Paul Bryant Photo CHANDLER - City officials here have voted to purchase more than 29 acres near Winchester Park for $585,000 in a move possibly geared toward recreational expansion.

The deal won’t be official until a contract is finalized between Chandler and the landowner, Stanley McCurley. It includes a house and other buildings on three tracts at 802 Martin St.

City administrator Jim Moffeit said council members have not decided whether or how to use those structures.

"We’re trying to think 10 years down the road. Whatever we do out there is going to take some time, and a lot of what we do depends on what Planning Concepts tells us."

Planning Concepts is a consulting firm in Tyler that specializes in parks planning, land-use solutions, urban planning, and design. Its projects, according to its Web site, include Tyler 21 and Kilgore’s master plan.

Moffeit "We’re going to see what they say about that land," Moffeit said. "Talk in the past has been about the city needing a government complex. Possibilities are we might be able to do something like that out there, and we could sell our current building as retail property."

Mark Priestner of Planning Concepts said a master plan will be drafted for the area.

"We will be looking at the property the city is wanting to purchase and developing a master development plan for the entire tract, including the existing park," he said. "We will meet with local groups in the beginning to determine needs and analyze current use of the park. We will then develop an overall development plan and implementation schedule. I do not yet know what new recreation facilities may come out of the plan, but the city will likely seek Texas Parks and Wildlife funds to assist with the cost."

As Chandler prepares for what is projected to be substantial growth in Smith and Henderson counties over the next 30 years, development at 802 Martin St. would essentially be an expansion of Winchester Park. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department grant programs are a motivating factor in the city’s land acquisition.

McCurley "Winchester was built with a TPWD grant," Moffeit said. "And a lot of the (matching grant funds) were donated by local citizens. Everybody got together to come up with enough services to match that grant."

The agency’s "small community grant" program offers money to Texas municipalities and counties with populations under 20,000. The grants provide 50 percent matching funds, with the maximum amount awarded $75,000.

The money must be used for playgrounds, swimming pools, trails, beautification, restoration, gardens, athletic courts and support facilities, ball fields, boating, and other recreational activities, according to the TPWD.

"The city council thought this was a good investment," Moffeit said. "We need to let people know that this is a plan for the future. It puts the city in a good place with the western growth of Tyler."

A new park on Martin Street, he said, would be a place where people of all ages could gather.

"The opportunity to acquire this land was there, and it wasn’t going to be there in the future. The timing was there and we needed to move on it. There will be some meetings shortly on plans for that land."

McCurley said he’s wanted the city to buy the property for years, believing it is ideal for recreational use.

"That property is well suited for the city," he said. "It has water and sewer (connections) around it, and the property is up high. It has an excellent place to build a park lake, and that would provide a lot of points for a park grant. There is so much potential for the city to do whatever it wants to."

Chandler officials initially discussed purchasing 14 acres of McCurley’s land before an offer was made on the entire property. McCurley asked for $650,000.

"I first offered the back half, and the council voted to buy it all. I was too high on the price."

Once the contract is signed, Chandler will pay McCurley $200,000. The remaining $385,000 will be paid at 6 percent over the next 10 years, Moffeit said.