Consultants told the council the 6.3-acre Community Recreation Center (CRC) property is valuable and that different approaches to redevelopment would yield materially different financial outcomes and community trade-offs.

"The property is extremely valuable no no matter what you do, despite the current market," Ed Del Bacarro of Tri Commercial said during the presentation. He presented headline ranges and sensitivities: his valuation scenarios for roughly half the CRC site ranged about $27 million to $28 million "as-is," and Del Bacarro estimated a net figure of roughly $21 million for a half-site after accounting for prevailing-wage and affordable-housing requirements he applied as discounts. He showed entitlement scenarios that increase market value (he reported entitled ranges and estimated entitlement costs as a rule-of-thumb). For a full-site development concept (roughly 270 hypothetical units) he presented higher market-value ranges but also noted constraints on usable developable area (consultants estimated roughly 35,000 buildable square feet on half the site after setbacks and ~76,000 sf for the full site).

Consultants illustrated two land-use concepts to help the council weigh options: a larger redevelopment concept (about 270 units, conceptual only) and a smaller partial-development concept (about 126 units) that would preserve the gym and fields and place parking in a subterranean garage under a new park. Dustin Alamo (Griffin Structures) noted program relocation scenarios if the CRC were repurposed: for example, fire administration could move to a new fire facility, and recreation classrooms and early-childhood programs could relocate to a community center at Lang Park to maintain continuity.

Public commenters asked additional analyses, including whether the city had considered acquiring the adjacent "Rubies" parcel to expand development options and what the tax-roll impacts would be. Multiple councilmembers observed the city's prior purchase price and that the site gives the city leverage: "We paid $23,000,000 for" the CRC, a councilmember noted during discussion.

Council direction: a majority supported moving forward on an overlay/zoning option for the CRC site to preserve flexibility and potential entitlement value without immediately committing to demolition or sale. Council asked staff to evaluate scenarios that would preserve the gymnasium and a field atop parking in any future plan, to analyze potential property-tax revenue impacts, and to prepare materials that would enable an RFI or entitlement-pathway discussion with developers if needed. Staff were also asked to avoid immediate large capital outlays for Lang Park until the CRC questions and CIP prioritization are settled.

What happens next: staff will return with a recommended overlay/entitlement workplan, estimates of entitlement costs and timelines, an analysis of gym-preservation options and estimated tax-roll impacts, and recommended public-engagement steps before any final decision.