Hastings Parks Commission Says Yes to New Park (But Not All 24 Acres) in Massive Pleasant Valley Farm Development

TLDR

• A 375-home development called Pleasant Valley Farm is coming to 158 acres of farmland between Featherstone Road and County Road 42 in Hastings.
• The parks commission voted for a combo deal: about 10 acres of actual parkland plus cash from the developer for the rest.
• The proposed park site is steep and wooded — the parks director thinks it can work, but the city doesn't need all 24 acres the developer offered.
• Hastings is also applying for a $500K DNR grant to build a fully inclusive playground at Tuttle Park.
• Three city playgrounds are 27+ years old and the parks director says they're "in a crisis."
• The commission agreed to ditch the youth member ordinance requirement, but will invite students in for specific topics.

So here's what went down at the Hastings Parks and Recreation Commission meeting — and there was a lot to unpack.

The biggest item? A 375-home development called Pleasant Valley Farm is in the works on 158 acres of farmland between Featherstone Road and County Road 42. And the commission had to figure out what the city's getting out of the deal when it comes to park space.

A Huge New Neighborhood — And Where the Park Should Go

Tradition Development Corp. wants to build 309 single-family homes and 66 townhomes on land that's been farmed by the Conmius family for generations. The developer has the property under a purchase agreement and has been working with the family for over a year. The land is currently in Nininger Township but would be annexed into Hastings.

The name? Pleasant Valley Farm — a nod to the family's farming legacy. There will also be monuments on the property honoring the Conmius family history.

Here's what the development would include: General Sieben Drive extended through the site as a boulevard-style parkway, sidewalks on every street, trails on both sides of the main road, and a homeowners association with its own community building, exercise facilities, and pool.

Now here's where it gets interesting for the parks side of things.

The Park Debate: 24 Acres of Steep, Wooded Land

Under Hastings' subdivision rules, a development this size triggers about 27 acres of parkland dedication. The developer proposed dedicating about 24 acres. But there's a catch — a lot of that land is steep, wooded ravine that would be really tough (and expensive) for the city to maintain.

Parks Director Chris Jenkins walked the site himself. He said the ground is "really cool" and there are options to make a park work. But he was pretty direct: the parks department doesn't need 24 acres to manage there.

"I don't know that the parks department needs 24 acres to manage," Jenkins told the commission. "Probably some number of acres to make a decent neighborhood-style park — 5, 7, 10, 12-ish acres is what's in my head."

One commissioner put it bluntly — if the developer gives the city unbuildable land and calls it a park, the city is stuck maintaining steep slopes. That's a real cost.

The commission landed on a combo approach: around 10 acres of actual, usable parkland with the rest of the 27-acre requirement paid as cash-in-lieu (at $3,600 per unit). The developer will come back with concept plans showing what a neighborhood park could look like in the flatter, farmable portion of the site — think playground equipment, open green space, a basketball court, road access, and parking. Similar vibe to what you've seen in other south metro developments.

The forested areas? The developer actually wants to keep those. The Conmius family specifically asked for the wooded slopes to be preserved, and Tradition Development is on board with maintaining about 40 acres of forest as HOA common area.

Hastings' Playground Problem

This might actually be the part of the meeting that affects current residents the most.

Chris Jenkins laid out some pretty stark numbers for the commission. Hastings has three playgrounds that are 27 years old. Nine more are between 20 and 26 years old. Industry standard for replacement? Twenty years.

He showed photos of Roadside Park where the vinyl coating is peeling off the metal decking, you can see mounting brackets poking through on the slide, and metal is deteriorating all over. "Our playgrounds are in a bit of a crisis is where I'm at right now," Jenkins said.

The city fell off its replacement schedule years ago when leadership at the time required that if you touch the playground, you have to redo the entire park. That made costs way higher and slowed everything down. Jenkins is now pushing city council to invest annually and get back to a 20-year rotation.

There's $150,000 in this year's budget for play equipment — and Roadside Park is first on the hit list. If you've been to Hastings parks lately, you've probably noticed some of these aging facilities firsthand.

A Big Grant Application for Tuttle Park

On a more exciting note, Hastings is going after a $500,000 DNR Outdoor Recreation Grant to build a 100% inclusive playground at Tuttle Park. That's a dollar-for-dollar match, meaning the total project could top $1 million.

An inclusive park isn't the same as just being ADA compliant. We're talking poured-in-place rubber surfaces, hard surfaces everywhere, and equipment that kids in wheelchairs or walkers can actually use. It's the kind of facility Jenkins says Hastings needs to keep up with what neighboring communities are building.

The Youth Member Question

The commission also talked about a little-known part of their own rules: the ordinance technically requires a youth member (a junior or senior from Hastings High School). Problem is, they haven't had one in years. Like, many years.

The consensus? Remove the formal requirement but make a real effort to bring students in when the topics are relevant. One commissioner made a passionate case for not completely shutting the door on youth involvement, pointing out that kids' perspectives on parks and recreation are valuable — and different from ours.

"A youth perspective is how far do I want to walk to get to a park?" one commissioner noted. Another had practical recruiting advice: "You go to Instagram and you go to TikTok. Do we have to? Yeah, you do."

Other Quick Hits

The Hastings Civic Arena just wrapped up its major mechanical overhaul — new refrigeration, roof, solar, and switch gear. Jenkins is waiting on a year of electrical data but expects big savings.

Emerald ash borer is getting worse. Last year was noticeably more severe than years past, with many more dead ash trees showing up across the city. The forester is working on removals and making sure homeowners replace boulevard trees with a diverse mix of species — no more planting all the same type.

The Vets Athletic Park lease expires in 2031. That's the 48-acre property where most of Hastings' athletic facilities sit, and the city needs to figure out if it's getting another long-term lease or buying the land before investing more money.

And recreation programming hit 10 years — with nearly 10,000 people attending in 2025.

Notable Moments

The pickleball exchange was the comedic highlight. When one commissioner asked about including pickleball courts in the new park, Jenkins shut it down immediately. Another commissioner chimed in: "If you could take the noise out of pickleball, that would be great." Someone else suggested putting them "out in the country." Jenkins: "This would not be out in the country."

A few neighbors from Jefferson Street also showed up partway through the meeting, totally unaware of the Pleasant Valley Farm proposal. They were told the commission only handles the parkland piece — not whether the development itself happens. The planning commission already reviewed it earlier that week.

The Bottom Line

Pleasant Valley Farm is going to be a big deal for Hastings — 375 homes on what's been farmland for generations. The parks commission is making sure the city gets a usable neighborhood park out of the deal plus cash to invest, rather than just getting handed steep hillsides nobody can build on.

If you live near Jefferson Street or the Featherstone area, this development is coming your way. The developer will be back with park concept plans, and there'll be more chances for public input as this moves through the process. Keep an eye on the City of Hastings website for upcoming meeting dates.