City Council received an update on the bond’s proposed park projects and held its first of three public hearings on the bond during its Nov. 25 meeting.
The big picture
The proposed bond projects are broken into five categories: street improvements, park and recreational facilities, public safety facilities, municipal facilities and library facilities.
Street improvements are set for $342.28 million, the largest chunk of the bond funding, according to city documents.
Bond funding for public safety facilities would total more than $243.65 million, which includes a $155.16 million replacement of the Plano Police Department headquarters at 909 14th St.—the most expensive proposed single project.
Municipal facilities and park and recreation facilities projects would be allocated $58.26 million and $51.6 million, respectively. The library facility projects includes the remodel of Haggard, Parr and Schimelpfenig Libraries, and would cost nearly $5 million.
Diving deeper
The park projects section of the proposed bond includes $10 million for Hall Park, a new city park planned for the corner of Alma Drive and West Park Boulevard. Parks and Recreation Director Ron Smith said the $10 million would fund the first phases of construction on the 38-acre park.
The city would also spend $20 million on the bond funds on land acquisitions for new city parkland, including $15 million set aside for a park at Lavon Farms—which is set to become a mixed-use development as part of Plano’s Envision Oak Point plan.
Initial drafts of the bond also included funds for a park at the former JCPenney headquarters, which is set to become a 107-acre mixed-use development, but the city accepted a $15 million donation from Toyota earlier in November for the creation of a park on the site. Plano Budget Director Karen Rhodes-Whitley said that $23 million has since redistributed from parkland acquisition to the proposed Police Training Center rebuild.
$11.95 million is set for wholesale renovation of Schell Park, and the rest of the would be spent on park and trail renovations. The remainder would be spent on various park renovations and additions to the city’s trail system.
What else?
$130 million of the $342 million for street improvements would be set for arterial concrete street reconstruction and overlay, while $90 million would be spent on alley and residential road repairs.
Traffic improvements and water main repairs would cost around $26 million each, and the rest of the funding would be spent on various other construction projects.
Along with the Plano Police Department headquarters replacement and library remodels, the bond includes funding for the following city facilities projects:
- Parkway and Fleet Services building renovations, $54.33 million
- Police Training Center rebuild, $51 million
- Fire Station 14 addition, $21.71 million
- Fire Station 8 remodel, $8.03 million
- Fire Station 3 land acquisition and design, $4.75 million
- Facilities Maintenance facility land acquisition, $3.93 million
Plano voters will have the $700 million bond on the ballot May 5, 2025. The city is set to hold additional public hearings Dec. 9 and Jan. 13.
