About 99 acres of land at the southwest corner of Calder Road and Ervin Street is open for development. With the Grand Parkway posed to eventually come through the area, that leaves about 61 acres of developable property, said Blake Coleman of consulting firm TBG Partners.
With that in mind, TBG Partners determined two park plans that both would result in two soccer-football-lacrosse fields, five softball fields, four baseball fields and four tennis-pickleball courts. Those 15 fields plus parking would use up the 61 acres available to the city, Coleman said.
Additionally, both plans include room for a 5K trail loop for marathons, a playground, concession stands and plenty of green space, Coleman said.
The major difference between the two proposals is where drop-off points, parking and entryways would be. For instance, one of the two concepts includes a more “scenic” entry through the woods, Coleman said.
The park will include a detention area, and that space could be used as practice fields when dry, Coleman added.
Coleman expressed excitement for the park, saying there is opportunity to make it different from other parks in the city.
“This park has the opportunity to be differentiated and really something that starts to elevate and give a great perception of what League City is,” he said.
Officials first began discussing building athletic fields on the property in 2018 when Western Spherical Developers proposed turning the existing Chester L. Davis Sportsplex into Epicenter League City, which would have included hotels, an amphitheater and other amenities to attract tourists and residents alike.
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As part of the deal, the developer would have paid to build up to 40 sports fields at Bay Colony Park, which is more than the 26 fields the sportsplex provides. However, after no progress on the deal, the city in 2019 opted to instead start working on the new fields at the city’s expense, knowing the need for new fields will remain regardless of Epicenter League City, Parks Director Chien Wei said.
“That project has pretty much died and gone away,” City Manager John Baumgartner said of Epicenter League City.
Earlier this year, League City City Council approved the start of design work and construction for Bay Colony Park. Construction begins in 2022, Wei said.
