Title
Parks and Recreation Department Preliminary Capital Improvement Program Budget Fiscal Years 2026-31 - Citywide
Description
This report provides the Transportation, Infrastructure, and Planning Subcommittee with information regarding the Parks and Recreation Department Capital Improvement Program (CIP) budget for Fiscal Years (FY) 2026-31.
THIS ITEM IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY.
Report
Summary
The Phoenix parks system is comprised of 189 flatland parks, including pocket, neighborhood, community and regional parks; more than 200 miles of trails; approximately 500 buildings; 33 community centers; 29 pools; 12 dog parks; eight golf courses; and hundreds of play structures, athletic fields and sports courts. At over 41,000 acres, the City has one of the largest amounts of municipally-managed park/preserve acreage in the country, per the 2025 City Park Facts Report compiled by the Center for City Park Excellence at the Trust for Public Land.
The Preliminary CIP submission for FY 2026-31 totals $321.6M, which is comprised of $268.3M in voter-approved Phoenix Parks and Preserves Initiative (PPPI) funds; $15.4M in Impact Fees; $3M in Special Revenue funds; and $35M in 2023 General Obligation Bond funds (Attachment A).
The FY 2026-31 CIP focuses on design and construction of new park facilities, redevelopment of existing park facilities and critical upgrades and replacement of aging or failing infrastructure, including life-safety issues. The comprehensive plan includes projects such as building new community parks, improving and replacing aging playgrounds; implementing shade, upgrading irrigation systems; installation of LED lighting; repair of aging parking lots; renovation of park amenities including restrooms; adding chilled drinking fountains, and prioritizing Americans with Disabilities Act compliance throughout the City’s park system.
Projects are prioritized within the five-year planning window based primarily on park needs and priority criteria. This process includes a three-tiered rating system that takes into account the life span of amenities. The rating identifies amenities that are new, at half-life or ready for replacement. Ratings are updated annually. Further, when a need is identified at a park facility, a holistic look is used to evaluate if other needs can also be addressed at the same time. This approach results in cost effectiveness and efficiencies reducing redundancy of services to the same site and minimizing impact to the community.
FY 2026-31 CIP highlights include the development of six new parks, one new recreation center, two regional pools and repurpose five pools into splash pads; and over 40 major projects at park sites throughout the City. Project sites include, but are not limited to: Cortez Park, Encanto Park, Estrella Civic Space Park, Granada Park, Highline Park, Lone Mountain Park, and Maryvale Park Regional Pool and Two Splash Pad sites. Other projects include the acquisition of land, as it becomes identified, into the existing preserve system. There are also improvements planned at North Mountain Park, the Phoenix Mountains Preserve, Sonoran Preserve, South Mountain Park and Preserve, and Papago Park over the next five years.
The PPPI funding will be used to upgrade park amenities such as trailheads, trails, irrigation, parking lots, signage, playgrounds, ramadas, lighting and restrooms at various Phoenix flatland parks and preserves. Various sport courts and fields will receive upgrades to surfaces, fencing and lighting. A combination of PPPI and Impact Fees will fund the renovation of various neighborhood parks, add shade through tree plantings, and repair aging infrastructure. Further, through voter-approved 2023 General Obligation Bonds, the Parks and Recreation Department is implementing 10 projects identified in the FY 2026-31 CIP.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Manager Cynthia Aguilar and the Parks and Recreation Department.