Joshua Bowling | The Republic | azcentral.com

Wochit

The feds may give Buckeye nearly 1,400 acres of land west of the White Tank Mountains that the city is eyeing for a pair of parks, including one dubbed "Buckeye's Central Park."

The land, which was often used for recreational shooting, has been problematic for the Bureau of Land Management. It has been closed ever since a pregnant 24-year-old was fatally struck by a stray bullet near the site last year.

Federal officials are evaluating the city's proposal to make sure the land will still be accessible for public use and recreation, BLM spokesman Rem Hawes said.

2 more parks for fast-growing city

Jessica Boehm/The Republic

When if comes to park land per capita, Buckeye towers over other West Valley cities with 140 acres per 1,000 residents. That's because of the massive Skyline Park that Buckeye opened in 2016 on 8,700 acres of leased federal land at the southern edge of the White Tank Mountains.

However, Buckeye officials look to add recreational amenities to keep pace with growth. The city southwest of Phoenix has grown to nearly 75,000 residents, making it the fastest growing city, by percentage, in the U.S.

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The two tracts of BLM land are north of Interstate 10 and west of Miller Road.

The larger swath is 1,030 acres, just south of the Tartesso community.

City documents refer to it as "Buckeye's Central Park" and propose:

A 400-acre sports park.

Multiuse fields.

A dog park.

A lake with a playground and splash pad.

Concession area.

Amphitheater and events center.

Multigenerational center and an aquatic center.

Buckeye envisions a smaller park for offroad trails and bicycle tracks on 320 acres north of Tartesso.

Courtesy of City of Buckeye

How much would it cost?

Buckeye doesn't have a cost or timeline for construction yet, as the deal still needs federal approval. The City Council in March approved spending $220,000 on an environmental assessment and development plan.

BLM officials are evaluating the city's development plan and working on its own assessment to guide the agency in clearing any pollutants from the site. That study is expected to wrap up in December.

City leaders could vote to annex the land in 2020 or 2021, according to city documents.

Plans for other federal land

After Kami Gilstrap's death in January 2018, officials vowed to prevent similar tragedies elsewhere.

BLM officials in June unveiled a plan that calls for four shooting ranges in some of the most remote reaches of metro Phoenix. The sites would be more actively managed than the land near Buckeye was, including firing lines and potentially rangemasters.

Public comments on that plan are being gathered until Tuesday. Comments can be submitted by emailing pdoea@blm.gov or at go.usa.gov/xmfVv.

Want to see more parks in your city? Reach reporter Joshua Bowling at jbowling@azcentral.com or 602-444-8138. Follow him on Twitter @MrJoshuaBowling.