Park master-plan assessment: trails and restrooms top community priorities

City consultants and Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services staff presented the assessment phase of the park system master plan, saying the process found strong overall access to parks but high citizen demand for reinvestment, trails and comfort amenities.

Kimley Horn and subconsultants described a 12–16 month planning process. The assessment phase reviewed every park and facility and combined professional condition evaluations with statistically valid public engagement: an online survey with more than 1,300 responses and a stratified, random (statistically valid) household survey of about 1,016 responses. Consultants said 56% of respondents prioritized taking care of existing infrastructure, and trails were the consistently top-ranked facility need.

Nick of Kimley Horn said the compiled facility matrix scored restrooms as the single highest unmet facility need, noting restrooms scored roughly 146 out of 200 on a combined metric of need and importance. The assessment also found that since 2014 the system has added nearly 6,000 acres (about a 33% increase), raising acreage per 1,000 residents to about 47.6 acres; much of that growth was open space and regional trails.

Council members questioned methodology and outreach to nonusers; the project team said the statistically valid survey was stratified at council-district level to capture underrepresented households and that follow-up surveys and targeted outreach were planned. Several council members and the department also raised homelessness and safety as key barriers to park use; consultants said those topics will require coordination with other city departments and targeted follow-up engagement.

Consultants said the next phase will translate assessment findings into long‑range goals, prioritized projects, lifecycle‑cost analysis and implementation strategies, and they expect to present a draft master plan in April–May 2026.