RIVERTON, Utah (KUTV) -- Some residents are worried about what a city park might look like going forward.
In May, the city council mapped out the boundaries of Riverton City Park and left off the skate park.
City officials said that 126th South and Redwood Road -- right next to the park -- is part of what they call "reinvestment areas."
The city council voted to align the park boundary to match those areas, but left the skate park off, opening the land to developers.
"We love the way it is right now. Don't suggest any kind of a change, even if it might be a little bit more revenue for the city," said Daniel Goudy, who frequents the Riverton City Park to play pickleball with his coworkers. "I just say they go somewhere else and not change anything."
Tawnee McCay, current city councilor and mayoral candidate, said the Riverton City Park is the area's crown jewel.
"I love the city park, so do our residents, and I want to keep the city park as it is," she said.
During the city council meeting, McCay voted against aligning the park boundary to the reinvestment zone without the skatepark.
"I would be concerned if they developed because, especially if they were taller buildings, it would be harder to see our park, our Old Dome meeting hall, it would kind of close off the entrance to our park," McCay said.
Current Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs said this decision came from years of survey input from residents who wanted to see more sit-down restaurants along 126th South, and that the city council unanimously approved the reinvestment zones next to the park in 2022.
"At the end of the day, what we're doing is aligning our boundary with the decision that every single council member said they wanted in '22 to make this developable," Staggs said.
"Originally, we set up a redevelopment authority to do improvements along 126th South and Redwood Road, and sometimes cities and the county can offer tax incentives to induce development to happen in those areas," McCay said.
"By defining the boundary in that way, it allows for some restaurant uses that. Otherwise, per state law, we wouldn't be allowed to be that close to a state park," Staggs said. "That skatepark is over 20 years old now, so it's at the end of its useful life, and it's shown some signs of disrepair. We've had independent professionals come in and analyze it. They say it can't be repaired; it actually has to be replaced."
The cost to do so, Staggs said, is estimated somewhere in the ballpark of $1.5 million.
Staggs also dispelled any rumors that the larger Riverton City Park is being sold off to be developed.
"That park cost some $18 million," Staggs said. "It's a massive investment on the part of the city, and it's one that we're protecting."
Both McCay and Staggs said that if anyone did want to develop the land the skatepark is on, it would be a multi-step process that would require council approval.
"I say, leave it the way it is," Goudy said.
The city released a survey Thursday asking for public input on what to do with the skatepark -- whether they should rebuild it in the same spot, move it to a new park, or use the money in some other way.