Multi-million dollar plan would help develop Dix Park. Will Raleigh voters say yes?
Raleigh voters could face a potential $200 million parks bond including millions to start developing the first phase of Dorothea Dix Park.
City leaders are weighing projects for a possible bond referendum and deciding how big it should be.
The first part of the Dix Park master plan, which includes a new entryway, plaza and a play area off of Lake Wheeler Road, will cost an estimated $73.5 million. The nonprofit Dix Park Conservancy says it could cover $20 million of that in private contributions.
Raleigh didn’t spend millions to buy Dix Park so it could just “sit there,” said Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin.
“We spent that money so we could build a park of the future that emulates our city, shows our greatness, shows our philanthropy, showcases all we can be,” she said.
‘So much opportunity’
The Conservancy made its formal pitch to the City Council on Friday, proposing two Dix Park bonds: the first in 2021 and the second in 2025.
The first would include the plaza and play area, called Plaza Play, a path on Lake Wheeler that connects to the greenways and a study about how to restore Rocky Branch Creek.
The second, estimated at $75 million, would include restoring the cemetery and creating the “grove” and “meadow,” which focuses on the natural areas of the park.
The conservancy estimates Plaza Play could draw a million visitors a year.
“This is a public-private partnership, so there are a lot of opportunities,” said Janet Cowell, president and CEO of the Conservancy. “Marbles we’ve talked, just preliminarily, about would they come and potentially locate near the Plaza Play so you would have outdoor play, indoor play, potentially a food hall. There is just so much opportunity.”
Outside of any potential bonds, it’s estimated it will cost $20 million to make improvements to Lake Wheeler Road.
“The big question is Lake Wheeler Road and what we do with that and how we fund it,” Baldwin said. “That is going to be the next phase of this discussion.”
But the Dix Park money would just be one part of the overall bond.
‘Go big or go home’
Originally part of Baldwin’s quality of life “moonshot” proposal in 2019, the parks bond got pushed back due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Parks staff presented three possible bond packages at the council’s retreat Friday that ranged from $150 million to $182 million.
If the bond is approved by the voters, it would raise the city’s tax rate 2 to 3 cents per $100 of assessed property value. That’s anywhere from $52.70 to $77.43 more a year in city property taxes for someone with a home valued at about $255,000.
The three options included potential projects like phase two of Chavis Park’s master plan, Sertoma Art Center improvements, and Leesville Road Park improvements.
“I think $150 (million) is about as much as the voters will approve,” said Council member Patrick Buffkin. “And it makes me nervous to go that high.”
But others disagreed.
“I think we could go higher,” Council member Nicole Stewart said. “Go big or go home.”
Council member Jonathan Melton said the bond should be “bold.”
“I think if we do our work and it’s a well-crafted bond proposal I have every reason to believe it will be supported,” he said.
Not ‘candy from a piñata’
Council member David Cox repeated he couldn’t support any bond without more money for projects in his District B.
“I am not voting for any of the options because of the concerns I have expressed previously,” he said.
Over the past four city parks bonds, District C has received the most funding with $48 million. District B has received the second most, with $33 million.
Melton, who is elected at-large, said he can’t “pretend to understand the pressures the district members feel to advocate for their district.”
“If we approach this process wearing district-council member hats we are going to be doing a disservice to the city,” he said. “And we may not be able to get a park bond on the ballot if everyone is treating this like it’s candy from a piñata. We can’t think about it that way. I would also charge everyone to remember the equitable doesn’t mean equal. Equitable often doesn’t mean equal.”
The city should look at access to parks in underserved areas instead of trying to balance bond projects across the city’s five political districts, Melton said.
A ‘little patriotism’ for Raleigh
The southeast part of the city, District C, has received a large amount of recent park funding because it got so little previously, said Council member Corey Branch. “It has been underserved and underfunded,” he said.
Several historic parks, cemeteries and historic homes in the district needed repairs, he said. He pointed to the work being put into Chavis Park, which used to be the largest park in the southeast for Black people.
“Why are we having to do this now?” he said. “Because it wasn’t done before. So as we move forward, yes, I will own it. And so will every other District C councilman before me own it. We fought for money in our district because it wasn’t done in the ‘80s. It wasn’t done in the ‘70s. And, honestly, it wasn’t done in the ‘90s. So when are we going to do it?”
Buffkin, who represents north Raleigh in District A, agreed with Branch and Melton. He also noted the city has spent millions on parks outside of the bonds through the yearly budget process.
“A little patriotism for the city at large would go a long way to getting us a bond that the voters will approve,” he said.
The City Council has until May 18 to vote to put a bond referendum on the next ballot. However, a delay in releasing U.S. Census redistricting data may push back the 2021 election, and the deadline may change.
This story was originally published March 16, 2021 at 10:05 AM.
