Emporia city commissioners are reopening a petition window for residents wanting to challenge the potential development of Quaker Park in southeast Emporia.
City Manager Trey Cocking says the city doesn’t have to take this step after not passing a resolution requiring a reset of the petition process, but it is anyway. In December, the City Commission passed a resolution to transfer the property to the Emporia Land Bank after a 30-day protest petition window. Ten percent of the registered voters from the last election, or in this case 462 people, would have had to sign the petition for alternate measures to be considered by the city.
Last fall, the Emporia Land Bank offered a proposal to take over management of the park at First and Sylvan with the intent of developing three homes on the site — one of which would be dedicated to Habitat for Humanity, the other two for private development. Sale proceeds would go directly to the Land Bank for future projects.
The tentative development plan follows a city survey done in 2014 to find surplus property areas that could be developed. Besides Quaker Park, the study also identified Walnut Park and Urbanside Park, which has been mentioned as a possible location to help alleviate Emporia’s homeless situation.
The petition window will be 30 days after official publication, possibly as soon as March 9 after the City Commission’s March 6 meeting. If enough valid signatures are gathered, commissioners could decide not to sell the property or they could put the question on the ballot.
