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Lake Stevens kicks off 10-year parks, recreation and open-space plan
Summary
City officials and a consultant introduced a community-focused, 10-month process to draft Lake Stevensfirst Parks, Recreation and Open Space (PROS) Plan; public input, including a mailed random-sample survey and open houses, will guide priorities and future grant eligibility.
Lake Stevens city staff and a consultant told the City Council on June 3 that the city will prepare its first 10-year Parks, Recreation and Open Space (PROS) Plan to guide acquisitions, capital projects, maintenance and grant applications.
"This plan will guide the department and the city in our efforts for development, redevelopment, acquisition, and maintenance for our park system for the next 10 years," said Steve Du of Conservation Techniques, the consultant selected to lead the process.
The nut graf: The plan is intended to be a strategic, community-driven roadmap that also satisfies a key requirement of the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO) for grant eligibility. City staff said the planning effort will run about 10 months and emphasize public engagement so projects can be prioritized and sequenced over time.
Du told the council the work will include a condition assessment of existing parks, a needs analysis, a community survey and two open houses, plus stakeholder interviews and focus groups. Early steps include compiling existing plans and demographic data, then visiting parks to document conditions and accessibility issues.
Jill, identified as parks staff, introduced the project and noted the city budgeted consultant work to develop the plan. Du said the outreach package will include a dual-mode community survey: a mailed random sample to about 2,500 households and an online survey open to all residents. He said the team plans the survey in JuneJuly, a first open house likely in mid-July, and a draft plan toward the end of the calendar year for review and adoption early next year.
Council members and parks-board members who spoke during the presentation emphasized acquisition of land to serve future population growth, better trail and sidewalk connections to parks, more dispersed neighborhood parks, and facilities for organized sports. Council member Ewing (first referenced in the meeting as Council member Steve Ewing) stressed accessibility and inclusion: "Where in our city don't we have good access to parks, and how do we look at developing opportunities there? Who in our city can't use the parks and why, and how do we address some of those barriers?"
Several council members raised sports fields as both a community need and an economic opportunity; they discussed ideas such as synthetic turf, lighting to allow evening leagues and partnerships with leagues and the school district to expand usable hours. Staff noted two county-owned parcels under consideration for transfer to the city, including a site identified as Cavallaro Hill, and said operational costs and long-term maintenance will be a significant part of planning.
Du said the plan will help the city seek RCO grants because an adopted PROS Plan is a primary eligibility check for state funding. He asked the council for priorities and suggested initial survey questions to help identify activities residents are leaving Lake Stevens to do and barriers to access.
Ending: Staff said they will coordinate with the council on survey wording and outreach, explore holding the survey table at AquaFest, and return with public engagement materials and a timeline. The council and the parks board will receive periodic updates throughout the process.
