Officials explain hotel, youth sports plans tied to John Stiff Park

AMARILLO, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) — City officials are providing more details about a proposed development plan for John Stiff Memorial Park, addressing questions about the possible hotel and how the park would coexist with a youth sports facility currently under construction.

The plan was discussed by the Amarillo City Council earlier this month, outlining long-term options for part of the park and providing that future development could help fund park improvements.

Amarillo Parks and Recreation Director Michael Kashuba said a hotel is one of several potential uses being considered as part of a broader mix of development.

“One of those potential allowable uses is a boutique hotel. With no existing hotels in Southwest Amarillo, a small-scale hotel could fill a market gap while enhancing the destination appeal of the development,” said Kashuba. “A small, boutique hotel would accommodate the many visitors coming to Amarillo to attend recreational sports tournaments or to visit family members. A hotel would also support large community special events and generate additional economic development for the community.”

Kashuba said the hotel would be part of a wider set of amenities intended to support park users and visitors.

“The recommended commercial program features diverse dining and food options scaled to serve different community needs,” he said. “A thoughtfully diverse mix including food and beverage establishments, small-format retail, and experiential concepts creates synergistic benefits through shared foot traffic.”

Questions have also focused on youth sports usage at the park and whether the new Kids Inc. sports complex under construction could affect attendance.

“Youth sports is just one of many activities that occur in John Stiff Park,” Kashuba said. “The park is actively used daily by walkers, disc-golfers, skateboarders, tennis, pickleball, padel players, adult softball leagues and youth sports.”

Kashbua said large youth sports tournaments typically rely on multiple facilities across Amarillo.

“When the large youth sports tournaments come to town, it is common for all the fields in Amarillo to be used for the youth tournaments,” he said.

According to Kashuba, the Kids Inc. sports complex could create additional opportunities at John Stiff Park by shifting some activities elsewhere.

“When Kids Inc. moves its activities to its facility, it will allow the city to expand the adult softball leagues and tournaments and provide the fields to other user groups, which are actively looking for a place to call home,” Kashuba said.

City officials said the development plan is a long-term concept meant to guide future planning. Any proposed project would require additional financial review, public input and approval from the city council before moving forward.