A land deal in the works next to Rogue X in north Medford could give Logos Public Charter School room to expand and provide a neighborhood park in exchange.

The preliminary proposal, reviewed by the Parks and Recreation Commission Aug. 22, would give 3.5 acres of Howard Memorial Sports Park to Logos to build a 13,000-square-foot multipurpose tutoring building and parking lot.

In return, Logos would build a 7.4-acre neighborhood park with playground, a basketball court, an open field, gazebos, restrooms and trails at the corner of Rossanley Drive and Ross Lane next to the $76 million Rogue X sports park.

Rich Rosenthal, Parks and Recreation director, said the parks commission generally voiced support for the idea, which will require a three-way agreement between the city, Logos and the Howard Memorial Sports Foundation.

“It has a chance to be a triple-win for the community,” he said.

The park would be designed to serve the 2,500 residents in an area of Medford that has a deficit of neighborhood parks.

The nearest city park is next to Jackson Elementary.

The Howard Memorial Sports Foundation owns the entire 54-acre park, but the city has an option to purchase it for a nominal fee once the Rogue X sports park is completed by January 2024.

The foundation previously provided the land for Logos to build its school.

Rosenthal said the foundation’s goal has been to develop the entire 54-acre park for children and families.

Even with Rogue X, existing soccer fields, an expanded Logos and the new park, there will still be 17 acres remaining, destined to eventually become sports fields.

While the land deal is still being worked out, Logos has a lot of steps ahead to prepare for construction of a multipurpose tutoring building that can also host performing arts events.

“We would love to have it completed by the end of next year,” said Sheryl Zimmerer, Logos executive director.

The new building will be about half the size of the existing 25,000-square-foot school.

She said the building isn’t needed to increase the number of students, which is currently 1,200, but is needed to have a place to have more one-on-one instruction and more precise learning activities.

This type of tutoring, Zimmerer said, allows teachers “to make a lot of progress with our students.”

An area for students to perform music and dance is also needed, she said.

“We are trying to serve the students we have more effectively,” Zimmerer said.

Under the current contract with the Medford School District, Logos can have up to 1,260 students. By next year, the count could go up to 1,310.

Zimmerer said many steps need to be completed over the next few months.

The city will seek an appraisal for the acreage Logos is seeking to acquire.

Logos would pay for a park that would match the appraisal amount for the land it needs for the new building, Zimmerer said.

The appraisal amount will be taken into consideration when devising a final plan for the neighborhood park layout, she said, adding, “As a school, we don’t have a ton of money for a park.”

Logos does have some remaining COVID-relief dollars available for the project.

A new parking lot for the school would also be built, and Zimmerer said it could also be used by people at the park.

The cost of the new building isn’t known yet, but Zimmerer said the existing school would cost roughly $8 million in today’s dollars.

An architect has been hired to design the new building, and an attorney is working out details of the land transfer, she said.

Zimmerer said the neighborhood park would be open to the public, and the school might only use it for limited purposes such as track and field.