Public hearing planned over future of Locke Field

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A public hearing to discuss the future of Locke Field will be held during tonight’s Gainesville City Council meeting. Staff photo by Delania Trigg

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September 18, 2012

Public hearing planned over future of Locke Field

By GREG RUSSELL, Register Staff Writer Gainesville Daily Register The Daily Register Tue Sep 18, 2012, 09:02 AM CDT

Gainesville — Today’s Gainesville City Council meeting will include a public hearing, open to input from citizens, concerning a proposed residential development on land known as Locke Field.

The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. at the city’s municipal building, 200 S. Rusk St. in Gainesville. City Secretary Kay Lunnon said Monday that walk-in speakers are welcome and aren’t required to sign up in advance.

“If there’s a large crowd, we’ll try to figure out who’s wanting to speak,” she said. “Sometimes groups will pick someone to speak for them.”

The purpose of the hearing, according to the meeting’s agenda, is to abide by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Code.

The code’s Chapter 26 requires a public hearing when the use or taking of public park land has been proposed — 9.14 acres, in the case of Locke Field — for lease and/or development.

During a city council meeting on Aug. 9, members elected the “Option A” proposal from Richard Brown Properties for lease of the Locke Field property.

Representatives of the company proposed a 52-year lease with an upfront initial lump sum payment of $25,000 to the city, a $100 annual fee, and an investment of $10,000,000 to place some 150 apartments on the site. The apartments are proposed to be at 100 percent market rate and taxed at full value. In the same meeting, City Manager Barry Sullivan said three proposals were received from two different companies in response to the advertised “Request for Proposals” on July 31.

Sullivan is set to negotiate an agreement with Richard Brown Properties, which will be subject to final approval by council. Lunnon said Monday, however, that today’s meeting will include no action or decision, and added that an official timeline of development on Locke Field doesn’t exist.

“It’s just a public hearing for input,” she said.