Consultants present Phase 1 of Zephyrhills Parks & Recreation master plan; staff to begin Phase 2

Consultants told the Zephyrhills City Council on Sept. 23 that Phase 1 of the city’s Parks & Recreation Master Plan is complete and ready to move into Phase 2, providing an inventory-based picture of conditions and community priorities while deferring formal recommendations until the next phase. "Our task at hand was not to come to any conclusions tonight," said Kristen Claiborne of GAI Communities Solutions, who led the presentation.

Claiborne described an inventory of 14 city parks tied to a new GIS dashboard that scores assets on a 1–3 scale (1 = near end of useful life; 3 = new or exceeding expectations). The inventory identified roughly 29 active amenities, 16 passive amenities, 20 buildings and more than 100 furnishings across the system. Alice Hall, a community building at Zephyr Park, was singled out as “past its useful life” and likely unsuitable for future recreation programming without a replacement, Claiborne said. Arturo of Wanamaker Jensen Architects joined her in reporting that Alice Hall lacks ADA access, natural light and flexible interior subdivision for contemporary programs.

The consultants reviewed market work by Sports Facilities Advisory and a statistically valid survey by RRC. Findings showed demand for indoor multipurpose courts — space that could accommodate basketball, volleyball or pickleball — and strong interest in trails, shade and upgrades to existing parks. About 30% of the survey’s invite (statistically valid) respondents said they would consider a small tax increase to support recreation, with many respondents favoring modest user-fee or grant-based approaches instead.

Claiborne emphasized equity and access in the consultant recommendations: while Zephyrhills meets an acreage-based level of service (currently 4 acres per 1,000 residents), the distribution of parks shows a northern part of the city that functions as a “park desert” lacking close-to-home neighborhood parks. The Phase 1 key issues matrix grouped priorities that will feed Phase 2 visioning and a 10-year capital improvement program: improved walkability and ADA access, enhanced user comfort (shade, lighting), clearer communications and branding, and targeted maintenance and amenities upgrades.

Council members asked for immediate next steps; staff and consultants agreed to begin Phase 2 work on prioritizing near-term playground replacements and developing costed recommendations. "We can start with those [playgrounds] that are at the end of their day," a councilmember said during the Q&A. Claiborne and staff confirmed the consultant team will work with city staff on a priority list and that the interactive GIS dashboard will be provided to city staff to help update and track conditions.

The presentation did not include final project approvals or funding commitments; Phase 2 will include site-level recommendations, cost estimates and a draft CIP for council consideration.

What’s next: staff and the consultant team will start Phase 2 immediately, develop guiding principles and costed short-, mid- and long-term recommendations, and return to council with a draft capital improvement plan and options for funding and operations.