Sloan Corners donates over 9 acres of parkland to Allen

A portion of Bravo Park at Sloan Corners is now open.

Allen City Council unanimously approved accepting a donation of about 9.65 acres of parkland located within the Sloan Corners development at an April 28 meeting.

The overview

Sloan Corners is a mixed-use development located at the southwest corner of US 75 and SH 121. Developed by Dallas-based Billingsley Co., the project will feature retail, restaurants and office space when fully built out.

The development will also include Bravo Park, a 30-acre park including walking trails, a pond, pickleball courts and dog parks, Billingsley Co. founder and partner Lucy Billingsley said.

The 9.65 acres donated to the city represents the first of several phases, Deputy City Manager Eric Strong said.

“As they continue to build more and more on that development, they will continue to add to the park,” Strong said.

The park will serve all multifamily residents at Sloan Corners and visitors to the community, city documents state. The city’s acceptance of the donation fulfills the project’s parkland dedication obligation.

The impact

In addition to accepting the donation, City Council approved a park maintenance agreement with Sloan Corners, stating that the developer is responsible for all costs related to maintaining the park to the city of Allen’s standards, per city documents.

“Not only do we get a free, very expensive park, we get a free, very expensive park that the private sector is maintaining for us,” Strong said. “I think that’s a big win for us.”

Diving deeper

One of the Allen Parks and Recreation Department’s goals is for every resident to live within a 10-minute walk to a park. The addition of Bravo Park helps the city move closer toward that goal, Strong said.

In addition to filling a gap in access for residents, having a higher percentage of residents living within a 10-minute walk to a park helps the city qualify for more grants to fund future park projects, Strong said.