At the south end of Paddock View Drive, below Mistflower Lane and close to the Pasco County line, 56 acres of city land are mostly empty. The ground was once part of a cattle ranch. Later it was dug out as a borrow pit while the surrounding neighborhoods were built, then filled back in. Apart from three live oaks along the southern edge, Patrick Leduc says there isn't much out there. Leduc is president of the Bassett Creek Estate Homeowner's Association, whose neighborhood borders the site. "It looks like something out of Kansas," he told Tampa Bay Beacons this summer.
The first changes are already in the ground. Last December the city planted about 6,800 trees, mostly pine saplings, and in July it added another 3,500 oak saplings along the park's southern edge. Mayor Jane Castor said the oaks mean "we'll be building a great park with shade already taking root."
In July, local coverage said Tampa City Council would vote in August on roughly $8 million to build the park. The vote that happened on August 27 was smaller and earlier in the process. Council unanimously approved Resolution 2026-677, a $734,000 agreement with Skanska USA Building, Inc. for "Design-Build initial services" on K-Bar Park. Councilmember Naya Young made the motion and Vice Chair Guido Maniscalco seconded it.
So the money approved this summer pays for designing the park. Building it comes later, and the design work now underway is what decides how the park turns out.
How the Money Breaks Down
The city's design criteria for the project, Contract 25-C-00022, splits the budget into two parts.
| Line item | Amount | Status as of early October 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Design and preconstruction budget | $750,000 | $734,000 approved August 27, 2026 |
| Construction budget | $7,500,000 | Not yet approved |
| Total project budget | $8,250,000 | "To be verified" during design |
The total is a starting estimate. The criteria say the real budget "shall be determined as part of the design and pre-construction efforts," and leave room for extra work to be split off into a later, separate project. Construction is handled under a separate agreement. The city and Skanska will negotiate a construction-services contract later, using Skanska's guaranteed maximum price proposal.
This vote came about a year after Councilmember Luis Viera secured $1 million to start the design process. The decisions that set the final price, including what gets built, what gets lit and where the parking goes, are being made during the phase Council just funded.
Why a Park Promised in the Early 2000s Is Still on Paper
People in K-Bar Ranch have expected a park since the early 2000s. At a 2024 community meeting, city parks official Brad Suder said he had been working on the project since 2012.
Suder explained how the first plan fell apart. The city and Hillsborough County had planned a park on a site in the northern part of K-Bar. The developer first offered 15 donated acres plus an option to buy 15 more at market value, and the city couldn't accept that offer. The county moved to another site, and the effort went quiet. The developer then offered about 65 acres at a former borrow pit. At a 2018 rezoning hearing, an attorney for M/I Homes said the developer had donated 60 acres to the city for a park, more than required. The city's current documents describe the project as about 56 acres.
A second plan came and went. The county wanted a revenue-generating sports complex, then dropped out of the partnership. That left Tampa to go ahead with its own, more passive park plan.
The borrow-pit history is still a factor. Before the city took final ownership, the developer had to backfill the pit with clean fill, generally four to six feet deep. Any fields, paths or boardwalks Skanska designs will sit on that fill.
What the City Has Already Written Into the Plan
The design criteria give Skanska a list of required elements.
- Fields: multi-purpose athletic fields, with lighting
- Family space: a playground and picnic facilities
- Getting around: paths and trails, plus a boardwalk across wetlands and low areas
- Nature: perimeter planting, tree and habitat protection, and environmental-education signs
- Basics: unisex restrooms, parking and security lighting
Access is spelled out too. Cars will enter from Paddock View Drive, and Mistflower Lane will serve as maintenance and emergency access. For households on those two streets, that is the most concrete detail in the whole package.
The Cricket Field Question
The most debated item hasn't been settled. The city has said it plans a large multi-use field that includes cricket. Other people have pushed for a field built mainly for cricket, one that could host tournaments and draw players from across the region.
Leduc supports a cricket field but doesn't want the bleachers, lighting and extra traffic a tournament venue would bring.
"Keep it simple, Sally. You know, build a field, go out and play on the field. Bring your own chair. The idea is to let the park meld into nature, or nature meld into the park."
The criteria already call for lighted multi-purpose fields. Lighting is the feature Leduc says he'd like to avoid at tournament scale, so how much light, aimed where, and on what schedule is a real design decision still to be made. The same goes for the size of the field and how much parking comes with it.
Leduc was clear about when input matters. "We just want to make sure that we're able to express (what we want) and make sure we're able to express it before the cement begins to harden," he said. "Public input is nice. Sometimes, it doesn't move the ball that much. You got to get to them before they make the design."
The Timeline, According to the City's Documents
Here is what the contract documents commit to, in order:
- August 27, 2026: Council approves the $734,000 initial-services agreement with Skanska.
- Design phase: Skanska has up to 365 days from the city's notice to proceed to finish its initial services, with extensions allowed for delays outside the firm's control.
- Public meetings: The criteria require at least two advertised public meetings.
- Construction agreement: A separate contract, negotiated from Skanska's guaranteed maximum price proposal.
- Overall limit: No start date has been set, and the project can't run longer than 42 months.
None of these documents gives a calendar date for groundbreaking or opening. As of early October 2026, we found no posted notice of a date or location for either required public meeting. In July, Viera and Leduc said they hoped to hold a Zoom call with Skanska's design team in September, ideally before any renderings went public. They also expected public design meetings later in the fall. We couldn't confirm that either has happened.
If you want a say in how the field is lit, how the boardwalk crosses the wetlands, or how traffic reaches Paddock View Drive, watch for the city's notices of those two meetings. They will be the official chances to comment before the construction price is set. For more on how land-use labels and amenity promises work in this part of town, see our look at golf course zoning in New Tampa and our New Tampa neighborhood guide.
If you live near Mistflower Lane or Paddock View Drive and wonder how a planned park might fit into your own plans, Michele Ranjbar is happy to talk it through with you, calmly and with no pressure. Make your move with confidence, and request a free home valuation whenever you're ready.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
