To: Honorable Mayor and Members of Town Council
From: Jeff Brauer, Director of Parks and Recreation
Title
Resolution Approving The Meadows Filing No. 18 Neighborhood Park Master Plan
Body
________________________________________________________________________________
Executive Summary
The purpose of this agenda item is to seek a resolution approving The Meadows Neighborhood Park Master Plan for Filing No. 18 (Attachment A). The Plan is the result of extensive public outreach. The design process included the use of an online survey, two public open houses, Parks and Recreation Commission review and feedback, and design charrettes between Town staff and the Design Consultant, Norris Design.
Pending Council approval, the Parks & Recreation Department will complete construction documents to competitively bid the project to qualified contractors. Staff anticipate tentatively seeking Council approval of a construction contract in June and commencing project construction in August.
The park site is adjacent to Aspen View Academy Charter School in The Meadows Neighborhood on Low Meadow Boulevard west of Red Hawk Drive (view map in Attachment B). The Town of Castle Rock Municipal Code establishes that developers set aside land to meet the active recreational demands generated by future proposed development, in addition to land for schools, water facilities, etc. This 15.5-acre park and school site was conveyed to the Town in March 2005. The property was later re-platted in August 2012 in preparation for the development of Aspen View Academy Charter School. The 2012 re-plat created the 5.5-acre lot for the purposes of future park development.
The 2017 budget included $200 thousand for project design. Town Council approved an additional $2 million in the 2018 budget through the use of park impact fees to fund project construction. After Parks and Recreation staff performed comprehensive site analyses and an extensive public outreach process, Town Council also endorsed selecting Meadows Filing No. 18 as the next site for priority neighborhood park development in October 2017.
Following site selection approval, the Parks and Recreation Department completed a Request for Proposal for design services and selected Norris Design to develop the Master Plan and construction documents needed to construct the project. The Master Plan includes courts for pickle ball and other games such as bocce and corn hole, garden and wildflower areas, Par Course exercise stations, play equipment for all ages and abilities, picnic shelters, a hammock and slackline zone and two natural-turf areas lined with trees for open play.
Notification and Outreach Efforts
Norris Design created three conceptual plans for public review (Attachment C) which varied in design and layout. The concepts were provided to frame the discussion around the preferences of residents and were posted on the Town’s website with an online survey. The plans were then presented to residents at an open house at Aspen View Academy Charter School on Monday, February 5, 2018; 75 residents attended the event. In addition, more than 250 respondents provided feedback through the online survey. A summary of public comment is included in Attachment D.
Norris Design incorporated public feedback into the consolidated Park Master Plan, which draws from each of the concepts and includes amenities that were favored by residents through the public process. The Master Plan creates a buffer between the park and adjacent patio homes where some neighbors were concerned with the proximity of the park to homes. In addition, off-street parking was angled to reduce the potential for headlights to shine into nearby homes. Lighting will also be kept to a minimum for security purposes and evergreen trees will be placed along the parking lot to aid in screening the homes to the north.
The Master Plan was posted on the Town’s website, and Department staff hosted a final public open house on Wednesday, March 28, 2018 to present it to residents. Approximately 40 people attended the final meeting.
Postcards were mailed to residents who live near the future park site, inviting them to both open houses on Feb. 5 and March 28, 2018. In addition, email notifications and updates were sent to residents who indicated interest in the project. Public meetings were also publicly advertised through the Town’s meeting calendar at CRgov.com. A press release was issued on January 26, 2018.
History of Past Town Council, Boards & Commissions, or Other Discussions
The Parks and Recreation Commission received updates on the project at the February and March 2018 meetings. A recommendation to Town Council to approve the Park Master Plan was unanimously supported at the April 4, 2018 Parks and Recreation Commission meeting.
Discussion
The Parks, Recreation, Trails and Open Space Master Plan establishes service levels for neighborhood parks. These service levels require that 8-acres of parkland per 1,000 residents is set aside for new park development and that residents can access their neighborhood park within a half-mile service radius. Metro-districts and schools also provide localized pocket parks to residents.
New neighborhood park development is funded through impact fees generated by community growth. State statute mandates that this funding is spent on new park development, as opposed to park renovation, repair or updates. Park impact fees are collected at the time of building permit and are used to finance both parks and indoor recreation facility development. Recently constructed parks and facilities using impact fee funds include: Matney Park in Sapphire Point (2007), Rhyolite Regional Park in Crystal Valley Ranch (2007), Bison Park in The Meadows (2008), Wrangler Park in Terrain (2012), Philip S. Miller Park (2014-2016) and the Miller Activity Complex (MAC) and Festival Park in Downtown (2017).
The Master Plan includes pickle ball and other games, such as bocce, corn hole and horseshoes for family and adult use. A crossing of the adjacent drainage is also proposed so that a half-mile loop can be incorporated for walking and fitness. Also, while connections were made to the adjacent school site, grading of the interface between the two sites was designed to provide separation.
As desired by residents, the plan includes garden and wildflower areas, Par Course exercise stations and play equipment for all ages and abilities. Shade is provided through picnic shelters, and a hammock and slackline zone is offered for older children and teens. Two natural-turf areas lined with trees are available for open play.
Typically, parks of 10 acres or larger include a synthetic-turf athletic field; however, a synthetic-turf athletic field is not proposed for this park due to its smaller size. A synthetic-turf field is available at Aspen View Academy Charter School, when not in use by the school. Smaller natural-turf fields are proposed for the park for passive and non-programmed uses and to provide some relief from the use of hardscape and non-natural materials. Of the overall site, only two acres of irrigated turf are proposed, which will reduce overall water consumption.
Budget Impact
$2 million is allocated in the 2018 budget to complete the project. An engineer’s estimate was provided by Norris Design that appears to be close to the project budget; however, the estimate was taken from the Master Plan concept, not from detailed construction documents. If Council provides direction to complete the planning, a more detailed estimate will be provided upon completion of the bid package.
Staff Recommendation
Staff recommend Town Council approve The Meadows Filing No. 18 Neighborhood
Park Master Plan and authorize staff to complete final design and seek responses from
qualified contractors for construction.
Proposed Motion
“I move to approve the resolution as introduced by title.”
Attachments
Attachment A - Resolution
Exhibit 1 - Park Master Plan
Attachment B - Site Map
Attachment C - Initial Conceptual Plans
Attachment D - Public Comment