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Draft Parks, Arts, Recreation, Culture and Conservation Plan Adopted June, 2017 ---PAGE BREAK--- Table of Contents Executive Summary Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: Community Engagement Chapter 3: Strategies & Policies Chapter 4: Parks Chapter 5: Conservation Chapter 6: Trails Chapter 7: Operations & Maintenance Chapter 8: Recreation Chapter 9: Arts & Culture Chapter 10: Capital Project Recommendations ---PAGE BREAK--- 1 I P a g e Parks, Arts, Recreation, Culture & Conservation Plan Acknowledgements A special thanks to the City of Redmond community members, volunteer commissioners, and City Council Members who provided advice and reviewed aspects of this plan during various stages of development between 2015 and 2017. Parks and Trails Commissioners Aaron Knopf, Chair Gary Smith Joel Cherkis, Vice Chair Shailee Jain Tom Sanko Tanika Kumar Padhye Gregg Gottgetreu Nicholas Lee Heather Sheffer Pauley Angela Birney Kerry Monterey Ellen Kaspi Arts & Culture Commissioners Lara Lockwood, Chair Stephane Boss Jane Wither, Vice Chair Risa Coleman Amy Mayes Savita Krishnamoorthy Cheri Rudolph Kris Shankar Victoria Bartow Alonda Williams Planning Commission Scott Biethan, Chair Jeff MacNichols Roy Captain, Vice Chair Sara Baker Phil Miller Sherri Nichols Meishelle Haverkamp Mayor John Marchione & City Council Hank Margeson, President David Carson Kim Allen, Vice President Byron Shutz Hank Myers Angela Birney John Stilin ---PAGE BREAK--- 2 I P a g e Parks, Arts, Recreation, Culture & Conservation Plan Authors David Shaw, Project Manager Betty Sanders, Senior Park Planner Jessica Rubenacker, Cultural Arts Administrator Teresa Kluver, Park Operations Supervisor Carolyn Hope, Park Planning & Cultural Arts Manager Reviewers Parks and Recreation Department Maxine Whattam, Director Katie Anderson, Deputy Director Rachel Van Winkle, Deputy Director David Tuchek, Park Operations Manager Ryan Spencer, Business Office Administrator Marty Boggs, Senior Program Administrator Jeff Hagen, Sports and Fitness Program Administrator Ken Wong, Teen Program Administrator Cindy Johnson, Outdoor Program Administrator Planning and Community Development Department Lori Peckol, Comprehensive Planning Manager Peter Dane, Transportation Planner Kim Dietz, Senior Planner Judy Fani, Senior Planner Public Works Department Tom Hardy, Senior Planner, Natural Resources Sandy Yeager, Strategic Funds Advisor ---PAGE BREAK--- Executive Summary Executive Summary The Parks and Recreation Department is faced with many changes that may reshape the service model for Redmond with new types of recreation programs, new urban parks, and integrated art in park and trail design. The future will require innovative ideas, funding scenarios, partnerships, and programs to meet the needs of the community. ---PAGE BREAK--- Executive Summary Table of Contents Contents 1.0 Introduction 1 2.0 Purpose 3 3.0 Process 4 4.0 Redmond in 2016 6 5.0 Level of Service 7 6.0 Recommended Capital Projects 7 Exhibits Exhibit ES.1: Parks and Recreation Department Vision, Mission Statement & Values 2 Exhibit ES.2: Elements of the PARCC Plan 4 ---PAGE BREAK--- 1 I P a g e Parks, Arts, Recreation, Culture & Conservation Plan 1.0 Introduction The City of Redmond has an award winning Parks and Recreation system, combined with other great city services, and an excellent school system and employers, has earned a number of local, state and national awards and recognitions including: 2010 Golden Teddy Award for Grass Lawn Park Money Magazine: One of the “Top 5 Places to Live in America“ Business Week: One of the “Best Places to Raise Your Kids” Tree City USA: recognition Feet First’s 2014 Walkable Washington Innovation Award American Trails 2015 National Trail Award for Trails and the Arts for the Redmond Central Connector Puget Sound Regional Council Vision 2040 Award for the Redmond Central Connector Governor’s Smart Communities Award – 2014 The system includes 47 parks comprising 1,351 acres of land in a variety of neighborhood, community and resource parks. These parks include trails and are connected by local, connector and regional trails, totaling 59 miles. Of that, Redmond owns and manages 39 miles and the remainder are owned and managed by King County, Washington Department of Transportation, and some private land owners. In addition, the City owns or operates four community centers including the Redmond Pool, Old Firehouse Teen Center, Redmond Senior Center, and Old Redmond Schoolhouse Community Center. The Redmond Parks and Recreation Department holds its mission to be leaders in providing sustainable parks, innovative recreation services, and unique arts and cultural experiences that will continue to build a high quality of life for the residents of Redmond. The following exhibit shows the department vision, mission statement and values which serve as guides for prioritizing goals and competing objectives. 47 parks 1,351 acres 59 miles of trails 39 owned by Redmond 4 Community Centers ---PAGE BREAK--- 2 I P a g e Parks, Arts, Recreation, Culture & Conservation Plan Exhibit ES.1: Parks and Recreation Department Vision, Mission Statement & Values Department Vision: We build community through people, parks and programs. Mission Statement: We are leaders in providing sustainable parks, innovative recreation services, unique art and cultural experiences that continue to build a high quality of life in Redmond. Department Values: Innovation: We use creative solutions to bring efficiencies to our everyday work. Teamwork: By working together, we are dedicated to communicate effectively, collaborate with one another, and hold one another accountable. Respect: We hold people, nature, and our resources in high regard. Excellence: We strive for high quality results in all of our efforts. Customer Service: We are committed to understand and meet the needs of our community. ---PAGE BREAK--- 3 I P a g e Parks, Arts, Recreation, Culture & Conservation Plan 2.0 Purpose The Parks, Arts, Recreation, Culture and Conservation (PARCC) Plan is the functional plan for the Parks and Recreation Department and serves as the strategic plan for the department for the planning period of 2017 to 2030. This plan is a revision of the 2010 PARCC Plan. To stay eligible for Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office grants and the Washington State Growth Management Act, the plan is updated every six years. This plan covers the key functions of the Parks and Recreation Department: There are a number of principal drivers for the development of this plan including: Complying with City of Redmond Comprehensive Plan policy CF-1 for functional plan development, including a baseline Capital Improvement Program (CIP) for the Parks and Recreation Department; Complying with the Washington State Growth Management Act (GMA) for Parks and Recreation; Meeting the pre-requisites for state grant funding offered by the Washington Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO) for capital projects; and Providing the strategic plan for the Parks and Recreation Department. ---PAGE BREAK--- 4 I P a g e Parks, Arts, Recreation, Culture & Conservation Plan 3.0 Process The City followed six basic steps in the preparation of this Plan as summarized in the following exhibit. The report provides details on each step. Exhibit ES.2: Elements of the PARCC Plan ---PAGE BREAK--- 5 I P a g e Parks, Arts, Recreation, Culture & Conservation Plan Community involvement was integral to the process, since community members provide the vision for the future of the parks system, verify the demand for services, and live and work in the neighborhoods where the City is providing service and facilities. Community Priority Policies: Preserve tree canopy Develop a new park category for urban parks Grow the cultural arts Maintain what we have Community Priority Programs: Aquatics Fitness programs Drop-in programs Community Priority Projects: Build Downtown Park Complete Redmond Central Connector Phase II Develop a plan to address challenges with existing community centers and the recreation, aquatics and cultural arts facilities needs within the community Make progress in building out the trail system Maintain our parks system with renovation projects Build parks and other public works projects with integrated art Developed a new policy goal to develop a tree canopy expansion program and set a goal for canopy cover. Developed a new category of parks called urban parks that will meet the needs of the growing urban centers and provide spaces for large community events and cultural arts performances. The Community is interested in more opportunities to experience the cultural arts in Redmond. ---PAGE BREAK--- 6 I P a g e Parks, Arts, Recreation, Culture & Conservation Plan 4.0 Redmond in 2016 Since 2010, the City’s economy has been recovering from the Great Recession. Initially, growth was slower due to the slow growth in the job market which led to a delay in construction projects. However, in the past three to four years, development activity has increased and thousands of new units of housing have been constructed. Since 2009, Redmond’s population has increased by about 8,700 people. As projected, new residents increase the demands on the Parks and Recreation system. The profile of Redmond is continuing to change as well, with about 41 percent of the population representing people of color, 45 percent of residents are renting their homes, and 62 percent of people have college degrees. While the median household income is nearly $100,000, the poverty rate has increased by about two percent since 2010 and homelessness is on the rise in Redmond and the Eastside. The changing needs of our community require that we continually evaluate whether we have the right facilities and programs to meet the demands. In addition to demographic changes and development challenges, the City faces a variety of obstacles with recreational facilities. The City’s lease on the Old Redmond Schoolhouse Community Center will end in 2018, as the school district will need the space to serve its growing population. In January 2015 the City Council decided to limit reinvestments into the Redmond Pool to $100,000. Recent facilities condition assessments estimate the need to invest more than $10M in the Old Firehouse Teen Center and Redmond Senior Center for systems replacement and facilities upgrades. Furthermore, the real estate values in Redmond are continuing to rise with the demand for land in the City, making the prospect of acquiring new lands less feasible or more expensive. With these challenges, come opportunities. There are new prospects to partner with local agencies, developers, businesses, and local non-profits for capital projects. 87,000 Jobs Redmond’s Population in 2016 ---PAGE BREAK--- 7 I P a g e Parks, Arts, Recreation, Culture & Conservation Plan 5.0 Level of Service The City developed level of service (LOS) policies and standards that are defendable, understandable, and meaningful to the community. The community’s values include geographic equity, walkability, community gathering places, and safe and well maintained facilities. To that end, the City proposed a number of changes to the policies including developing a service approach for sports and fitness features in parks, children’s playgrounds and play features, and trails that addresses walkability and connectivity. The level of service analysis led to the following new capital project proposals: Potential new children’s play features in Downtown Redmond and northwest Redmond Additional trail connections The level of service analysis confirmed the need for many existing capital projects within the plan, including the development of neighborhood parks in Southeast and Northeast Redmond, urban parks in Overlake Village, regional trails and urban pathways throughout the city, and additional sports fields and indoor recreational spaces. 6.0 Recommended Capital Projects One of the primary objectives of this plan is to develop a prioritized list of recommended capital projects for the near term (2017-2022) and the mid- to long-term (2023 to 2030). In order to meet level of service standards, the City must try to complete projects from each of the level of service categories during each planning horizon and budget cycle. The level of service categories are parks and recreation, trails, and renovation projects. The recommended projects are prioritized using rating criteria as listed below. The criteria used for parks and recreation projects (PR), trail projects (TR), and renovation projects (RN) are indicated by abbreviation after each criteria. Service to be provided by a proposed children’s play feature at Southeast Redmond Park (orange = area served by existing play feature, purple = area that would be served by a new feature) Service to be provided by urban pathways and pedestrian bridges over SR 520 in Overlake Village (orange = area served by existing pathways, purple = area that would be served by new pathways) ---PAGE BREAK--- 8 I P a g e Parks, Arts, Recreation, Culture & Conservation Plan Safety Hazard: Physical safety hazards in which use of the facility or amenity may fail and cause harm to people. (PR, TR, RN) Preserve/Replace Asset: Investment necessary to retain the value of the asset. (PR, TR, RN) Geographic Equity: Each neighborhood has access to parks and trails. (PR, TR) Walkability/Connectivity: Completing non-motorized connections through construction of trails. (PR, TR) Community Demand: Community use and feedback indicate the need for a facility. (PR, TR) Service Delivery: Improve service delivery for maintenance and operations and/or recreational programming. (PR, TR, RN) Unique Benefits: Environmental, economic, public art, historic preservation/cultural resources, partnerships, regulatory requirements. (PR, TR) Customer Service: Improve the experience of customers using the park or facility, specifically addressing the ability to use park or facility features and meet expectations for quality. (RN) The top rated projects are brought to the Capital Investment Strategy team every two years, where representatives from each department develop city-wide capital project recommendations for the biennial budget. Key projects prioritized for the short term horizon (2017-2022) include: Key projects in the mid-to-long term horizon (2023-2030) include: