5.4 Design Guidelines for Community & Neighborhood Parks: Community Centers

5.4 DESIGN GUIDELINES FOR COMMUNITY &

NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS: COMMUNITY CENTERS

Community Centers are at the heart of many neighborhood and community parks. They provide a place for residents to engage in physical, educational, and social activity that builds community and enhances quality of life. In order to best meet the needs of the residents they serve, the following six principles shall be used to guide future planning and design of Fresno’s community centers:

• Accessible – Develop a center open and welcoming to all members of the community and is conveniently accessible to the neighborhood it serves.

• Integrated – Create a place that can become an integral part of the community, building from an understanding of their shared needs.

• Social – Maximize the opportunities for shared experience with other community members, through creating supportive formal and informal social settings, in and around the center.

• Connected – Integrate the center with surrounding community amenities/services in the park system, such as recreation areas and other natural settings.

• Unique – Express and support the unique character of the community in the kinds of services and spaces offered and in the character of the place itself.

• Flexible – Infuse the center with fl exible spaces that can support many uses and easily evolve as the needs of the community change and grow

Note: For more information related to design and requirements of Community and Neighborhood Parks, see the Park Classifi cation System park type defi nitions, Section 3.4.

Figure 5.4

COMMUNITY CENTER PROGRAM

The relationship between various program elements in a community center - in terms of both size and layout, is critical to its success. The above diagrams and supporting table paint a picture of ideal spatial relationships, i.e. square footage and adjacencies, for a well functioning community center. These conceptual principles can be applied to site specifi c community center design.

Table 5.1

COMMUNITY CENTER PROGRAM SQUARE FOOTAGE (MINIMUM)

BASIC PROGRAM ATHLETICS AND FITNESS MUSIC EDUCATION

SPACE TYPE AREA SPACE TYPE AREA SPACE TYPE AREA

Lobby 800 sf Movement Studio 1,500 sf Music Room - Large 1,500 sf Café/Seating Area 450 sf Fitness Studio (2) 360 sf Music Practice Room (2) 360 sf Administrative Offi ces (5) 700 sf Gymnasium (not pictured) 6,500 - 8,000 sf Class/Meeting Room 800 sf Stage 1,500 sf Class/Meeting Room 800 sf Computer/Media Room 800 sf Community Kitchen 700 sf Child Care Room 500 sf

Senior Activities Room 800 sf

Restrooms (2) 600 sf Storage 350 sf

Total Net Area 7,300 sf varies 1,860 sf Grossing Factor at 1.4 10,220 sf varies 2,604 sf