McAllen's Westside Park up for sale

McALLEN - The evening softball or soccer game at Westside Park could soon be replaced by high-rise condominiums and townhouses.

City officials have plans to sell the park and convert it into an upscale residential development, cashing in on the land's proximity to Expressway 83 and the newly opened Palms Crossing shopping center adjacent to the McAllen Convention Center. The 41-acre park on South Ware Road went on the auction block last month, with minimum bids set at $23.2 million.

The city received no offers but plans to put the property back up for bid at the same price in a few months, City Manager Mike Perez said.

"There was a little mix up, but we've gotten an indication there's strong interest," he said.

"It's a great location. It has increased in value over the last few years, especially since Palms Crossing went up."

Perez dismissed the notion developers might be skittish over the recent downturn in the real estate market.

According to the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University, home sales in Hidalgo County were down 10 percent in 2007 compared to the previous year, a foreboding statistic in light of the record sales of 2005 and 2006. And with a national recession looming, analysts predict the real estate market here will continue to slow in 2008.

Real estate developer Tony Domit said the city would be lucky to get even close to its asking price for the park, which is appraised at $7.6 million.

"You have to crunch the numbers, and it's not going to match at those prices," he said.

"Right now I would not do a (high-rise) building like that. But it could be very good timing in a year - things are going to get a lot better."

Finding a buyer is just one hurdle. Texas law requires that cities get voter approval before selling their public parkland and then reinvest the revenue from the sale in their parks systems.

The McAllen Parks and Recreation Board, a residents advisory group, has been pushing the city to build additional playing fields at Westside but is now looking at other locations, board member Nedra Kinerk said.

"We would like to have it at Westside Park, but we've been told that might not be possible and we better have a plan B," she said.

City officials could have the sale of Westside Park on the ballot in the November city elections, along with definitive plans for improving existing parks and building a new park comparable in size to Westside, Perez said.

"The City Commission has made it clear they will look at it only if what they have at the end is far greater than they have now," he said.

With its numerous softball and soccer fields, Westside Park has become a haven for amateur sports leagues and athletes looking for a weeknight pickup game.

"In the middle of the week everyone and their mother is out there," said Renan Ramirez, who plays in an amateur soccer league at Westside.

"It's an open field, so everything - soccer, Frisbee, softball - it's all out there."

So far, the park's potential closure has met with little objection from the athletic leagues, many of which had been hearing rumors of a pending sale for months.

But Ed Martens, who organizes a softball league for Winter Texans at Westside, said he would be sorry to see the park go.

"We like the location - it's handy," he said.

"When the games are over, the fellows usually end up going to some of the restaurants across the street."
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James Osborne covers McAllen and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4428.