Parks Department launches two-year master plan process; commission provides early feedback on outreach and priorities

Parks Department project manager Bronwyn Bradbury and staff presented the kickoff for a two-year Parks and Recreation Master Plan at the July 23 commission meeting, asking commissioners for early input on outreach goals, stakeholder groups and draft plan objectives.

Bradbury said the master plan will inventory the city’s parks, open space and recreation facilities; assess community needs; and prioritize future capital and program investments. She told the commission the city maintains 64 parks and open spaces and 18 community buildings that the plan will evaluate. The plan’s work plan includes: an inventory and condition assessment, a needs assessment and community engagement, funding and feasibility analysis, and a recommendations and implementation chapter. Bradbury said public engagement would begin in the summer following the initiation phase.

Commissioners emphasized several early priorities: Vice Chair Clark asked for measurable outreach metrics (for example, geographic and demographic targets) and a written public participation plan that staff would present to the commission; Commissioner Lesnar Buxton urged explicit outreach to people with disabilities and better bilingual outreach; Commissioner Ramsey asked that the needs assessment balance current gaps (for example, lack of certain facilities) with anticipated future demand driven by new housing and demographic change.

Director Zachary and Bradbury noted the plan’s purpose is to provide a systemwide road map for investments, support funding applications and align resources with community values. Bradbury also said staff is coordinating with the county’s open-space element update and that the city’s open-space update is a separate, state-mandated planning product on a shorter timeline.

Commissioners asked about update frequency; Bradbury and staff suggested the plan could inform a 10- to 20-year horizon with periodic check-ins and annual or periodic implementation reporting. Commissioners urged staff to ‘‘shovel-ready’’ high-priority projects to increase grant competitiveness and to design engagement materials that prompt long-term thinking rather than rear-view assessments.

Ending: Staff will draft a public participation plan and return to the commission before broad public outreach; the full master plan will proceed on the schedule presented and include additional commission check-ins.