To: Board of Supervisors
From: John Kopchik, Director, Conservation and Development
Report Title: Park Dedication and Park Impact Fee Fund Authorization for Byron Union School District Family Playground
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Conservation and Development Director, or designee, to execute a memorandum of understanding with Byron Union School District to contribute $38,000 of County park fee funds towards the completion of the multipurpose building at Byron Family Playground, for the period June 13, 2023 to June 30, 2024.
FISCAL IMPACT:
No impact to the General Fund. 100% Park Dedication and Park Impact Fees deposited in the Byron area park accounts will be used to finance the project.
BACKGROUND:
Project Description
The project will complete the Byron Union School District (BUSD) Family Playground, which has been primarily funded through East Bay Regional Park District's Measure WW Regional Open Space, Wildlife, and Parks Bond Extension. The BUSD Family Playground is located on a 3.5 acre underutilized site adjacent to Excelsior Middle School, the Byron Union School District Office, and Byer Road. The project includes design and construction of an all-abilities playground with park features including benches, tables, ADA picnic tables, sidewalk, and improvements to the existing field along with the design and construction of a 960 sq. ft building to support the park and community activities. The park fees are being requested to complete the building portion of the project. Specifically, the park fees will be used for the following:
• Installation of electrical
• Installation of a voice evacuation fire alarm system, and
• Connection to the school's data network.
The electrical and fire alarm portion of the project are required by the State to comply with Department of State Architect (DSA) requirements for final building approval. Connection to the school's data network will improve the utility of the building.
Project Background
The Board of Supervisors authorized the submittal of a Measure WW application for the Byron Family Playground in December of 2015 and the County entered an agreement with BUSD in March of 2016. East Bay Regional Park approved the project application in June of 2016. The playground, park features, and field improvements were completed in 2018. However, the building has yet to be completed. Byron Union School District is in the process of completing the building with the final estimates exceeding the Measure WW allocation, thus the school district has requested Park Dedication and/or Park Impact funds be used to complete the project.
The Byron MAC discussed the request at their May 23, 2023, meeting and supported the use of the Byron area Park Dedication and Park Impact funds to complete the project. The Board of Supervisors approved a Board Order allocating the funds on June 13, 2023, but that Board Order allocated the funds to the County Public Works Department. This authorization will allocate the funds to Byron Union School District and approve a memorandum of understanding with the District.
Park Fund Background
The County imposes fees on residential development to fund park and recreational facilities under both the County's Park Dedication Ordinance and the County's Park Impact Fee Ordinance. Funds from these fees are deposited into accounts associated with the community where the residential development occurs to ensure the funds are directed to park and recreational facilities which serve the residents affected by the development. The following table outlines the Byron Park Funds Impact fee accounts that will be used for the project. Use of the park fees identified are reasonably related to proposed Byron Family Park project and are consistent with government code section 66001(a)(3)-(4), because the proposed park improvements will serve the Byron Community, including the areas from which the proposed expenditures were collected.
|
Byron Accounts |
Amount |
|
PI2000012 |
$38,000 |
|
Total |
$38,000 |
Applicable General Plan Goals and Policies
The proposed project implements the following General Plan Park and Recreation Facilities Goals:
• To develop a sufficient amount of conveniently located, properly designed park and recreational facilities to serve the needs of all residents (9-H)
• To promote active and passive recreational enjoyment of the County's physical amenities for the continued health, safety, and welfare of the citizens of the County (9-J)
• To achieve a level of park facilities of four acres per 1,000 population (9-K)
The proposed project implements the following General Plan Park and Recreation Facilities Policies:
• Major park lands shall be reserved to ensure that the present and future needs of the county's residents will be met and to preserve areas of natural beauty or historical interest for future generations. Apply the parks and recreation performance standards in the Growth Management Element. (9-32)
• A well-balanced distribution of local parks, based on character and density present and planned residential development and future recreational needs, shall be preserved. (9-33)
• Park design shall be appropriate to the recreational needs and access capabilities of all residents in each locality. (9-34)
The proposed project implements the following implementation measures related to Intergovernmental Coordination
• Coordinate with the various school districts in the county to provide for the joint use of recreation facilities. (9-t)
Parks Capital Improvement Plan Consistency
The Parks Capital Improvement Plan identifies a proposed park in the Byron/Knightsen/Discovery Bay Area. The Byron Union School district park provides a park to serve these rural east county communities.
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)
The project was determined to be exempt of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) as a Categorical Exemption Class 1, Class 3, and Class 14, pursuant to Article 19, Sections 15301, 15303, and 15314 of the CEQA Guidelines. A Notice of Exemption was filed on March 4, 2016.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
If the funds are not authorized, it is likely the school district will not be able to complete the project.