Mecklenburg County Comprehensive Park and Recreation Master Plan

1. Presented by: In association with: Mecklenburg CountyComprehensive Park and Recreation Master Plan Nationally Recognized….Uniquely Local March 2008 ETC Institute Leisure Vision

2. Themes • Connecting people to opportunities and places within the Mecklenburg County Parks and Recreation System • Three Key Themes: • Conservation and Stewardship • Parks and Greenways • Recreation Programs and Facilities

3. Purpose of the Study: Goals and Objectives Seek community input to guide Department direction Update Nature Preserves Plan Update Greenways Plan Identify GAPS in parks and recreation facilities across the County and in Towns Identify remaining pieces of land that could be acquired for parks and nature preserves Determine best use for “land banked” properties

4. Purpose of the Study: Goals and Objectives (cont.) Development of a Program Plan for the Department to implement Establish park, facility and amenity standards and needs across the County Recommend a Capital Improvement Plan for existing assets, new parks, recreation facilities, and land with a ranking methodology for each

5. Conduct a demand analysis for sports fields in the County Develop a sports tourism plan for the County Coordinate the needs of Towns with the MCPR Master Plan

6. Methodology in Development of the Master Plan Focus groups, stakeholder interviews, household survey Analysis of existing master planning documents Greenprinting process to identify available land and gaps based on a weighted criteria built on community values for natural areas, neighborhood parks, community parks, and regional parks

7. Master Plan Vision People who participate in recreation in Mecklenburg County will have system of parks, greenways, and open space located throughout the County that will provide more parkland per capita than the national average, will connect neighborhoods, satisfy public recreation needs, and will protect environmentally sensitive areas.

8. Mecklenburg County Citizen Survey • Questions on full range of usage, customer satisfaction, needs, unmet needs, and priorities questions • Goal of 1,000 completed surveys. • Actually completed 1033 surveys. Results have 95% level of confidence with margin of error of +/-3%

9. Summary of Overall Findings Usage of parks is high with good satisfaction Participation in programs is lower with good satisfaction Mecklenburg County Parks is the prime provider of services

10. Summary of Overall Findings Enjoyment of the outdoors and close to our home/residence are prime reasons for usage Market reach of web site is high with opportunities to improve overall marketing There is a wide range of needs and unmet needs for outdoor and indoor parks, trails, recreation facilities and programs

11. Summary of Overall Findings Walking and biking trails are the most important facilities, followed by small neighborhood parks, and large community and regional parks Special events/festivals and adult fitness and wellness programs are most important programs

12. Summary of Overall Findings Market opportunities exist to grow programs of high importance at Mecklenburg County facilities 50% of household respondents do not feel there are sufficient parks and green space areas within walking distances of their residence, with 11% not sure

13. Summary of Overall Findings 88% or more of households feel it is important to use Mecklenburg County Greenways for environmental protection and a major connected network of walking, biking and nature trails

14. Summary of Overall Findings Purchase land to preserve open/green space, use floodplain greenways to develop trails/facilities, and develop new and connect existing walking and biking trails are most important actions respondents would support with tax dollars

15. Facility / Amenity Needs Assessment Using the combination of unmet community needs and community priorities, Walking and Biking Trails, Small Neighborhood Parks (2-10 acres) and Nature Centers and Trails are the three facilities / amenities that merited the highest priority

16. Program Needs Assessment Using the combination of unmet needs and community priorities, Adult Fitness and Wellness Programs, Special Events and Family Recreation – Outdoor Adventure Programs are the three programs with the highest priority ranking

17. Park and Facility Standards Matrix

18. Park and Facilities Standards

19. Park and Facilities Standards

20. Park and Facilities Standards

21. Community Vision For Land Our vision is to provide neighborhood parks, community parks and regional parks across the County that provide a balance of park related experiences for people of all ages. The County will continue to acquire additional park and open space to protect the regions biodiversity and natural heritage through the promotion of open space, preservation, conserving natural communities, fostering awareness and stewardship through environmental education and outdoor recreation.

22. Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 - Priority Lands for Natural Area Protection Tier 1 60 properties 3,578 acres Tier 2 28 additional properties 2,591 additional acres Tier 3 85 additional properties 6,991 additional acres

23. Land Banked Properties - Nature Preserves Stevens Creek Nature Preserve Berryhill Nature Preserve Oehler Nature Preserve Gateway Nature Preserve & Community Park Davis Farm Nature Preserve (N. side of Hucks Road) Sherman Branch – to be determined / remain land-banked

24. Land Banked Properties - Neighborhood, Community & Regional Parks • Neighborhood Parks • Teddington Drive • Crossridge Road • Eagles Landing property • Lincoln Heights property • Mayerling Drive • Prosperity Church property • Reid Park property • Community Parks • Capps property • Ezzel Farm property • Belt Road property • Pineville property • Reddman property • Gateway property • Hucks Road property • Regional Parks • Back Creek Church Road property • Eastfield property • Sherman Branch – to be determined / remain land-banked

25. Nature Center- Service Area Analysis

26. Community Vision for Greenways Develop a greenway corridor system that supports the drainage of water for water quality and flood control purposes while creating trails along these corridors for transportation and recreation purposes for walking, bicycling, running and wellness related activities for people of all ages.

27. 5 Year Results Trail Development 42.8 miles of trail ($46.8M), 12.8 of which is currently funded 68 miles of trail by 2013! Distributed across the County Focus on Partnerships Trail development in parks and nature preserves Improvements to existing – 22 projects, $5.2M Overland Connections – further collaboration with CDOT Planning Process Update Stakeholder process on the front end Town plans are the county plans Recommendations – Ordinance review, Development Efficiencies

28. 10 Year Results 5 Year Acquisition Plan Trail Development Complete Little Sugar Creek Greenway Complete Mallard Creek Greenway Regional Connections CDOT Connections 61.9 miles – total of 129 miles!

29. Neighborhood Parks - Service Area Analysis Neighborhood parks are 2 to 20 acres Neighborhood parks service radius is density based upon 3 acres per 1000 people

30. Neighborhood Parks - 10 Year CMS Elementary School Plan

31. Community Parks - Service Area Analysis Community parks are 20 to 100 acres Community parks service radius is density based upon 4 acres per 1000 people

32. Community Parks - 10 Year CMS High School Plan

33. Regional Parks - Service Area Analysis Regional parks are 100 acres and up. Regional parks service radius is density based upon 5 acres per 1000 people

34. Community Vision for Recreation Facilities Develop appropriate recreation facilities and amenities in underserved areas of the County in partnership with other service providers to maximize the County’s resources and meet the unmet recreation facility and amenity needs of residents.

35. Park Facilities Gaps and Needs Analysis 2-stage process: • Capacity Service Area Analysis • Existing assets - map service areas based on facility capacity • Gap Analysis and Parcel Prioritization • Identify opportunities for new facilities in service gaps: • Size • Access via frontage on a major or minor thoroughfare • Partnership via adjacency to a school, library • Linkages to greenways • Linkages to developed parks • Residential population within new service area • Public transit accessibility

38. Athletic Field Capacity-Demand Recommendations • Develop Two New Policies: • Develop a use, rest and preventative maintenance policy that dictates when assets should be off line. • Establish a priority use policy based upon entity participation. • To Enhance Amateur Sports Opportunities: • Develop a 6-8 field youth/fast pitch softball complex. • Develop an 8-10 field large multipurpose field complex. • Build a field house with multiple courts. • Evaluate existing multipurpose field usage for consideration of converting to synthetic surfaces. • The need for additional fields based upon current demand: • Softball field, 200 foot fence – 5 additional fields. • Softball field, 300 foot fence – 1 additional field. • Multipurpose field, small – 2 additional fields. • Multipurpose field, large – 9 additional fields needed.

39. Community Vision for Recreation Programs Develop and expand recreation programs as outlined in the Master Plan to increase awareness and use by residents of the County and to create more opportunities to serve people of all ages in a variety of recreation pursuits.

40. Program Development Recommendations, continued • Continue the following core program areas that are already in existence: • Aquatics Programs • Environmental Education • Therapeutic Recreation programs • Athletics for adults and youth • 4-H programs • Golf Services • Senior Adult services

41. Program Development Recommendations, Continued Develop new core programs in the following areas: Outdoor Recreation Community-wide Special Events Active Adult Programs for 50 to 65 year olds Fitness and Wellness Programs Summer Camps and After School Programs Performing Arts and Fine Arts Programs in conjunction with the Arts and Sciences Council

42. Total Preliminary Capital Costs

43. Total Preliminary Capital Costs 2008-2018

44. Board’s Community Vision Elements In 2015, Mecklenburg County will be a community of pride and choice for people to LIVE, WORK AND RECREATE.

45. BOCC Action Adopt the Mecklenburg County Master Plan as a vision and roadmap to provide the best possible system of park and recreation services to our residents within the resources available to the County.