Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Parks And Recreation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City Council adopts "Root and Renew" parks and open‑space vision plan after yearlong outreach
Summary
The Littleton City Council unanimously adopted the Root and Renew Open Space and Parks Vision Plan, a high‑level policy guide developed with Livable Cities and staff that documents community preferences and recommends priorities for maintenance, amenities, resiliency and inclusive programming.
The Littleton City Council voted 5‑0 to adopt the Root and Renew Open Space and Parks Vision Plan, a community‑supported, high‑level plan produced with consultants Livable Cities and city staff that frames long‑term priorities for parks, open space and trails and will inform renegotiation of the city’s operating agreement with South Suburban Parks and Recreation.
City planners and consultants presented the plan as the result of more than a year of outreach that began in fall 2023 and included 976 engagement touchpoints: two surveys, nine pop‑ups, a virtual community meeting and small‑group meetings. Key findings cited in the presentation included that 72% of survey respondents use parks daily or multiple times per week; Littleton averages about 8.6 acres of parks per 1,000 residents and 21.1 acres of open space per 1,000 residents (both above SSPRD regional averages); the city has just over 40 miles of trails; and 73.5% of the city is within a 20‑minute walk of a park.
The Root and Renew plan is organized around four themes—Parks and Open Space, Activities and Trends, Resiliency in Nature, and Community and Culture—and includes goals such as: enhanced maintenance, district‑level amenity recommendations (playgrounds, courts, restrooms, water stations), design guidance for neurodivergent users, and evaluation of popular trends (for example, disc golf and pickleball). Staff highlighted recommendations to prioritize restrooms and year‑round water access at parks where appropriate and urged the council that plan adoption is the first step toward negotiating clarified roles with South Suburban for which segments should remain crusher‑fine and which should be hard‑surfaced for safety and maintenance reasons.
Councilmembers praised the outreach and said the plan will guide capital planning and negotiations with South Suburban. Councilmember Reichert noted maintenance tradeoffs between trails and parks and urged attention to evolving recreational trends; Councilmember Peters and others highlighted the outreach meetings and the need to monitor school enrollment impacts on services. The council directed staff to synthesize priorities and return with study‑session recommendations and next steps for capital planning and operating‑agreement negotiations.
Action: Council member moved and seconded the motion “to adopt the Root and Renew Open Space and Parks Vision Plan.” The motion passed 5‑0.
Ending: Staff said the plan will feed the city’s capital improvements planning and operating‑agreement negotiations with South Suburban; the environmental stewardship board will also provide related recommendations to inform future governance and stewardship commitments.
