NSE AGENDA: 04/14/16 ITEM: d(5)

CITY OF ~ SAN JOSE Memorandum CAPITAL OF

TO: NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES FROM: Angel Rios, Jr. AND EDUCATION COMMITTEE

SUBJECT: PLACEMAKING IN SAN JOSI~ DATE: March 28, 2016

Approved Date

COUNCIL DISTRICT: Citywide

RECOMMENDATION

Accept the Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services (PRNS) report on Placemaking achievements and opportunities within the City of San

OUTCOME

The vision of PRNS is to be a national leader in parks and recreation in cultivating healthy communities through quality programs and dynamic public spaces. Public spaces help define the character of our city, build civic pride, and encourage social connection. Developing, activating, and maintaining public spaces creates mutual stewardship of place within the community, encouraging residents to come out to play and have fun. The Department is focused on "building community through fun" and the placemaking activities are an excellent way to accomplish this.

BACKGROUND

The mission of PRNS is to build healthy communities through people, parks, and programs. One of the department’s focuses is the development, activation, and maintenance of spaces that encourage community building and engage communities to come out and play. With over 187 neighborhood parks, nine regional parks, over 57 miles of trail, 18 community gardens and 51 community centers, PRNS plays a prominent role in promoting and fostering healthy, active and social lifestyles, making San Jos6 the place to be. NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES AND EDUCATION COMMITTEE March 28, 2016 Subject: Placemaking in San Jos~ Page 2

The concept of a community-based approach to planning began in the 1960s when writers like Jane Jacob.s and William H. Whyte advocated for designing cities that catered to people. The term placemaking was introduced by urban planners and architects in the 1970s for describing the process of creating public spaces like plazas and parks that were made to be pleasurable or interesting, and would attract the community. Placemaking is commonly described as the process of "creating quality places, wherein people want to live, work, play, and learn."

PRNS has historically utilized a placemaking approach to the way it does business, which can be seen in many of its efforts. The vision of PRNS is to be a national leader in parks and recreation through the cultivation of healthy communities, quality programs, and dynamic public spaces, a fundamental foundation in the concept of placemaking. Public spaces help define the character of the city, build civic pride, and encourage social connection. By creating mutual stewardship of place within the community, placemaking strengthens local leadership and engages communities in the creation of public spaces that people value and want to use.

ANALYSIS

The mission of PRNS drives staff to ei~hance service delivery through placemaking. Key to the PRNS approach is engaging residents as stakeholders, and instilling a sense of pride and ownership in the places created. PRNS is dedicated to facilitating social interaction, developing valued public spaces, and improving the quality-of-life of our residents, an integral part of the core services and Department’s efforts as placemakers.

2015-2016 Placemaking Efforts

As noted in the Mayor’s Message released on Friday, March 18, 2016, through a series of partnerships, PRNS was able to deliver a significant number of placemaking events that have created momentum for neighborhoods to reclaim them as community gathering spaces. Some examples of the successful placemaking activities include:

Viva Parks!: In 2015, PRNS received a grant from the Santa Clara County Public Health Department and received funding through the 2015-2016 City Budget Process to fund 23 Viva Parks! events at seven different park locations primarily on the east side of the city. Viva Parks! events included rock climbing, soccer play, hay rides, cultural dance performances, Zumba and martial arts classes, and healthy food demos designed to increase accessibility and awareness of underutilized parks. The series of events took place on Wednesday and Friday nights from mid-June through mid-September 2015 with event locations rotating weekly. Attendance was approximately 6,000 participants for all 23 events. As per the Mayor’s March Budget Message for 2016-2017, the City Manager is directed to allocate one-time funding from the TOT Cultural Facilities Reserve to continue the Viva Parks! program, contingent on the City leveraging non-City grants and donations. NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES AND EDUCATION COMMITTEE March 28, 2016 Subject: Placemaking in San dos~ Page 3

Viva CalleSJ: With the support from The Knight Foundation and in partnership with the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition (SVBC), PRNS was able to present a successful inaugural Viva CalleSJ open streets event on October 11, 2015. Six miles of roads were closed to motorized vehicles from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The route made its way through three culturally and economically diverse Council Districts. There were three main activity hubs at: St. James Park, , and Emma Prusch Farm Park; along with three micro hubs at: Biblioteca Latinoamericana, Plaza de Cesar Chavez, and at the intersection of Senter and Keyes Roads. Hub activities included family fun recreational opportunities, cultural events, and other interests that provided the residents of San Jos6 with an opportunity to improve their health, connect with their community, and enjoy the streets, neighborhoods and beautiful parks within San Josd. Estimates place attendance at over 35,000. For 2016-2017, PRNS is in the process of executing an $80,000 grant from the Santa Clara County Public Health Department to support Viva CalleSJ.

Summer in St. James Park: In partnership with the Knight Foundation and the San Jos~ Parks Foundation, the Summer in St. James Park activation series returned in 2015 with over 40 Summer in St. James events that included yoga and self-defense classes, evening concerts, food trucks, and neighborhood gatherings. Events were held throughout the week and during the weekends from June 25, 2015, through September 25,2015, attracting approximately 6,000 participants. Additionally, the city continues to have discussions with the Levitt Foundation to bring in a music pavilion. This venue will facilitate community connection through family-friendly music, and be another catalyst to restoring St. James Park as a favored destination for residents to enjoy. It’s Happening in Plaza de Cesar Chavez: PRNS, in partnership with the Knight Foundation, The Adobe Foundation, the San Josa Parks Foundation, and design support from Groundswell Design Group, activated Plaza de Cesar Chavez Park and transformed it into a vibrant public space that attracted approximately 28,000 people from all walks of life during the weeks leading up to Super Bowl 50. Attractions included games, music, and live performances, areas for socializing, special festive lighting, and food and beverage vendors. Additionally, the Children’s Carousel at Arena Green was activated for the Super Bowl 50 Media Day on February 1, 2016, which took place at the SAP Center.

The Rotary Children’s PlayGarden, which opened in May 2015, was a successful partnership between the Rotary Club of San Jos~, the Guadalupe River Park Conservancy and PRNS. This collaborative project created a unique all-inclusive playground with nearly all play equipment accessible to children of differing abilities.

Trails offer opportunities for placemaking in San Josd. The San Josa trail network provides commuters a safe, inviting off-street route to and from home and work, and offers the adventure seeker challenging inclines and valley-wide views. All trail entries from major arterial roadways include a gateway feature. This has been a long-standing NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES AND EDUCATION COMMITTEE March 28, 2016 Subject: Placemaldng in San aos~ Page 4

goal of the Trail Program, and ensures trails are more visible through the use of architectural elements such as columns, seating walls, decorative pavement and unique signage. The City seeks to develop a 100-mile interconnected trail network to support recreation and active transportation. The entirely off-street network is defined by 35 unique trail systems; several are substantially developed, such as the , , and . As of 2016, the network has over 57 miles of trail open to the public, with scheduled construction projects for more mileage along , Coyote Creek, and Thompson Creek over the next 12 months. These trails represent one of the nation’s largest urban off-street networks and support San Josd as a great place for walking and biking.

Emma Prusch Farm Park has been partnering with community groups for over 30 years to help bring San Josd’s rich agricultural history alive to school children, families, and the community. In continuing that tradition, Emma Prusch Farm Park collaborates with the Prusch Farm Park Foundation to offer folk dancing at The Barn inside of the park. More modern, but equally as important, is Veggielution bringing farming and food production to the urban landscape using volunteers from all over San Josd to help grow food for their classes and low cost food box program to help build healthy lifestyles. Most recently, PRNS partnered with Chaparral Ranch to offer horse riding lessons in the largest barn in Santa Clara County. Emma Prusch Farm Park strives to keep agriculture, and an old fashioned country-like feeling, alive in San Josd.

Almaden Lake Regional Park has become a popular destination for a wide range of activities throughout the year. With its breathtaking views, lake activities, trails, and unique amenities, the park continues to offer outdoor camps, fishing classes, and campfire programs. Events include the Summer Series Movie Nights, Art & Wine Festival, Spring Egg Hunt, and the 4th of July Fireworks, which attracted over 20,000 people. Almaden Lake Regional Park has been an all-around, festive gathering space located in South San Josd.

This past summer, local residents were able to experience Calabazas Park’s first BMX summer camps. BMX campers learned and developed their BMX skills while having the opportunity to track their BMX progress throughout the camp with the use of GoPro cameras. With the growing popularity of program offerings at both Almaden Lake Regional Park and Calabazas BMX Park, the programs are projected to expand in order to meet the community’s needs while introducing new recreation activities to local residents. 2016 Placemaking Updates

Thanks to the support of City departments, City Council, the Knight Foundation, Santa Clara County Public Health Department, and the continued partnership with SVBC, the next Viva CalleSJ open streets event will be taking place on September 18, 2016. The route will stretch along close to six miles of roads passing through some of the most vibrant neighborhoods in San NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES AND EDUCATION COMMITTEE March 28, 2016 Subject: Placemaking in San dos~ Page 5

Josd. Save-the-date announcements have gone out through media outlets, Facebook, Community Center webpages, and the City Manager’s Office. All business associations, business owners, and residents impacted by the route have been contacted, and PRNS is working diligently on securing vendors and sponsors.

Placemaking park activation activities will commence in mid-April at Plaza de Cesar Chavez and will take place during lunch time and evenings. Summer in St. James Park activities will begin early in June and the Viva Parks! summer activation series is expected to start mid-June at the following parks: Emma Prusch Farm Park, Mayfair, Roosevelt, Hillview, Mt. Pleasant, Capitol, and Plata Arroyo.

For the extreme sports fanatic, Regional Park (LCRP) will expand into an Action Sports Park in 2016. This regional park is currently home to Lake Cunningham Regional Skate Park, the largest skate park in California, and Raging Waters, the largest water park in Northern California. LCRP will soon add a one-of-a-kind, 5-acre bike park that will embrace a variety of bike disciplines with features such as: trails, tracks, skills challenge courses, dual slaloms, free ride areas and pump tracks. The addition of this unique bike park and a playground renovation, which will include a zip line, is anticipated to draw thousands of San Jos~ residents and visitors from across the nation. LCRP has already hosted several nationally sanctioned Cyclocross events and is well positioned to become a center of such races. PRNS plans to partner with various organizations to expand park programing and is in the process of defining an operational plan, including resources and staffing. For Happy Hollow Park & Zoo (HHPZ), PRNS and the Happy Hollow Foundation (HHF) were successful in securing a $1M donation to be primarily used to renovate exhibit spaces in the lower zoo. As a result, there are two animal exhibits currently under construction that will house alligators and red pandas, that will all be new additions to the animal collection. Additionally, a new ride has been installed and will be operating in May 2016. The two new exhibits and new ride will all be open and operational by summer 2016. These new attractions are expected to attract new and returning visitors, and eventually push attendance over 500,000. Further, in the next few weeks, HHPZ will be opening a new bilingual English/Spanish puppet show.

EVALUATION AND FOLLOW-UP

PRNS will continue to collaborate with other City departments, partners and stakeholders to develop placemaking strategies for community, economic, and infrastructure development. Staff will provide updates to the Parks and Recreation Commission, Neighborhood Services and Education Committee, and to the City Council. NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES AND EDUCATION COMMITTEE March 28, 2016 Subject: Piacemaking in San Joss Page 6

PUBLIC OUTREACH

This memo will be posted on the City’s website for the April 14, 2016 Neighborhood Services and Education Committee meeting.

COORDINATION

This memo has been coordinated with the City Attorney’s Office and the City Manager’s Budget Office.

COMMISSION COORDINATION

This memorandum was presented and accepted at the Parks and Recreation Commission meeting on February 3, 2016.

CEQA

Not a Project, File No. PP 10-069 (a) Staff Report.

/s/ ANGEL RIOS, JR. Director Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services

For questions, please contact Suzanne Wolf, Deputy Director, at (408) 535-3576.

Rotary Playgarden San Jos6 Trails

St. James Park

Viva Parks! Viva Parks!