Residents who live beside Rockwalls State Highway 66 boat ramp told the City Council on Oct. 6 that a proposed permanent trailer parking lot would remove a valued green space, would be underused and could harm neighborhood safety and property values. The meeting included a detailed neighborhood alternative that parks advocates say would keep car parking, add defined pedestrian connections and use bollards and signage to separate boat and car traffic.

Karen Williams, a Bayshore Drive resident, told the council the green area in question is used mostly by neighborhood residents and is used as overflow trailer parking only on three holidays each year: "This green space is only used for overflow parking on 3 holidays. Memorial Day, fourth of July, and Labor Day. This is just 9 days a year," she said. Kevin and Stephanie Folsom and other neighbors offered an illustrated alternative that would keep open lawn, add car parking near the pavilion, install permanent bollards to prevent cars from driving onto the field, provide an off-street decomposed-granite trail to connect to the Heroes Memorial Bridge, and make the boat-launch circulation two lanes so launches are more efficient.

Parks staff and grant managers briefed councilors about the funding and permitting context. The project is funded through a Texas Parks and Wildlife grant and related federal/state processes; parks staff said some changes to the approved design could trigger additional environmental studies and re-submittal to grant agencies. Staff estimated a substantial redesign could require redoing environmental and geotechnical studies and that starting redesign work from scratch could cost on the order of $150,000 (staff estimated) and could jeopardize the grant timeline. Council members said they wanted staff to explore modifications that might address neighborhood concerns without losing the grant.

Travis (parks director) said the grant requires project completion by mid-2027 and that removing or materially relocating the planned lot could require new state and federal reviews. He said he had already adjusted some features in response to resident feedback (reducing parallel parking along Willow Bend, moving landscaping islands, and changing tree plantings to lower vegetation), and he agreed to check whether a reduced footprint for the trailer lot or other alterations could be accommodated within grant requirements. Council members directed staff to explore those changes and report back; no formal council action or ordinance was taken at the meeting.

Neighbors and other speakers warned of ongoing maintenance and safety costs if a large trailer lot is built and noted that the site currently contains deferred maintenance, trash and unstable drainage that residents want cleaned up whether or not the parking changes. One commenter cited an estimated annual maintenance cost for a 40-space boat/trailer lot of roughly $40,000'70,000 a year (estimate provided by a resident, not a city staff figure). Parks staff said if modifications were minor, the changes might be handled as amendments with state agencies; if major, the project could need new studies and the city would likely fund redesign work.

Councilmember Mary Jeffers, who sponsored bringing the item to the full council agenda, said the grant-size opportunity is rare and that while she understood resident concerns, she planned to support the projects continuation with the expectation staff would pursue practical modifications where possible. Parks staff committed to return with findings on options, cost implications and schedule impacts.