full amount of the park system development charge will be assessed and is due and payable at the time the first building permit(s) is/are issued.