Last year was a banner one for parks with Queen Creek opening Frontier Family Park and the expansion of Carter Mansel Oasis Park.
This year, the long-awaited recreation and aquatic center at Frontier Family Park featuring indoor ball courts, water slides and spaces for community activities opens on March 29.
With those crossed off the list, Queen Creek has no new parks planned for the near future, but the town is still working to develop recreational opportunities for residents.
“There are no additional parks planned in fiscal year 2026. Staff will be evaluating low-cost options at existing parks and other town-owned facilities to present to council for possible additional recreation uses,” Mayor Julia Wheatley stated in an email.
Queen Creek is looking at possibly using town-owned properties for “low-cost recreational uses, such as biking and hiking trails, disc golf, BMX tracks, and other similar activities,” according to a staff report that was part of a two-day council strategic planning session on Jan. 24-25.
“Council members in general have expressed interest in looking at whether there are opportunities to add alternative amenities that are comparatively less expensive than building a brand-new park with all the active play spaces on other park land the town owns,” stated Council Member Jeff Brown in an email.
The issue of creating additional recreation sites on town-owned land was placed on the planning session’s agenda by Council Member Travis Padilla.
“Pursuing fiscal responsibility at the town of Queen Creek has been my focus and as such, I have encouraged maximizing the value and use of currently owned town properties for any future park or entertainment space rather than purchasing additional expensive property,” Padilla stated in an email.
The opening of Frontier Family Park and the expansion of Carter Mansel Oasis Park were part of parks and recreation master plans adopted in 2005, 2007 and 2018 to address the town’s shortage of park land acreage.
“Recent park property purchases have significantly improved the town’s ability to meet its level of service for park acres. … these new acquisitions bring the town closer to achieving the 40-acre level of service set as the transitionary goal set in the 2018 Parks & Recreation Master Plan,” the report stated.
While the town has purchased hundreds of acres that can be used for parks, development has a long turnaround and traditional amenities are expensive, which is why only four sites are currently being looked at for limited and low-cost recreational uses.
Those properties are:
The Pit Property along the Queen Creek Wash in the area of Meridian and Combs roads.
Desert Wells Stage Stop at Sossaman and Chandler Heights roads.
Sossaman/Cloud Park at Sossaman and Cloud roads.
The landfill park site next to the Horseshoe Park and Equestrian Centre and adjacent to the Sonoqui Wash Trail.
Because of the properties’ “specific characteristics” they are not ideal for a traditional large park, according to the staff report. For example, Desert Wells Stage Stop and Sossaman/Cloud Park are storm water retention basins that will require amenities that can handle occasional flooding.
The Pit Property will be partially used for wastewater recharge and has substantial gas and electric easements.
“These limitations, while restricting traditional development, create possibilities for low-impact, alternative recreational uses,” the report stated.
The landfill site may be modeled on a similar one in Chandler that includes disc golf, a dog park, archery and walking trails through the Sonoqui Wash Trail.
Queen Creek also has an eye on an area outside of the current town limits — the San Tan Mountain Regional Park.
“While currently owned and operated by Maricopa County Parks and Recreation in unincorporated Pinal County, this expansive park offers immense potential for future annexation by the town,” the report stated.
Along with equestrian, biking and hiking trails, the park could accommodate alternative recreational uses such as archery, disc golf, radio-controlled vehicle tracks and BMX tracks.
“These types of activities are not only popular but are also typically less expensive to develop than traditional park amenities,” the staff report stated. “Moreover, they often attract dedicated user groups who actively contribute to maintenance and fundraising efforts.”
As the town takes a breather from building traditional parks, planning for them will continue.
“The next big effort for the town will be to update our Parks and Recreation Master Plan for 2028 with lots of opportunity for public input as we did for the 2018 Parks and Rec Master Plan,” Brown stated.
Please send your comments about this article to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines. Janet Perez can be reached at jperez@iniusa.org.
Janet Perez News Editor | Queen Creek &
San Tan Valley
Meet Janet Janet Perez joined Independent Newsmedia as editor of the Queen Creek Independent and Florence Independent in 2020. She started her career in 1989 with the Gannett-owned El Paso Times. In 1992, she moved to Tempe and has worked in newspapers, magazines, radio and television. She left Arizona for three years to work at New Mexico State University and Baylor University before returning to work at Arizona State University. Missing the business, she went back to journalism in 2017.
Community: A long-time pet owner, she supports animal welfare causes.
Education: University of Texas at El Paso with a BA in journalism and a minor in political science.
Random Fact: She had a head full of random facts.
Hobbies: Reading, watching documentaries, cooking and playing with her dogs.
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