Title
Parks and Recreation Master Plan Update
Description
This report provides the Community and Cultural Investment Subcommittee an update on a Parks and Recreation Master Plan project.
THIS ITEM IS FOR INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION.
Report
Summary
The last comprehensive master planning effort for the Parks and Recreation Department was completed in 1988. In August 2020, staff began to move forward with a parks master planning effort and the Parks and Recreation Board expressed support of this effort at its Nov. 19, 2020 meeting. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the significant amount of public engagement required in a Master Plan process, the project was temporarily delayed.
Earlier this year, staff began revisiting this project and on Jan. 5, 2022, presented an update on the status of the Master Plan process to the City Council Community and Cultural Investment Subcommittee.
The Master Plan process will focus on meaningful engagement with the community, evaluating and inventorying existing developed and undeveloped parks, programs and facilities; assessing community demographics and recreation trends and ensuring equitable access and delivery of programs and services. A comprehensive community engagement process will be implemented and will engage park users; community groups; stakeholders; local businesses; non-profits; arts and cultural organizations; schools; and other recreation service providers and partners. The department will also engage other City departments to ensure consistency with other Citywide existing policies and plans.
Public engagement methodologies will include virtual and in-person public meetings in neighborhoods throughout the City and in City parks; public workshops; community focus groups; neighborhood events; surveys; and engagement with youth through schools and after-school programs. Additionally, outreach will include canvassing neighborhoods, providing information in the City’s water bills and working with the consultant to create online tools providing accessible information and interactive engagement opportunities for all residents. Outreach will be conducted in both English and Spanish.
Information gathered through the public engagement and assessment process will then be used to formulate strategic and realistic goals with clearly defined objectives to help ensure the department is meeting the needs of the community and providing meaningful recreation amenities and services equitably throughout the City. The Master Plan will also take into consideration what properties/inventory have already been committed to the community and will prioritize these when identifying new projects and programs.
The Master Plan process will take approximately 18 months from start to completion, eight of which will include engagement with the community.
The department continues to monitor the COVID-19 transmission spread and with the steadily declining numbers, staff plans to go back to the Parks and Recreation Board in May to discuss a timeline for the launch of the Master Plan process, which is expected to be early fall 2022.
Staff will also be tracking and gathering parks-related feedback received from the community through the City’s budget hearing process in April so the information can be included in the Master Plan process.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Manager Inger Erickson and the Parks and Recreation Department.