New Katy practice fields? Parks plan proposes $15M upgrades
A Denison park may soon get some major upgrades, complete with new facilities and amenities, under the city's new parks and trails master plan. City leaders got their first view of the new plan, and its proposed improvements to the Katy practice fiends, Monday when it was officially adopted and incorporated into the city's existing comprehensive plan.
The new plan for the nearly 20-acre site near Crawford and Flora lane calls for upgrades from its primary use as soccer practice fields with space for baseball into an all-inclusive park with multi-use sports fields among other recreational attractions.
Early estimates for the cost of implementing the Katy fields plan range from $10-15 million.
The city's 2018 update to its comprehensive plan called for the implementation and adoption of an overarching plan for the city's parks and trails amenities. Last March, the city started efforts to create the document with consulting firm Halff and Associates.
The report, which has been accepted by the council, includes recommendations for the city's parks and trails resources, including the development of the Katy fields and the recently-acquired Loy Park. City officials said the plans for Loy Lake Park are still in development.
Under its current layout, the Katy Fields are largely undeveloped. The fields are primarily used for soccer practice, but a backstop has been added to the western side for baseball use. The fields are broken up by small groves of trees and drainage runs through the center of the property.
The plans for the site call for it to be developed with lighted fields on the east and western sections of the park with smaller soccer fields near the center of the property.
"The thought is to have on the west side more of the lighted soccer fields and on the far east side where there are larger fields would be lit soccer fields as well," Lenny Hughes, representing Halff Associates, said.
Early designs for the park call for some of these fields to be flexible in their use and allow for multiple sports.
The drainage area will be improved and developed into a central core and hub for the park. This will feature a splash pad, playgrounds, pickleball courts and basketball courts. The groves of trees will also be preserved in the hub.
"Based on the input we received from the public, and meetings with staff and the committee, we would like to have an area for multi-generational play — for playgrounds — and also areas with shade for gathering...as well as an active recreation for soccer play there as well," Hughes said.
Other findings of the parks master plan include the eventual addition of 102 miles of pedestrian and biking paths throughout the city. By comparison, the city currently has about 12 miles of trails. Representatives for Halff said these new systems will allow for better connectivity and bring the parks system together.
This article originally appeared on Herald Democrat: New Katy practice fields? Parks plan proposes $15M upgrades
