Agenda Date: 11/12/2024
Subject:
Title
Root and Renew Open Space and Parks Vision Plan Update
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From: |
James L. Becklenberg, City Manager |
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Prepared by: |
Andrea Vaughn, Planner II, AICP |
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Presentations: |
Andrea Vaughn, Planner II, AICP |
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Chelsea Gieryic, Livable Cities Studio |
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Meredith Wenskoski, Livable Cities Studio |
PURPOSE:
To provide an overview of the draft concepts, including key themes and recommendations, of the Root & Renew Parks and Open Space Vision Plan.
LONG-TERM OUTCOME(S) SERVED:
Vibrant Community with a Rich Culture; Sustainable Community with Natural Beauty; Safe Community
DISCUSSION:
The purpose for updating the city’s vision for parks and open space is to consider future capital planning needs and further discussion with the South Suburban Parks and Recreation District about future service needs. The project team will review the results of community engagement that include the following themes:
1. Activities & Trends
2. Parks & Open Space
3. Resiliency & Nature
4. Community & Culture
There will also be discussion on the final steps of the project, as the project team nears publication of the finalized vision plan.
BACKGROUND:
Envision Littleton encompassed the concurrent development of the city’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan as well as the city’s first-generation Transportation Master Plan in 2018 - 2019. These planning efforts coordinated joint community and leadership engagement processes with corresponding input and an integrated set of policies and priorities. Both planning processes recognized the significance in safeguarding parks, open space & trails, and more specifically, abundance, maintenance, enhancement, and equitable access. The recommendations in Envision Littleton established the intention towards a more resilient, sustainable future by promoting the responsible management of the city’s parks, open space, and trails systems while prioritizing conservation, education, and collaboration with partners.
With over 1,500 acres of parks and open space and more than 40 miles of trails, the City of Littleton offers ample opportunities for residents and visitors to explore and connect with nature. While the city owns a considerable amount of land dedicated to parks, open space & trails, South Suburban Parks & Recreation District (SSPRD) provides most parks and recreation services as defined in an intergovernmental agreement dating back to 1964. SSPRD encompasses City of Littleton, City of Centennial, Town of Bow Mar, Town of Columbine Valley, City of Sheridan, and City of Lone Tree and extends into parts of unincorporated Arapahoe, Jefferson, and Douglas counties. SSPRD recently updated its district master plan in 2023, and Root and Renew is the city’s opportunity to ensure that community priorities and trends are understood and reflected in future enhancements to the overall parks, open space, and trails system.
The themes and recommendations found in the outlined draft of the vision plan are a result of the consultant teams review of the City of Littleton’s existing conditions, city-adopted plans, including Envision Littleton, the 2023 Tree Canopy Report and the 2016 previous Parks, Recreation, and Trails Master Plan, SSPRDs 2023 Master Plan and the robust community engagement that was conducted in Spring 2024.
During the first phase of engagement, the project team reached a total of 640 residents and active park users through the online survey that was live for four months, six pop ups and one small group meeting. Through this engagement, the project team has heard from the community that while our parks are of good quality, there are opportunities for improvement. Common themes that had been identified by community members was the need for increased shade, enhanced multimodal connections and improved maintenance. The community also identified that trails, playgrounds, courts, and opportunities to connect with nature through naturalized areas as priority items for investment.
The project team also conducted a second phase of engagement, which ended October 31, and featured a second online survey, which was open for approximately one month, as well as in-person engagement at Craft Fair, Harvest Festival and Littleton Public School Foundations Stride event. At the time of writing, survey data has not been analyzed, but through the in-person events, the community emphasized the need for protection of tree canopy, enhanced shade in parks and the need for age-inclusive play. An engagement summary for phase 2 of engagement will be made available on the project website.
The engagement phase is complete, and visioning is anticipated to be finalized by Q1 of 2025. The project team will continue to collaborate to finalize the draft plan, which will be presented to council in its entirety for adoption. Once the community-based vision has been established, the city council will be able to set goals for capital planning and service level agreements with SSPRD.
Root and Renew will ultimately serve as a guiding document for design standards, capital planning, operational & maintenance guidelines with programs, policies, and actionable strategies to realize a community-driven vision for City of Littleton parks, open space, and trails. The plan will allow investments to be more strategic and guide prioritization of all improvements while also balancing equity, level of service standards, partnerships, fiscal constraints, evolving trends, and best practices.
Prior Actions or Discussions
Council last discussed this project on February 27, 2024. The focus of that discussion was the existing conditions of the city’s park and trail system, as well as a discussion regarding the proposed engagement strategy. Following that study session, city staff and the consultant team developed a series of park pop ups, intended to capture active park users.
FISCAL IMPACTS:
There is no fiscal impact to complete Root and Renew Vision Plan. The future capital planning phase has not been scoped or bid, and the estimated cost for this work is presumed to be approximately $150K.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends council provide feedback on the key themes and recommendations found in the draft outline of the vision plan and consider the vision plan adoption in early 2025.
ALTERNATIVES:
N/A