Queen Creek council approves $14.9M park land purchase

The Queen Creek Town Council has approved the purchase of 30 acres of land located southeast of Meridian Road and the Queen Creek wash for $14.9 million.

The vote was 6-1 with Council Member Travis Padilla dissenting.

The purchase was on the council’s consent agenda which is voted on through one motion and vote unless a council member asks for an item to be considered and voted on separately.

At Wednesday’s meeting, Padilla asked that the item be taken off the consent agenda.

“My feeling is that our level of service, as I’ve stated to the council, is too high, at least sufficient for what we have now, and that we don’t need to add any additional funds to purchasing more parks or more lands for parks,” Padilla said.

Later in the meeting, while commenting on the tentative budget, Padilla said the town was spending too much money on park maintenance.

In response to Padilla’s comments about the purchase, Council Member Robin Benning said the public wants more parks.

“The residents of our community have spoken pretty loudly to me, and I think to other council members that we do want more parks, and I disagree with Council Member Padilla’s statement that we have more than enough or that we have adequately met the level of service (for parks),” he said.

Vice Mayor Leah Martineau, who in her first term had voted against building new parks but has since emerged as a strong supporter, said she approved of the land purchase.

“In the past, this is obviously something I have always had a little bit of a hard time with ... but I do recognize, and I appreciate, that this park is going to be at that 30-acre amount and that’s significant because then that means impact fees will help with that and go into that,” Martineau said. “So, while I do understand we have been putting quite a bit of money into parks here in Queen Creek, I do see this aligning with some of the things I agree with.”

Mayor Julia Wheatley said that while Frontier Family Park and the Recreation & Aquatic Center have come online, more growth is coming to Queen Creek, and it was important for the town to secure available land now at today’s prices for use in the future.

“This goes along with that philosophy of growth pays for growth and ensuring when those new residents do move to Queen Creek that there are adequate areas to recreate and continue to have the great open space that we know and love about Queen Creek the way it is today,” she said.

The town began considering purchasing the land in May 2024, when the council approved a development agreement with Queen Creek Acres Limited Partnership to assist Bosma Farms with developing about 136 acres located north and east of the northeast corner of Combs and Meridian roads.

As part of the agreement, the company agreed to reserve for one year up to 30 acres of land for the future purchase of a community park site. The park is logged as a capital improvement project for fiscal year 2035.

“Not only will the acquisition of the property further the town council’s strategic objectives related to meeting the level of service requirements of the parks master plan, the location is also ideal as it is in the southeast portion of the community. As growth continues, the future park will be necessary to serve the residents in the area,” a council staff report stated.

The $14.9 million, along with about $20,000 in closing costs for the site, were originally anticipated in the upcoming 2025-26 fiscal year budget. However, because the timeline for the deal has accelerated, staff requested a budget adjustment from the fiscal year 2024-25 capital improvement project contingency fund to establish a budget.

“This 30-acre park site was included in the 2024 Infrastructure Improvement Plan used to set the parks impact fees approved by council in June 2024. The park site will be funded by 100% growth funding, with no debt issuances anticipated for this transaction,” the council staff report stated.

The proposed budget for next fiscal year includes $26.8 million to purchase land for future parks, building out the town’s trails system and wrapping up the final costs for the Recreation & Aquatic Center, the proposed budget report stated.

The budget for new parks and expansion was $170.9 million for the 2023-24 fiscal year.

With the Mansel Carter Oasis Park expansion and the building of Frontier Family Park — including the new recreation and aquatic center — almost finished at the time, the infrastructure budget for parks fell to $73.3 million in the current fiscal year.

The 2018 Parks and Recreation Master Plan Update revised the level of service for park acres for the town, establishing a transitionary goal of 40 acres per 10,000 residents and an ultimate goal of 51 acres per 10,000 residents.

As of October 2018, Queen Creek had 89 acres of developed park land and 245 acres of undeveloped park land. To meet the 40 acres per 10,000 residents served by 2027, the town would need a total of 268 acres. To meet the 50-acre goal, 342 acres would be needed, the council staff report stated.

The town has purchased about 70 acres for a future fire station and park at Jorde Farms South located south of Riggs Road and east of Orchard Ranchettes. That project is set for fiscal year 2030, according to town documents.

The town has also secured the future purchase of approximately 56 acres for a police substation and park at the PRI site on Pima Road east of Meridian Road through a development agreement with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. That’s set for fiscal year 2032.

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