PARKS PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT IN TRACY

Parks Planning & Development is a division within the Parks & Recreation Department that is responsible for park and recreation facility planning, parkland acquisition, park master planning and the design and development of new – or renovation of existing parks and landscaping. Additionally, the Division ensures that projects fulfill the needs of the community, meet City standards for design, and comply with land use regulations. Parks Planning & Development ensures that all parks and recreation development within the City supports sustainable, innovative, accessible, safe and responsive facilities through community participation and transparent practices. Involvement and support from other City departments is integral to insuring that Parks and Recreation projects get reviewed and approved in a prompt timeframe.

Citybuilt Park Projects

The City can build parks using various funds including fees that are collected from residential development that accumulate over time. Once funding is available, this type of City-built park will be listed as a CIP (Capital Improvement Project) in the City’s annual budget. Maintenance and capital replacement funding must also be identified and secured at this time. Planning our parks from start to finish is approximately a two year process. Typically it takes a year for design and preparation of the “blue prints” and a year for construction and plant establishment. Depending on the project and issues related to it, these timelines will vary. Why is this process so long? Below is an outline of the various steps and timeline taken in planning a park.

Step 1: WorkshopsPublic(2-3 months)

The City takes pride in being able to work closely with the neighborhoods that will use the parks. The start of the design process begins with a public workshop to introduce the proposed park design and obtain input from residents. After the plan is revised, a second workshop is held to present the master plan for review. Final revisions are made based on the input gathered at the workshop. The final conceptual plan is then published and written comments to the final master plan are accepted during the public comment period.

> Initial introduction of project to public

> Online survey to gather input / follow-up

> Final conceptual plan review and public comment

Step 2: Conceptual Plan Approval and Environmental Review (2 months)

From here, the Parks and Community Services Commission reviews, provides feedback and suggestions, and approves the plan. They then forward the plan to the City Council who reviews the master plan with an accompanying environmental document for final adoption. All construction projects, by law, require environmental clearance. This is to ensure that the surrounding environment is protected and potential impacts are identified and mitigated if required. The timing between Commission approval and Council review can vary depending on the type of environmental clearance required for the park design. Both the Commission and City Council meetings are public meetings. Anyone is welcome to attend and provide comments.

> Parks & Community Services Commission design review/ approval

> Potential environmental impacts identified

> Environmental permitting application (if required)

> City Council design review/ approval

Step 3: Design Development (3-4 months)

Once the City Council has approved the plan, construction documents are prepared. Depending on the complexity of site specific issues, the layout of the park and funding, this step can take up to 14 weeks.

> Preparation of construction plans

> Refine design and address site specific issues

Step 4: Citywide Plan Review (3-4 months)

Before the park can be bid for construction, the City-wide plan review, approval and permits are required. This process takes approximately 8 weeks.

> Construction plans submitted to all City departments

> Construction permitting

Step 5: Bid and Award of Construction Contract (1-2 months)

The City is required to bid all improvement projects over $5,000 unless a pre-qualified list of contractors is established. (In those cases, there are additional California Public Contracting Code limits to the maximum dollar value of the project.) The approved plans are bid. The review of the bids and award of the contract to the lowest responsive bidder is an action taken by the City Council.

> Advertisement of bid and bid opening

> City Council review/approval of low bid received

Step 6: Construction (8 months)

Upon City Council approval of the contract award, construction begins. Depending on the complexity of the design and the time of year, this construction period can take up to 20 weeks or more.

> Contractor on site building the park

> Time period may expand due to weather

Step 7: Establishment (3-4 months)

After construction is complete, the City requires a 90-calendar day establishment period in order to assure the long-term success of the project. This is the most difficult time of the process. The grass is green, the play structure is completed and the fences are still up. The establishment period is a time when we are literally watching the grass grow. It takes time to "toughen up" the grass so that it can handle the heavy foot traffic the City experience in its parks. Without this grow-in period, the maintenance of the new park would be extremely high and could result in failure of the turf and other plant material. Generally, City staff starts counting the establishment period days after the second mowing of the grass, however, that can depend on a wide range of other conditions. This is required to ensure that the City has a good healthy stand of grass before we begin the establishment period. The entire park or phase of work remains closed during this timeframe. Because the entire project is under contract and obligations under the contract are not complete, the contractor remains responsible for the entire site. Opening certain improvements within the project is a liability issue for the contractor and the City and therefore, must remained closed. The City thanks you for your patience during this time.

> Plant establishment / grown-in period

Average Time Required to Build a Park = 24 months +/-

Step 8: Project Dedication and Opening

After the establishment period is complete and any outstanding corrections are completed, a dedication of the park occurs. This can be timed at the very end of the establishment period or a few months after the fences are taken down. The timing of the dedication is dependent upon whether the park is named after someone, their family members or other factors.

> Grand opening – fences removed