Public Hearing and consideration of an Ordinance to repeal and replace the Parks, Recreation, Trails and Open Space Master Plan; and providing a severability clause and an effective date. Conducted and adopted Ordinance No. 2023-7-10

The Parks, Recreation, Trails and Open Space Master Plan is the Parks and Recreation Department’s long-term action plan, providing guidance to the department, establishing goals and recommendations, and identifying needs related to both existing and future facilities. The City of Plano’s first Master Plan was approved in 1972 to identify park and recreation needs to accommodate future growth. Since 1972, the plan has been updated approximately every five years and implementing the plan’s vision and goals has been accomplished through bond initiatives.

The high quality of the city’s parks and recreation system, and its contribution to the quality of life in Plano, is a direct result of ongoing planning efforts and plan implementation. As a living document, the Master Plan allows staff to reach out to residents for their feedback, review inventory, assess needs, and identify trends in recreation and leisure. This ongoing feedback and analysis supports periodic review of the Master Plan in order to ensure that the plan continues to meet the city’s needs.

In addition to providing guidance for staff, the Master Plan is a key element in the Parks and Recreation Department’s accreditation and eligibility for grant funding opportunities. Maintaining national accreditation ensures the department is performing at or above nationally recognized professional standards, allows for the potential to acquire grant funding for projects, and provides a higher level of accountability to residents. Agencies with funding opportunities for park and recreation improvements, such as Texas Parks and Wildlife, Collin County, North Central Texas Council of Governments, and the Texas Department of Transportation, require Council- approved master planning documents as a condition of eligibility when submitting funding applications.

The Master Plan is not a funding document. Almost all park land acquisitions and improvements are funded through voter-approved bond authority initiatives. Additional funding may come from park fees collected on new residential development or grants from other government agencies. Expenditures for parks and recreation facilities go through the City’s annual budget process with City Council approval.

The last major rewrite of the plan occurred in 2018. The associated Park Master Plan Map and Bicycle Transportation Plan Map were minimally modified in 2021 in association with the adoption of the Comprehensive Plan. The effort at this time is an update of the 2018 Master Plan.

Parks, Recreation, Trails and Open Space Master Plan Update Process
The Parks and Recreation Department is committed to ensuring the Master Plan maintains its relevance to the community it serves by updating the plan to reflect milestones achieved and to set new goals for the next five to twenty years. The Parks and Recreation Department solicited feedback from the general public, the Parks and Recreation Planning Board, sports associations, and a broad range of community groups and public agencies to develop the draft Master Plan update.

This survey process began with a statistically valid random 510 mail surveys, and was followed by an online survey with 190 visitors to the virtual engagement room, with 158 responses. Results were consistent across the spectrum of the surveys, and were incorporated into the recommendations of the draft Park Master Plan. The draft was published to the department’s web page for a 30-day review, and additional comments were received. Additional edits to the draft document were made in direct response to public comment.

While the Comprehensive Plan and the Parks, Recreation, Trails and Open Space Master Plan are separate policy documents, both of these documents influence the other. The Park Master Plan Map and Bicycle Transportation Plan Map are part of the Comprehensive Plan. The Park Master Plan also influences the Comprehensive Plans Future Land Use Map and Growth and Change Map. These maps will need to be updated to reflect the proposed changes to the Park Master Plan and Bicycle Transportation Plan maps.

This item has no financial impact.

Approval of this item will support the City's Strategic Plan Critical Success Factor of being an Excellent, Innovative, and Accountable City Government.