"All this is darker green is lawn... and so we're keeping a little portion in the corner for a sledding hill." A consultant from Landmark Design said that on October 22 while showing a concept for Mountain View Park to Farr West's planning commission, as Citizen Portal reported.
The sledding hill comment stands for most of the draft parks and open-space master plan. At the five parks Farr West already runs, the concepts mostly trade grass for other things. The new amenities that have the most funding behind them are going to a sixth site, Meadows Park, and grants are paying for them.
A Corner of Lawn at Mountain View
Mountain View Park sits at 1500 N 1700 W. The city lists one large pavilion, a playground, a large grassy area and a walking path. The large grassy area is what the draft concept changes.
Landmark's concept would turn much of that hillside lawn into water-wise planting. A small sledding hill would stay in one corner, and the concept adds seating and a loop trail. The same concept would also move a storage area, expand the pickleball courts and add adult fitness equipment. Commissioners raised safety and materials concerns about a zip line in the design.
Everything on that list needs ground, and the ground at Mountain View today is mostly grass. Under this concept, the park would keep its winter use but lose most of its open lawn.
The Five Parks as They Stand
Farr West City says each of its five parks has a playground, a bowery and seasonal restrooms. The table lists each park as the city describes it today, next to what the October draft concepts showed. Only two of the five parks had concepts covered from that meeting.
| Park | Address | What's there now | October draft concept |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smith Family Park | 2441 W 4000 N | Two large pavilions, one small pavilion, pond-side pavilions, playground, zip line, swings, fishing pond, walking/biking path, riding arena, pickleball and basketball courts | Two options: built hills with tiered seating, or keep the large flat lawn |
| Mountain View Park | 1500 N 1700 W | Large pavilion, playground, large grassy area, walking path | Water-wise planting on most of the hillside lawn, a small sledding hill, loop trail, more pickleball, adult fitness equipment |
| Farr West Park | 2090 N 2000 W | Large pavilion, playground, baseball diamond; a water key is needed for water at the bowery | No concept in the meeting coverage |
| Civic Center Park | 1896 N 1800 W | Large pavilion, playground, next to the Rec Center and City Hall | No concept in the meeting coverage |
| North / Jackson Park | 2565 W 3300 N | Large pavilion, playground | No concept in the meeting coverage |
Smith Family Park has the most amenities on that list. Its concept is also the one where commissioners argued most about what to give up.
Smith Family Park's Flat Lawn Already Gets Used
Landmark brought two options for Smith Family Park.
- Sculpted hills and tiered seating. This option was described as offering "built-in seating for small events," with uses like play and movie nights.
- A broad flat lawn kept as it is. This option keeps the open space for events and ballfields.
According to Citizen Portal's account, commissioners worried the hills would cut into flat event space, reduce parking and block sight lines for the fireworks.
Mountain View's concept takes lawn away to save water and make room for new features. Smith Family's concept asks whether to reshape lawn that already holds the park's biggest gatherings. In both cases, the open grass is what's being traded.
What 86 Survey Responses Asked For
The draft drew on a community survey. According to Citizen Portal's report on the presentation, a Landmark planner told the commission it received 86 responses and that more than three-quarters of respondents visit city parks several times a month. People said they pick a park mainly because it's close to home, has trails or has a playground. The amenities they ranked highest were trees, trails and restrooms.
The restroom request fits the current schedule. The city says park restrooms are generally open from late April through early October, weather permitting. That leaves roughly half the year without them. Anyone using the Mountain View sledding hill in January is visiting during the closed season.
Trees, trails and restrooms are also fairly cheap items. Some of the more popular ideas raised during the process cost far more.
The Splash Pad Price Tag
Splash pads came up as a popular idea, and the commission discussed the cost directly. "It's been checked out, and it costs $2,000,000 to build the splash pad and $200,000 a year to maintain," one commissioner said, as reported by Citizen Portal. The figures came up as a funding consideration for the master plan.
For comparison, Farr West's parks committee told the planning commission in May 2026, as Citizen Portal reported, that it had secured $898,610 in combined grants for Meadows Park. That total included a $195,000 CPR grant for playground equipment, a $310,000 RAMP grant and about $398,000 from the Land and Water Conservation Fund. At the commissioner's figure, one splash pad would cost more than twice that total to build.
Meadows Park Is Where the New Things Go
Meadows Park isn't on the city's current list of five parks. It's the park Farr West is developing in phases, and almost all the outside money in this story is tied to it.
In June 2026, Citizen Portal reported that the mayor described Phase 1 as parking, restrooms and infrastructure. In September, a commissioner said the Land and Water Conservation grant had been signed and that phased work was expected to begin "in coming months."
The most specific feature so far is a wheels park. On October 1, the city council unanimously approved a $54,000 contract with American Ramp Company for conceptual designs. The council minutes list a skate park, a pump track, a bicycle classroom and a smaller launch area "for kids who are just learning to skate or rollerblade." The minutes also say the $54,000 "is not coming out of the city budget." It comes from the Land and Water Conservation Fund grant, a Weber County tax grant and other sources.
The next step is a much larger grant request. Farr West applied for $2 million from the state's Outdoor Recreation Initiative for Meadows Park, and the application has advanced to round two. City staff and council representatives are scheduled to present it in Salt Lake City on Friday, November 6. The program funds projects that build, upgrade or restore outdoor recreation infrastructure. Its scoring weighs factors such as local benefit, overcrowding, underserved communities and how ready a project is to build.
That explains the split in the draft plan. Grants are paying for new facilities at Meadows Park. The existing parks are mostly being redrawn, with lawn turned into planting at one and possibly into hills at the other.
Dates on the Calendar
- Thursday, November 5, 6:30 p.m. The city council meets at the Farr West City Office, 1896 N 1800 W.
- Friday, November 6. City staff and council representatives present the $2 million Meadows Park request in Salt Lake City.
- An advisory committee meeting and a public open house. The October 1 council minutes listed both as upcoming parts of the master plan process.
- Early 2027. In May, parks committee members said they hoped to have the new master plan in place by then.
The city's parks page also links the two July 2026 reports behind the plan, a Parks, Trails and Recreation Impact Fee Analysis and an Impact Fee Facilities Plan. As of the October 22 meeting, the Mountain View lawn and the Smith Family Park hills were both still draft concepts.
Parks plans like this one help decide how a street feels to live on, whether that means a sledding hill a few blocks away or a pump track across town. Justin Scott and the Great Scott Real Estate Team follow what Farr West decides about its parks as closely as they follow listings. If you'd like to talk about how these changes affect your part of the city, Let's Connect.
