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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 10/22/2019 - PARKS AND RECREATION MASTER PLANDATE: STAFF: October 22, 2019 Kurt Friesen, Director of Park Planning & Development Honore Depew, Interim Project and Policy Manager WORK SESSION ITEM City Council SUBJECT FOR DISCUSSION Parks and Recreation Master Plan. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The purpose of this item is to gather feedback from City Council regarding the Parks and Recreation Plan Update, scheduled to begin soon. Desired plan outcomes and proposed community outreach strategies have been identified for Council review and discussion. GENERAL DIRECTION SOUGHT AND SPECIFIC QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED 1. What feedback do Councilmembers have on the ten intended outcome areas? 2. What feedback do Councilmembers have regarding the community outreach strategies proposed? BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION The Parks and Recreation Policy Plan was last updated in 2008. The community has changed in the time since and so has the demand for and expectation of the Parks system and the City’s recreation facilities. Staff has been planning for a 2019/2020 total refresh of a Park and Recreation Plan for several years and issued a request for proposals this summer for a consultant to help facilitate the community, City Council, and staff through that effort. Olin has been chosen as the City’s consultant for this project and staff is excited for the national expertise they will bring with their assembled team to help the City address the many aspects of the park and recreation systems that staff hopes to focus on. This plan presents a great opportunity to align Parks and Recreation vision, goals, and standards with City Plan and the many bold ideas presented in that document. Staff has also heard from Council, both through its priority setting process and other avenues, that specific attention should be given to refresh, equitable access and experience, and sustainable design and funding strategies. The proposed scope and process is intended to capture all these items and deliver a road map that staff, Council and the community can look to and work towards in the coming years. The Council priority of park refresh is a specifically stated outcome, and the work of this plan will help Council and staff develop a refresh road map for what park refresh looks like and present ideas for how the City can begin funding such efforts. It will also speak heavily to the interaction and differences between refresh and life cycle costs and replacement-which is a key avenue to ensuring a consistent and equitable experience across the parks and recreation system. Plan Outcomes The proposed process and adopted plan will cover ten broad outcomes 1. Parks and Recreation Systems Vision, Goals and Metrics • A clear vision of what the Fort Collins park system and recreation system should become. • A set of goals to accomplish the vision for the park and recreation systems. October 22, 2019 Page 2 • Defined metrics to determine how the goals are being accomplished. (e.g. public health metrics, access to nature metrics, etc.) • Metrics for use on the City website as community dashboard metrics available to the community. 2. Identification of Existing and Needed Parks and Recreation Facilities • An inventory of existing parks and recreation facilities. • Needs assessment through projected build-out of the parks and recreation system, based upon projected growth and city urban growth boundary, as provided by City Plan and the 2008 Parks and Recreation Policy Plan. Projected needs based on anticipated City growth, demographics, trends, etc. (parks, recreation facilities, recreation fields, playgrounds, access to nature, underserved and special interest populations, etc.) • Needs assessment based on national standards and community preferences as identified through outreach. • Incorporate City Plan trend data into the analysis and final recommendations. 3. Parks and Recreation Build Out Strategy • Analysis of the existing build out strategy, as provided in the 2008 Parks and Recreation Policy Plan. • An overview and description of park impact fees, purpose, methodology for collection, methodology for updates, timeframe, etc. • Recommendations for building out the parks and recreation systems, based on projected city growth, City Plan projections, etc. • General cost projections for each remaining park, recreation center, and maintenance facility, including development costs, raw water, land acquisition, operations and maintenance costs, etc. • A projected sequence of remaining parks, recreation centers, and maintenance facilities to be constructed. • Impact fee revenue projections through build out of the park system and gap analysis. • Identify new potential funding strategies for completion of the parks system and construction of remaining recreation centers. 4. Parks and Recreation Design Standards and Guidelines • A refined list of typical park elements for both community and neighborhood parks. • A list of typical recreation facilities and amenities. • A list of alternative/emerging elements that may be incorporated, as identified by special interest groups and regional or national trends. • A rationale and methodology for incorporating both typical and alternative elements into new parks and recreation facilities. • Best practice guidelines and standards related to park size, percentage of irrigated turf, parking guidelines, raw water use, sports field dimensions, signage, etc. 5. Strategy for Incorporating Special Interest Group Requests • Methodology and criteria for consideration of special interest group requests for more and/or expanded parks and recreation facilities (e.g., pickleball courts, slacklining, roller derby). 6. Community Health Alignment • An analysis of health benefits that Parks and Recreation provides to the community. • Determine how and where Parks and Recreation fit into the local community health landscape. • Development of a Parks and Recreation community health strategy. • Research potential community health partners that can collaborate with Parks and Recreation. Identify key community health stakeholders. October 22, 2019 Page 3 7. Park Design Process • A clearly defined process for the design of new parks, including community feedback, Council and board and commission involvement, entitlements, etc. • Clear and simple infographic(s) that outline the park design process, including engagement with the community, boards and commissions, and Council. 8. Park Refresh Strategy • Incorporate the recent findings from the Park Refresh survey completed in 2018 to develop a refresh strategy consistent with the stated City Council priority on this topic. • A preliminary analysis of community parks, identifying specific refresh opportunities for each. • Identify a prioritization strategy for refreshing parks. • A process for refreshing parks, including community feedback, council and board approvals, etc. • Identify potential and innovative funding strategies for refreshing parks. 9. Life Cycle Strategies Parks: • An evaluation of the park Life Cycle Program: definition, scope, purpose, management. • Identify and create best practices • Strategy for and implementation of Parks Life Cycle Plan. • Funding strategy and options. Recreation: • A preliminary analysis of current recreation facilities and amenities, identifying specific equipment lifecycle lifespan with anticipated cost to update and/or meet current standards. • An evaluation and creation of the Recreation Life Cycle Program and goals • Strategy for and implementation of Recreation Life Cycle Plan. • Identify options of best practices being used as alternative funding sources to potentially fund the Recreation Life Cycle Plan. 10. Paved Trails • An evaluation of the 2013 Paved Recreational Trail Plan • Provide recommendations for improvements to the existing plan as a subset of the Parks and Recreation Plan • A clearly defined process and policy for the development of new paved trails, including easement acquisitions, developer responsibilities, cost share, etc. • Clear and simple infographic(s) that outline the trail design process, including engagement with the community, Boards and Commissions, and Council. • Funding options for paved trail development, maintenance and lifecycle costs. • A full update of the Paved Recreational Trail Plan will occur at a later date, when trail alignments and locations will be further evaluated. The trail focus for the Parks & Recreation Plan update is primarily policy/procedure oriented. Community Outreach In order to produce a plan and vision that is consistent with resident needs and desires, a robust engagement process will be required. Together with Olin, staff is proposing an outreach plan with the following elements: October 22, 2019 Page 4 • Statistically valid survey-this will help provide an overview of the elements of the parks and recreation system that residents view as critical. Staff believes that this survey will help provide foundational knowledge on which to base decisions for all residents. • Boards and Commissions - there are several boards and commissions that directly advise on the Parks and Recreation system or that have interests in the benefits that the systems provide to specific groups or to other city goals (such as environmental ones). The process will engage these boards to learn what their expectations are for the parks and recreation system moving into the next decade. Staff is scheduled to present at a “super board” meeting in December, which will allow members from all boards and commissions the chance to weigh in. Staff will also be presenting and coordinating with the Parks and Recreation board at their meetings throughout the next year to gather feedback and input on various stages of the process. Representatives from other boards will be involved in the planning process throughout, as part of an Advance Review Committee (ARC). These board members will act as liaisons to their respective boards for feedback and regular updates. • Summits - as part of Olin’s proposal, they have proposed three summits over the engagement period where their team will be on site to engage with stakeholders, the community, the ARC, and staff. Some of the planned events will be coupled with other City events to try and engage as broad and diverse of groups of people as possible. Each summit will provide multiple opportunities and ways to engage including; Pop-Ups, open houses, stakeholder group interviews, and general feedback gathering. • Hard to reach populations - staff is committed to working with City partners to engage hard to reach populations and make sure that diverse voices and stakeholders have their perspectives, needs, and desires heard as part of plan development. • OurCity - staff will also create an OurCity page. Many City projects have successfully utilized this platform through FCgov.com to solicit unique ideas and feedback, while providing different opportunities to engage. Financial Sustainability Staff understands that a huge component of whether not this plan will be achievable depends on its attention to financial impacts-revenues, capital costs, cost of maintenance and refresh, and of staffing to facilities and parks perform at optimal levels. Staff was careful in selecting Olin and in writing the scope of work to make sure that a total cost of ownership model will be at the forefront of scenario development, buildout plans, and in the setting of standard. Olin’s proposed language on how they will present various alternatives are summarized in three categories as critical, sustainable, and visionary. Staff thinks that these categories will provide an easy to understand way of incorporating the community’s desires and outlining where certain goals will require more resource. A prioritization model will be a key component in deciding near, medium, and long-term actions and where resources should be directed in accordance with those time frames. Timeline The planning process will take approximately one year to complete. The following is an approximate timeline: • Fall 2019: Public outreach, planning summits 1 and 2, pop up events, trend and best practice research, board and commission discussions. • Winter 2019: Public outreach, data analysis, needs assessment, and level of service deep dive all substantially complete. • Spring 2020: Second Council work session, planning summit 3, begin work of funding strategies and policy framework • Summer 2020: Community engagement on proposed plan elements, drafting of plan documents, development of implementation matrix and design process frameworks. • Fall 2020: Final plan design, executive summary, technical appendices, final Council work session • Fall 2020: Council consideration of adoption of the Plan. October 22, 2019 Page 5 ATTACHMENTS 1. Powerpoint presentation (PDF) 1 Parks & Recreation Master Plan Update 10-22-19 ATTACHMENT 1 Council Questions What feedback do Councilmembers have on the ten intended outcome areas? What feedback do Councilmembers have regarding the community outreach strategies proposed? 2 The Importance of Parks & Recreation 3 Studies show that PARKS ARE ESSENTIAL to the physical, social, environmental and economic health of a community 4 Across all age groups, DID YOU KNOW? that access to parks: • Reduces Stress • Reduces Risk of Depression • Improves Mental Health and Well-being The Importance of Parks & Recreation 5 Across all age groups, DID YOU KNOW? access to parks is associated with: • Lower Body Mass Index • Reduced Risk of Obesity The Importance of Parks & Recreation 6 DID YOU KNOW? Children’s use of neighborhood parks increases by 400% when parks are closer to home. The Importance of Parks & Recreation 7 DID YOU KNOW? A city of well-connected green spaces is more resilient to extreme environmental events, such as heat waves and extreme rainfall. The Importance of Parks & Recreation 8 DID YOU KNOW? Nearly 85% of people consider quality parks & recreation amenities important factors when choosing a place to live The Importance of Parks & Recreation 9 DID YOU KNOW? People visit their local park and recreation facilities twice a month on average The Importance of Parks & Recreation 10 DID YOU KNOW? City parks and other urban natural areas produce benefits with estimated values of up to $6.8 billion USD annually. The Importance of Parks & Recreation 11 1 in 3 Americans don’t have a park within a 10-minute walk (or half-mile) of home. Sources: The Trust for Public Land NRPA 2019 Engagement with Parks Report The Importance of Parks & Recreation Access to Parks in Fort Collins 12 State of Parks & Recreation 13 1,000 14 50+ 5 6 2018 Community Wide Survey 14 Planning Context 15 City Plan Objectives 16 Key Issues 17 Key Issues 18 Equity & Inclusion Key Issues 19 Key Issues 20 Intended Plan Outcomes 21 Existing and Needed Parks and Recreation Facilities Vision, Goals & Metrics Build Out Strategy Design Standards & Guidelines Strategy for Special Interests Group Requests Community Health Alignment Park Design Process Park Refresh Strategy Life Cycle Strategies Paved Trails Consultant Team 22 Olin Partnership - Master Plan Lead Pros Consulting - Finance/Operations The Trust for Public Land - Benchmarking ETC Institute - Community Survey Mundus Bishop – Local Liaison Consultant Experience 23 Arlington Public Spaces Master Plan Dallas Park and Recreation Comprehensive Plan Oklahoma City Parks Master Plan Community Engagement 24 Community Engagement 25 Project Timeline 26 Fall 2019 Winter 2020 Spring 2020 Summer 2020 Fall 2020 Trend & Best Practice Research Data Analysis & Needs Assessment Explore Funding Strategies & Policy Framework Draft Plan Development Final plan Adoption Community Outreach Council Work Session Council Work Session Council Questions What feedback do Councilmembers have on the ten intended outcome areas? What feedback do Councilmembers have regarding the community outreach strategies proposed? 27 Intended Plan Outcomes 28 Existing and Needed Parks and Recreation Facilities Vision, Goals & Metrics Build Out Strategy Design Standards & Guidelines Strategy for Special Interests Group Requests Community Health Alignment Park Design Process Park Refresh Strategy Life Cycle Strategies Paved Trails