The Berkeley City Council on Dec. 15 heard a presentation on a draft five‑year Parks & Recreation Master Plan and opened the 30‑day public review period required before final adoption and submission to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

Tyler Sprague of Johnson Hill Land Ethics Studio, the landscape architecture and recreation planning firm leading the update, summarized an inventory of parks and facilities, public engagement and recommendations. Sprague said the plan meets MDNR requirements and outlines goals, objectives and an action program pointing to design studies, programming enhancements and funding strategies.

Why it matters: the plan will guide capital improvements, maintenance and programming priorities for the next five years and is a prerequisite for certain state recreation grants. Sprague said the update aims to address gaps in access, equitable programming and long‑term maintenance funding.

Among the findings presented, Sprague said the planning team conducted two public meetings and an online survey; "I don't have the figure in front of me, but we I I wanna say it was it was over 600 responses, maybe, even more than that," he said. Survey and engagement feedback highlighted concerns about the community center’s limited space, requests for more rectangular/multipurpose fields suitable for soccer or youth football, interest in a dog park in some neighborhoods and demand for paved walking trails.

Sprague and Dan McMinn, who introduced the item, detailed the plan’s action program, which links recommendations to goals. Notable recommendations include conducting a design study and community outreach for potential redevelopment of the community center, studying a multiuse redevelopment at Lazenby Field, continuing pocket‑park opportunities in underserved areas and exploring funding strategies that could include partnerships or developer contributions.

Council members asked about survey methodology and turnout at in‑person meetings; Sprague described controls (IP limits) used on surveys while noting he left the option open to allow multiple household members to respond. Council asked for clearer communications on implementation progress; staff and the consultant agreed that regular updates and public outreach would be beneficial. McMinn said finalized plan revisions will return to council for adoption and then be submitted to MDNR prior to the Feb. 1 deadline.

Next steps: the plan is on public review for 30 days, including a public hearing; staff will compile comments, the consultant will update the draft as needed and the council will consider adoption at a future meeting.