The proposed Parks Master Plan Phase II is an expansion of the current Parks Master Plan adopted by City Council in April 2008 (Motion 2008-0230). The Parks Master Plan is revisited every 5 - 7 years to evaluate and make recommendations based on existing conditions, data analysis, and public input. The proposed 2015 Parks Master Plan Phase II is the result of a two year assessment of the City’s park system by individual Park Sectors developed through the Parks and Open Space Ordinance (2007-1141), which divided the City into 21 Park Sectors. The Park Sectors were reviewed and assessed separately to create the individual Park Sector plans which comprise the complete 2015 Parks Master Plan Phase II. This plan will become a part of the City’s General Plan.
As part of the community input process, Houston Parks and Recreation Department (HPARD) staff provided information and solicited comments at 28 CIP meetings in 2014 and 2015 and attended various community events. HPARD also solicited input through an online survey in Spring 2014, and to complement the online survey, Rice University’s Center for Civic Leadership student team collected over 400 in-person surveys at City parks. Public outreach was conducted via the HPARD website, CitizensNet, TV, Radio, Facebook, and Twitter. To complete the public input process, HPARD hosted a presentation of the planning methodology and findings on June 22, 2015, at The Museum of Fine Arts Houston Brown Auditorium, followed by a 30 day public comment period.
HPARD partnered with The Trust for Public Land, Rice University Center for Civic Leadership, Rice University Center Shell Center for Sustainability, Houston-Galveston Area Council, Houston Planning and Development Department, Houston Health Department, Houston Housing and Community Development Department and Houston Parks Board to gather and analyze data to support the Parks Master Plan Phase II.
The purpose of the Parks Master Plan is to serve as a decision-making guide for expanding and improving the parks system, to provide equitable distribution of park space for all communities and to provide parks and green spaces for citizens within a half mile or within a ten minute walk from their residence. The public input process for the Parks Master Plan Phase II was presented to the City Council Quality of Life Committee on May 14, 2015, and a summary of the final draft of the Plan was presented to the Quality of Life Committee on August 26, 2015.
The proposed Parks Master Plan Phase II is available for review at http://www.houstontx.gov/parks.