Green Space Connectivity
A City In Search of a Unified Parks Plan
Among the drawers, shelves and stacks of notebooks, leaflets and books storing visions, plans and master plans sits the Winter Park Parks & Recreation Master Plan. As that plan nears the age of 10 – it was last updated in 2008 — Commissioners, staff and citizens have concluded the time has come to give it some much-needed attention.
Outdated Information
Many of the national statistics used to support the 2008 plan date from 1999. In 2008, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), upon which we now base much of our data, did not exist. According to GIS data, since 2008 the City has added 50 acres of parkland – some of it under water, but most of it visible to the naked eye.
In addition, some significant developments have occurred in the past 10 years that do not appear in the 2008 plan – projects in Mead Botanical Garden and plans for the new library-event center in MLK Park, for example.
Parks Plan Needs Life Support
Solid reasons exist to resuscitate the plan. Both the City’s Comprehensive Plan and the Vision Plan require the City have a current Parks & Recreation Master Plan. Actually, Comp Plan Policy 6-2.5.4 states the plan should be updated every five years. Second, the City must have a current Parks & Recreation Master Plan in order to retain accreditation under the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA).
There’s Talk, but No Action Yet
Toward that end, the Commission took up the question of updating the Parks & Recreation Master Plan at their August 28 meeting, with the stipulation that they intended to take no action at that meeting.
At the outset, it’s important to know three factors which could stand in the way of a speedy conclusion to this effort. First, with the recent retirement of former Parks & Recreation Director John Holland, no Parks & Rec director is in place to guide the update process. According to City Manager Randy Knight, the search for a new director has not yet begun.
As of August 28, there is no money in the FY 2018 budget for a plan update, although that could change. Finally, the scope of work is vague and the proposed schedule, which exceeds 12 months, is not set to commence until March 2018.
What Do We Know About WP Parks?
According to the 2016 Comprehensive Plan, Winter Park boasts 346 acres of publicly owned park, open space and conservation lands. There is no distinction between active park space, for instance the Farmer’s Market and Azalea Lane tennis courts, and passive green space like Central Park or Mead Botanical Garden.
Of the 346 total acres, 27.58 acres comprise 36 ‘mini-parks.’ Some mini-parks provide peaceful sightlines onto small gardens or lakes, while others are little more than a park bench in a roadway median.
Howell Creek Conservation Land to be Added
In addition to the existing inventory, the City is in the process of purchasing 55.57 acres of conservation land along the Howell Creek Basin. The properties were appraised at $166,000. The agreed-upon purchase price plus commissions will come to $304,500. Approximately half this amount will come from a grant from the State of Florida. The remainder will likely come from the Parks Impact Fee Fund, which currently has a balance of more than $1 million.
The package deal includes seven separate parcels. Of these 55+ acres, two parcels totaling 12.23 combined acres are within Maitland City limits, and 7.71 acres are submerged.
Maitland Gets a Piece of the Park
According to minutes of the August 14, 2017 Commission meeting, staff plans “to work with the City of Maitland on a joint planning agreement to transfer the one piece of property that is in their city limits and adjacent to our park into [Winter Park] city limits and to transfer ownership of the other parcel to Maitland.”
Once this wetlands area has been reclaimed, invasive plants will be replaced with native species. The City plans to create a recreation area that will feature boardwalks, nature trails and a kayaking “blue way.”
Questions Remain — How Do We Anticipate Future Costs of Park Ownership?
Parks & Recreation accounts for approximately 15 percent of the City’s budget. To date, more money has been devoted to parks acquisition. As our parks age, however, the lifecycle costs of ownership and maintenance increases. Is the City prepared to create a Parks & Recreation Master Plan that accurately reflects these costs so we can anticipate out-year budget requirements – and budget for them?
How to Develop Connectivity Between the Park Spaces?
Should We Distinguish Passive Park vs. Active Park?
As urban sprawl presses on our borders, our active parks and passive green space frequently find themselves in the same footprint and in direct competition with one another. The resulting frustration for any visitor is that neither the active nor the passive functions can be adequately realized.
Charley Williams’s ‘Official Quiet Zones’
Charley Says . . .
Leash your dog
Take your bike for a walk.
Enjoy the garden.
Leave the flowers on their stalks.
Take a deep breath
. . . .and take one again.
Smell the dirt and
The scent of the air after the rain.
Sit on a bench, relax, listen.
Remove your sunglasses.
Feel the shade.
Close your eyes – smile, feel your thoughts fade.
Watch the clouds.
Enjoy the sunset.
What bird call was that?
Are the owls waking up?
Come tonight for a meteor shower.
Bring your blanket to lie on.
Feel our natural rhythms
In the low light of our park after dark.
Charley Williams has lived in Winter Park and Central Florida for over 25 years. When it comes to sports and rec, he’s proud to say he still has good knees.
I agree with Charlie Williams almost entirely.
But what about cats?
And what does he have against bad knees?!! 😉
I’ve been riding my bike through Winter Park for 35 years. To work, to shop, to get exercise, to beat the traffic when it is stuck in an Aloma herd of wild commuters. I only got knocked off my bicycle twice–bloodied up for work once. On the east half of town, I might guess not a single improvement that increases safety —either quantity nor quality.
Back then (1980s) there were hardly any subsidized bricked streets in the poshest parts of Winter Park, partly paid for by us all — a biker’s nemesis.
Most of the Parks were here at the beginning of that time, save the one near the west end of town, the community park north of the old sinkhole on Fairbanks.
On the eastern side of town, I do not know of any new parks of any dimension that have come while I’ve been biking. The Cady Way trail was extended — a positive.
Why is the city worrying so much about demands and requests for zoning variances when so much good remains to be done for parks and recreation. Why haven’t they felt the need to hire a director….an advocate for more and better parks….maybe even better bike routes too!
Anne, you framed the issues well and objectively and thank you for that. I add you might consider another piece on “connectivity” – bicycle and walking trails for residents and visitors. Trails in Winter Park could and should connect all residents to all civic, cultural and commercial areas and places, including all schools, market places, parks and neighboring communities. Winter Garden and Orange County incorporated trails into their “community identity” and are economically much better off for it. How many of us have traveled by car to Winter Garden just to use their beautiful trails? Years ago I proposed the SunRail Trail Network, safely connecting all Winter Park residents to SunRail, Central Park and businesses. Part of that Network is the “Market Trail” linking all residents safely with the Farmer’s Market and the Park Avenue, Orange Avenue and West New England commercial areas. This would contribute to greater prosperity, safety and personal connectivity. The Market Trail could be our high-quality West Orange Trail, with quality detailing and a much safer routing than currently exists. Let’s all move on these approaches together, and more quickly, for our own safety and community prosperity. Let’s connect all residents and places together, building upon our past success with the Cady Way Trail.
More information: See: http://issuu.com/cityofwinterpark/docs/parks___rec_annual_report_063b3b5f57ad8e?e=7314878/45627019.