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Chesapeake unveils draft 10–20 year Parks, Recreation and Tourism master plan
Summary
City staff and consultants presented a draft “Path to Play” master plan that outlines four goals and 10 priority recommendations aimed at modernizing parks, increasing access and growing tourism; no formal council action was taken, but staff said the plan will guide fee use, parkland dedication policy and next capital planning steps.
Chesapeake City staff and consultants presented a draft 10–20 year master plan for Parks, Recreation and Tourism on May 13, laying out priorities to modernize the system, increase walking access to parks and expand destination attractions.
Parks and Recreation Director Mike Barber introduced the plan to the City Council and said the department had worked with Interface Studio to produce the draft. “We’re very excited to come to you this afternoon and bring you our draft plan for Parks, Recreation, and Tourism,” Barber said.
Consultant Chris Distasi of Interface Studio told the council the process engaged a large sample of residents and youth: “So far, the process has engaged about 1,000 residents and over 500 youth.” The draft lists four overall goals — care for existing assets, modernize the system, increase year‑round programming and invite tourism tied to Chesapeake’s nature and heritage — and presents 10 priority recommendations including signature “destination” parks, additional indoor recreation and aquatic space, improved implementation of the Parkland Dedication Ordinance and focused park development in high‑need, high‑growth areas.
The consultants’ presentation included findings from local surveys and a statistically valid citywide poll of more than 600 residents. The plan notes Chesapeake’s parks system now includes more than 88 parks and 11 indoor recreation facilities, with more than 2,400 acres under the department’s care; it also says about 46% of residents live within a 10‑minute walk of a park, below the median for the 100 largest U.S. cities. Distasi also highlighted volunteer contributions the consultants valued at roughly $9,000,000 annually and noted that more than 65% of playgrounds are over 20 years old.
Recommendations outline both capital and operating actions. On policy, the draft would define how “fees in lieu” from developers may be used to serve the subdivision from which they came (generally within a half‑mile/10‑minute walk) and would ask Parks, Recreation and Tourism to publish developer guides and a fee and acreage calculator. On staffing and maintenance, the plan recommends expanding natural lands staff, adding arborists and improving asset and maintenance databases. On facilities, the consultants estimated the city could accommodate nearly 300,000 additional square feet of indoor recreation space over 20 years under several development scenarios and suggested a mix of neighborhood, community and regional centers.
Council members asked follow‑up questions but did not vote on the plan. Council member Ritter thanked the department and asked staff to follow up on agreements with the schools for shared facility use. Multiple council members praised the department’s maintenance and programming work and asked staff to return with details on costs, site selection and implementation timelines. City Manager Price and staff said they would continue work with council and the community and would provide additional detail on ordinance and fee changes before any code amendments.
The presentation packet, the consultants said, includes project cost scenarios and funding options that range from increased general‑fund support to greater earned income and partnership revenue. Distasi noted earned income per resident in Chesapeake was low by national standards and sketched how incremental increases could yield an additional $2.5–5 million per year in revenue, but he emphasized those revenues alone would not pay for full plan implementation.
Council members did not take formal action on the draft during the session. Staff said the draft will be used to refine the department’s capital improvement plan and to define how fees in lieu are used; the department will return with more detailed proposals, developer guides and a proposed schedule for ordinance changes or code updates that would require separate action by the City Council.
The city manager and Parks staff said council input from the work session will be incorporated before the plan is finalized for public posting and future adoption by the council.
