Highland Heights Park

One day I read in the paper that the City Council was going to give third and final reading to the plans for the development of a tract of land to the north of Alabama Street along Crestline Drive.  I was concerned that these housing developments were going in with no space being donated for open space or playground space for the children of the families who were going to live there so I went to the meeting.

When there was an opportunity for public input I stood up and asked what provisions were being made for a tot-lot or small public park for the neighborhood.  I maintained that it was foolish to think that a young mother would take her child across Alabama to Bloedel Donovan Park which was about a quarter of a mile away for play time.  The developer of the proposed plat had plotted no land for such a park.  The President of the City Council asked the City Planner if there were any ordinances requiring developers to provide such park land in their plats and she answered “No”.  The President of the City Council then suggested that they shelve the “third and final hearing” of the ordinance approving this plat until the City Planner could bring forth such an ordinance.

At this point the developer, not wanting his investment to sit on the sidelines while the City Planner prepared a new ordinance, went to the plat map and designated five lots to be donated as park land.  I felt this was good and the City Council approved the plat.

Out of this intervention on my part came the ordinance for all developers to donate either land or money for public parks along with their plot plans.