09/02/2008 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Search

A number of key criteria will continue to be the basis for determining the location of new neighborhood parks, including: • A service area radius of between 1/4 to 1/2 mile. • Property characteristics suitable for park purposes. • Connection to neighborhoods via the trail system. • Connection to the emerging Resource Management System (to expand perception of open space at the neighborhood level). • Location of major roads and other physical barriers, such as extensive wetland or lake systems. Trails need to work in concert with the greenway system to provide trails in locations that minimize potential environmental impacts. These criteria were generally used for determining the location of the more recently acquired parks, albeit not always uniformly weighted due to site - specific circumstances. Parks acquired prior to the city's 1992 Park and Open Space System P /an were often based on less stringent criteria and often pose more of a challenge to integrate into the system plan. In spite of any limitations associated with the location of some parks, the overall system plan is reasonably balanced at the neighborhood park level and will serve the community well. Any imbalances that may remain have been or can be largely mitigated through good park design and interconnections with other parks through the emerging greenway system. Interconnection of Neighborhood Parks to Greenway System The interconnection of parks through the greenway -based trail system is of particular importance to the success of the park system. This is especially the case with neighborhood parks, where safe and appealing access to them is critical to their use levels. Lacking these trail connections, any inequity in park distribution will become more apparent to the user because the parks will be harder to get to from within a given residential neighborhood. The less convenient the access, the less use parks are likely to receive. In addition, most of the neighborhood parks are on the smaller side, with only limited green space outside the active use areas. Because of this, the greenway system becomes an important open space component that significantly enhances the neighborhood park system. Areas Where New Neighborhood Parks will be Required as Development Occurs As illustrated on the Park, Greenway, and Trail System Map, there are several areas within the city where new neighborhood parks will be required to service local needs as development occurs. Desirable property characteristics include: • An appropriate location that is as central to the surrounding service area and linked to the greenway system. • Exhibiting the physical characteristics appropriate for active and passive uses. This includes adequate developable upland to accommodate typical neighborhood park amenities, ranging from active open space to play areas and trails. • Exhibiting an aesthetic characteristic befitting a park, which is defined as: open space for active use; a natural landscape with mature trees and quality natural vegetation for its aesthetic and passive use qualities; and interesting (but not excessive) topography for relief and park character. • •