Parks and Recreation Element- Data and Analysis
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
PARKS AND RECREATION ELEMENT- DATA AND ANALYSIS I. Introduction The purpose of this element is to describe the efforts of the City of Fort Lauderdale toward assuring the provision of urban open space, recreation facilities and programs and other leisure-oriented services. The element presents data and information as follows: 1. Regarding the supply of leisure-oriented facilities and services as they currently exist and are made available to the public; 2. Regarding current levels of need or demands for these facilities and services and those levels or types projected for the future; 3. Specific goals and objectives relating to the City's ongoing policies, priorities and planning activities relating to the administration of public open spaces and recreational services. This element describes active and passive recreation for all of the City’s facilities. Active recreation is generally thought of as requiring some level of physical exertion like team sports, racket sports, swimming, cycling, jogging and other similar activities. Passive recreation, by contrast, requires little or no physical exertion and typically requires little to nothing in the way of support structures and facilities. Examples of passive recreation might include walking, sightseeing, picnicking, participation in a special interest/instructional class. For the purpose of this element, open space will be addressed both in terms of its association with recreation and its aesthetic value within the urban environment. Recreation will be dealt with not just in terms of physical sites or structures but also in terms of support services and other issues relating to urban quality of life. The Fort Lauderdale Parks and Recreation Department has responsibility for the management, programming and maintenance of over one hundred different facilities and parks. This charge totals nearly 1,000 acres of public land ranging from the smallest areas of open space and greenery to large multi- or special-purpose facilities. The scope of this responsibility is apparent in noting that the Department oversees some 17 urban open spaces, 37 neighborhood, 18 school parks, 10 community parks, 3 large urban parks, and 14 Special Use Parks/Facilities. In addition the Department maintains other areas of municipal property including office buildings, streetscapes, public utilities, fire stations, and parking lots. Fort Lauderdale is a regional focal point and one of the older cities in Broward County. As the county's urban core, the City is concerned about preserving, upgrading and retrofitting its park facilities to keep pace with the redevelopment. The current trend is for young professionals and families to return to the downtown City of Fort Lauderdale Comprehensive Plan (Ordinance C-08-18) Volume II – Parks and Recreation Element Page 9-1 and its surrounding neighborhoods to live, work and play. Successful mitigation of the impacts of redevelopment on the park system will require careful consideration of the following: 1. There are likely to be very limited opportunities for the acquisition of new parklands and innovative methods will have to be utilized toward expanding the park system. 2. Concerns will be for the ongoing modernization and enhancement of existing facilities. 3. New opportunities for the cooperative development of facilities and conduct of programs will need to be identified and pursued. 4. Attention will need to be given to the interest of historical preservation within the park system. 5. The opportunities for incorporating public art into the park system need to be explored and pursued. 6. Attention will need to be directed toward responding to evolving recreational demands and determining how specialized or even "fad" recreational activities can be accommodated within the park system. 7. Aesthetic enhancement and continuity will need to command a greater priority in both private and public development efforts. II. Existing Conditions Overview and Introduction The City has been, and remains in compliance with all applicable County and National Parks and Recreation Association (NPRA) requirements and standards regarding the provision of adequate and accessible public open space and recreation. The recognized national authority for the parks and recreation profession is the NPRA. In their 1995 publication, Park, Recreation, Open Space and Greenway Guidelines, the NPRA emphasized the importance of using that document strictly as a guide stressing that each individual community must ultimately be responsible for examining and establishing its specific and unique open space needs. The Broward County Land Use Plan requires that three acres of parkland is provided via the County owned/operated regional park facilities and three acres per thousand population be provided by each unit of municipal government. The City of Fort Lauderdale is in the process of conducting a Park and Open Space Long Range Strategic Plan to determine future park needs. Table 1 describes the City’s long range population projections. Table 1 Population Projections 2005 2007 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 177,635 181,095 186,287 198,983 212,571 227,225 237,920 Source: City of Fort Lauderdale and Broward County City of Fort Lauderdale Comprehensive Plan (Ordinance C-08-18) Volume II – Parks and Recreation Element Page 9-2 III. Park Land and Open Space Inventory This section of the element serves to present current data regarding the City's inventory of open space and recreational facilities. This data is provided in several different formats to allow both for easy reference and for the purpose of providing related support documentation and detail. Park Classification A key component of the park inventory is the City's scheme for classifying parks and recreation facilities. The City's classifications are comparable to both the County and State classifications/definitions for open space and recreation, but also provide for the necessary modifications to tailor them to the unique features of the community. The City's six classifications for open space and recreation were determined based on the following considerations: • Inherent aesthetic or leisure-oriented value; • Size and natural features; • Type and variety of developed recreational amenities; • Service population and character; • Support services associated with maintenance and operation; • Usage patterns; and • Demonstrable and apparent potential for further future development, programming and usage. The City's classifications are: 1) Urban Open Space 2) Neighborhood Parks, 3) Community Parks, 4) School-Park, 5) Large Urban Park, 6) Special Facilities. Table 2 demonstrates City park classifications in terms of selected service characteristics and consistent with similar tabulations included in both Broward County and State of Florida planning documents for outdoor recreation. City of Fort Lauderdale Comprehensive Plan (Ordinance C-08-18) Volume II – Parks and Recreation Element Page 9-3 Table 2 Open Space Size, Service Radius and Population Classification Acreage Radius Service Population Urban Open Space min. of .1 acre Up to .25 mi. Up to 2,500 Neighborhood Parks 1- 10 Up to .50 mi. Up to 5,000 Community Parks 10 - 50 Up to 2.0 mi. Up to 25,000 School-Park Varies .50 mi. to 2.0 mi. Up to 25,000 Large Urban Park 50 and up Up to ½ hr. travel One park per 50,000 Special Use Varies Up to ½ hr. travel Over 100,000 Park/Facilities Urban Open Space Description: Areas of developed City property of a minimum of 0.1 acre. These areas have varied uses and purposes. They could be enhancements of the immediate surrounding streetscapes or neighborhoods, entranceway dedicated by the developer for parkland, water tower or other utility sites, oversized rights-of-way or medians. Typical development may include turf, trees, shrubs, irrigation, benches, trash receptacles, picnic tables, vehicular barriers, paved parking or walkways, signage and lighting. A 1/4-mile service radius is typical. Table 3 describes the City’s urban open space parks. Map 1 illustrates the location and service radii for urban open space parks. Table 3 Urban Open Space Parks Park Acres Location BAYVIEW DR. CANAL ENDS 0.53 Bayview Dr. at NE 15,16,17,18th EARL LIFSHEY PARK(OCEAN ACCESS) 0.4 3054 N. Ocean Blvd. HECTOR PARK 1.96 100 Ponce de Leon Blvd HIMMARSHEE CANALS 0.75 SE 2nd St/ 8th Av. & 10th Terr. IDLEWYLD PARK 0.7 East Las Olas & Idlewyld Dr IMPERIAL POINT ENTRANCEWAY 1 5900 N. Fed. Hwy. JACK KAYE PARK (LITTLE GEORGE) 1.5 1200 Bayview Dr LANDINGS ENTRANCEWAY 1 5400 N Fed Hwy LAUDERDALE VILLAS ENTRANCEWAY 0.4 1400 NW 9th Av PURPLE PICKLE PARK 0.25 638 Middle River Drive SWEETING PARK 0.3 480 NW 23rd Av TARPON COVE PARK 0.25 1100 SW 8th Tr TARPON RIVER PARK 0.5 50 SW 11th Ct TOWNSEND PARK 1.8 200 SW 14th Av WELCOME PARK 1.77 2402 S. Federal Hwy. WESTWOOD HEIGHTS TRIANGLE PARK 1 800 SW 28th Av WILLINGHAM PARK (N. BEACH TRIANGLE) 1 2100 N Atlantic Blvd TOTAL ACREAGE 15.11 City of Fort Lauderdale Comprehensive Plan (Ordinance C-08-18) Volume II – Parks and Recreation Element Page 9-4 MCNAB RD E IK P N R U T A NW 62ND ST ID R O Imperial Point Entranceway L F Landings Entranceway COMMERCIAL BLVD 5 9 E T A T S R E Y T W E Earl Lifshey Park N H I V A E PARK BLVD I OAKLAND S X I Vista Park W D E N R D Y N W A H L A Willingham Park R E D E F NW 19 ST N N Bayview Dr. Canal Ends A Lauderdale Villas Entranceway E C NE 13 ST Jack Kaye Park O C W SUNRISE BLVD I E D T V V A L Purple Pickle Park N B T S C I A 1 Sistrunk Park Provident Park T 3 VD 7 SISTRUNK BL N L W A R Sweeting Park L N T S Annie Beck Park T N A A Stranahan Park N W BROWARD BLVD Merle Fogg Park Townsend Park E LAS OLAS BLVD Himmarshee Canals E V A Francis I.