REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Review of Central Park Master Plan Guiding Principles
Report
BACKGROUND
The City of Santa Clara's 52 acre Central Park is the City's only "community park." Designed in the early 1960s, when the City's population was under 60,000, the park was built out in several phases with federal, state and local funding. Since 2000, there have been various projects proposed that would improve, enlarge, or replace different park and recreational assets and facilities in the park including the Library, International Swim Center (ISC), Community Recreation Center (CRC), Lawn Bowls, Tennis Center, Park Maintenance Yard, Arbor Center and Playground, and a Creek Spur Trail.
In October 2017, Gates & Associates was contracted to assist the City with a Central Park Master Plan Update ("Plan"). The focus of the Plan is to create a coherent vision that will integrate and guide Central Park's future improvements by establishing a set of principles, community supported priorities, and appropriate professional design criteria. The Plan would help answer questions and address issues such as how the City should:; maximize green space within the park; improve access, circulation and parking; design or include new park facilities and recreation elements that serve all ages, abilities and interests. On March 20, 2018 the Parks & Recreation Commission recommended that Council approve the Central Park Master Plan Guiding Principles.
DISCUSSION
Community input was solicited from October 2017 to March 2018 and included a review of existing studies and data, hosting of community input meetings and events, conducting an online survey, interviewing stakeholder, and soliciting Commission input for Council recommendations. Through the robust engagement processes the community had opportunities to identify how they use and interact with Central Park and its elements, what functions well or not, and which park amenities are priorities to keep or add. The following set...
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