The Parks & Recreation Department has put on hold a project to develop Crown Hill School's open area into a public park. The project is part of the Pro Parks Levy, and is currently in the planning phase.

After holding two public meetings to discuss design options with the community, Parks postponed the third and final public planning meeting. The meeting had originally been scheduled for May, but was postponed until the fall of 2006.

Parks is waiting for the Seattle School District to decide what it wants to do with the property. Currently the property is on a long-term lease to Small Faces Child Development Center through 2008.

Depending on what the School District decides it could mean developing the playing fields as commercial and/or residential property, the relocation of Small Faces, or maintaining the status quo.

"At this point no one knows what we'll do," said Amy Cheung-Brothers of the School District's Property Management office. "We're really busy dealing with school closures."

The School District will turn its attention to its long-term lease properties after finishing school closures and consolidation in July.

Once a decision is made, Parks can then negotiate a land-use agreement with the School District. Parks expects the negotiations to take three months, according to its website. The project would then go out for bids.

The School District was open to the project when Parks first approached it and Small Faces to discuss the project in August 2005. At the time, the three reached a general agreement on the use of the land as a public park.

However, sometime after the first public meeting, held on March 22, the School District reversed its position.

"They cautioned us they were reviewing their real estate, and couldn't guarantee use of the land," said Don Harris, Parks Property and Acquisition Manager.

"We were willing to consider it a year ago," said Cheung-Brothers. "Things have evolved a little differently."

Small Faces expects to see a "substantial rent increase," according to Lynn B. Wirta, Executive Director of the center. She is also the Crown Hill's Building Manager.

The center would likely have to relocate if faced with a large rent increase. It received a significant break on rent, but also agreed to shoulder most of the repair and maintenance costs. The list of problems is long.

Crown Hill needed an estimated $6 million of work when Small Faces became the master tenant in 1998.

"Our goal was to generate enough rent from other tenants to pay the bills," Wirta explained. However, Small Faces often has to pay bills with money from its own operating costs.