Casey Collins with Halff Associates, an architecture and engineering firm, presented project plans at a Nov. 29 public meeting, which was the last in a series of three town hall meetings held by Friendswood at the Friendswood Public Library on Sept. 20 and Oct. 25. The meetings as well as an online survey gathered input from residents on what they would like to see done to the lot, if anything.
The parking lot behind Stevenson Park was previously occupied by the now-demolished Fire Station No. 1. The lot has an uneven surface due to the fire station’s remaining foundation. The community uses it for Stevenson Park parking as well as for parks and recreation events.
The Friendswood Downtown Economic Development Corp. brought an item before Friendswood City Council on behalf of Keep Friendswood Beautiful in July, asking the city to fund a $13,500 contract with Halff Associates to create a conceptual plan for the lot. Funding a conceptual plan allows the city to solicit input from the public and potentially vie for grant opportunities or place it on a future bond package, City Manager Morad Kabiri said.
“We’re hoping this will spur much-needed funding for the city,” Collins said.
The council voted 4-3 to expend the $13,500 with Council Members Brent Erenwert, John Scott and Robert Griffon opposed. Scott and Griffon expressed their concerns about the implications of funding KFB’s plan, particularly that other organizations would also look to the FDEDC for funding. However, Council Members Sally Branson and Steve Rockey were concerned about the safety of leaving the lot in its current condition.
The first town hall meeting Sept. 20 had 30-40 participants with overall positive feedback from attendees about improving the lot, Collins said. However, some residents expressed concerns about reducing the number of park parking spaces. The second meeting Oct. 25 had 30 attendees, including students from Friendswood High School, interested in adding outdoor dining, restroom improvements and improved park accessibility.
Conceptualizing improvements
Halff Associates’ site analysis determined the existing lot includes between 60-78 parking spaces, depending on whether the fire station’s foundation is included in the count.
Concept A, identified as the least intense of the three concepts, focuses on maintaining parking with 88 spaces. A pedestrian plaza would offer a location for pedestrian drop-off or gathering, serving as the front door to Stevenson Park.
The area would stage food trucks as well with shaded outdoor furnishings and picnic tables for outdoor seating. A greenhouse-type garden structure would be added behind the plaza. Restroom facilities would remain in their current building with some interior improvements.
Meanwhile, Concept B would add two open-air pavilions to be used for farmers markets and outdoor events. It includes 128 parking spaces with designated vendor parking as well as a greenhouse. It would still serve as the front door to Stevenson Park but also allow for other uses.
Concept C, the most involved of the three, proposes the addition of an open-air, multiuse pavilion. It would hold 108 parking spaces. New restroom facilities would be housed under the pavilion as well as a raised stage area for performances. Outside of the pavilion, there would be space to stage food trucks.
The projects increase in cost from A to B to C. No estimate was provided, as prices are likely to change by the time the city acquires funding for the project, Collins said.
James Toney, director of the Friendswood Parks and Recreation Department, highlighted the advantages of converting the lot into a multiuse space particularly during events impacted by weather. During a rain event, the city would typically move events to the parking lot, eliminating access to the parking spaces.
“With something like this, we’re able to not only bring our programming there, we also still are going to have event parking along with that,” Toney said. “Making this a multiuse facility works for programming for us for the long run.”
The next steps
Friendswood City Council will get the final say on which concept the city implements. Toney said the plans will be brought to City Council at a future meeting, where their vote will determine the city's direction on the project. Entities such as KFB and the FDEDC can bring their recommendation to council, but council still gets to decide, Toney said.
Once a plan is selected, it will be placed into the city’s parks master plan. Once this is completed, the city can take that plan to an entity such as the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department and apply for funding.
Toney said city staff is not concerned about project cost at the moment since the city does not have funding for the project. Once the city's existing parks master plan is updated, the city can start doing funding studies. The city likely would not have money for the project until years later, Toney said, meaning an estimate now likely would not be accurate then.
“More than likely, it's also going to be something that we’re going to have to go out for a bond as well too, potentially, to fund a project of this size,” Toney said.
