Raleigh voters could see the city’s biggest parks bond ever on the ballot this fall
Raleigh voters could see the city’s largest-ever parks and greenway bond on their ballots this fall.
The Raleigh City Council gave initial approval for a $275 million bond referendum to plan, build and fix parks across the city. If voters back the bond this fall it would raise the city’s property tax rate between 3 and 4 cents per $100 of assessed property value and cost the average homeowner about $100 more a year.
A parks bond has been on the table since Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin pitched one as part of her “moonshot” in 2019. It was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic but the city did raise the property tax rate by a penny last year to try to catch up on park maintenance.
The city has more than 10,000 acres of parks and 118 miles of greenway trails.
Park projects
City leaders were given three options to choose from Tuesday afternoon based on cost and priority. They settled on option 3, topping out at $300 million.
The options were significantly higher than previous project lists. The project budgets were increased 12.5% across the board to anticipate increased inflation and construction costs.
To get to the $275 million number, the council agreed to scale back the $18 million Devereux Meadow park project to remediating environmental problems and adding a greenway, instead of implementing the full master plan.
“One of the issues with that piece is right now we have a polluted parking lot,” said Council member Jonathan Melton. “So I definitely think we need to do the remediation. And we have a stream that’s buried there due to some poor land-use decisions made decades ago, and I’m all for that. But I don’t know why we would spend the money and then not make it accessible to pedestrians and the public and the cycling community. And I know with that piece of property, in particular, it’s really a missing link from North Raleigh to downtown and then onward south.”
The City Council would cover the rest of the costs in the $300,000 option with corporate sponsorships and private funding, said Baldwin.
“I think what we would like to challenge staff with is a whole new way of thinking about our parks,” the mayor said. “And that would be looking at ways that we can work with private partners to build parks that support what they are doing.”
‘Hefty price tag’
Some council members acknowledged the tax burden this could place on residents.
A $275 million park bond is too high, said Council member Stormie Forte. People are more concerned about affordable housing and infrastructure than parks, she said.
“No one asks me about parks,” she said. “And 275 [million] is a very, very large number. You’re going to have bonds coming in from the county. So folks in the city of Raleigh are gonna be looking at a hefty price tag. We still have issues as it relates to funding for our firefighters and first responders and solid waste services. There’s a lot we’re going to be asking the taxpayers to shoulder.”
There are people on fixed incomes and this will put a burden on some families, said Council member Corey Branch.
“But I also understand these families in their love and joy of wanting to use our centers and our parks,” he said. “And we have to make sure that all of our parks are up to par.”
The city can’t afford to piecemeal parks like it’s done for decades, he said.
“It’s time that we work holistically,” Branch said. “So the things I am going to say is even though I don’t like the number 275, I can live with 275 on a couple of conditions.”
The parks have to be viewed through an equity lens, and a focus has to be made on improving what is already there versus “nice to have” items.
Council member David Cox, who previously called the list of proposed projects a “travesty” for the district he represents, did not speak during the meeting.
The City Council will give “final feedback” to city staff on Tuesday and vote June 7. A public hearing will likely be held July 5.
What’s in the bond?
Here is the list of bond projects in the third option presented to the council totaling $300 million. The list of projects could change depending on council priorities and available funding.
- Sertoma Art Center Improvements, $16.9 million
- Leonard Property Master Plan and Implementation, $13.5 million
- Kyle Drive Master Plan and Implementation, $9 million
- John Chavis Historic Park Phase 2 (Aquatic Center and Heritage Plaza,) $56.3 million
- South Park Heritage Walk and Top Greene Center Improvements, $12.4 million
- Biltmore Hills Tennis Improvements, $6.8 million
- Dix Park: Play Plaza, $35 million
- Dix Park: Basic Office and Operations Building Upfit, $1.7 million
- Lake Wheeler Road and Multi-use Path Improvements, $21 million
- Method Community Center Improvements, $15.8 million
- Erinsbrook Park Implementation, $9 million
- Neighborhood & Community Connections and P3 (public-private partnerships) all, $ 6.8 million
- Mine Creek Greenway Improvements, $5.6 million
- Marsh Creek Greenway Feasibility and Preliminary Design, $3.4 million
- Walnut Creek Greenway Improvements, $12.4 million
- Dix Park: Full Office and Operations Building Upfit, Partnerships Opportunities, $5.1 million
- Strickland and Leesville Rd Park Improvements, $4.5 million
- Big Branch Greenway Connector, $4.5 million
- Green Road Park Improvements, $4.5 million
- Tarboro Community Center, $31.5 million
- Devereux Meadows Implementation, $18 million
- Dix Park Phase 2 Preliminary Design: Creek, Landbridge, Landfill and Historic Entry, $3.4 million
- Lake Lynn Trail Loop, $3.9 million
This story was originally published May 11, 2022 at 2:16 PM.
