Hayward Area Recreation & Park District District Recreation & Parks Master Plan June 2006 The Hayward Japanese Gardens Hayward Area Recreation & Park District District Recreation & Parks Master Plan Approved June 26, 2006 Prepared for Hayward Area Recreation & Park District by Amphion with Evans/McDonough Company & Applied Economic Development Hayward Area Recreation and Park District Master Plan Contents page Chapter 1 - Introduction Setting 1 Historical Context 5 Purpose & Organization 6 Plan Vision 8 District-wide Goals 8 Overview of Findings 10 Chapter 2 – Existing Park Facilities & Recreation Programs Introduction 17 Recreation Programs 21 Local Parks 22 School Recreation Sites 25 Community Parks 26 Community Centers 30 Special Use Facilities 35 Trails, Linear Parks and Greenways 38 Open Space 40 Shoreline Park 41 Chapter 3 - Recommendations for Meeting Recreation Service Needs Introduction 42 District-wide Program Recommendations 43 District-wide Outreach Recommendations 46 District-wide Maintenance & Operational Recommendations 47 District-wide Staffing Recommendations 50 District-wide Partnership Recommendations 51 Chapter 4 - Recommendations for Augmenting Existing Parklands & Facilities at the Community Level Introduction 56 District-wide Strategies for Meeting Future Recreation Needs 56 City of Hayward 66 Ashland 74 Castro Valley 78 Cherryland/Eden Area 84 Fairview 87 San Lorenzo & Unincorporated San Leandro 88 i HARD MASTER PLAN CONTENTS JUNE 2006 Chapter 5 - Assessments of Recreation Demand Used as Framework for Developing Parkland & Recreation Service Recommendations Overview of Existing Facilities 92 Assessing Demand for Park Facilities & Recreation Programs 92 Public Opinion Surveys 93 Recreation, Park, & Open Space Standards & Guidelines 97 Park Facility Type / Population Standards 102 Park / Recreation Service Area -Accessibility – Travel Distances 103 Chapter 6 - Implementation Plan Objectives & Goals 106 Historic Overview 107 Funding Support for HARD Recreation Facilities & Programs 109 Funding Challenges 109 Financial Strategies 111 Master Plan Implementation Strategies 111 Establishing Priorities 113 Current Funding Mechanisms 115 Future Funding Strategies to Augment Current Funding 118 Chapter 7 - References & Participants Documents 131 Web Sites 133 Participants 134 Appendices Appendix 1 - Hayward Area Recreation District - Summary of Sports Facilities Appendix 2 - Park and Recreation Participation Trends Used as Framework for Developing Parkland & Recreation Service Recommendations Appendix 3 - Potential Local, State & Federal Funding Sources Appendix 4 – Stakeholder Interviews Regarding Strategies for Implementing the Master Plan Index ii HARD MASTER PLAN CONTENTS JUNE 2006 The historic Meek Estate Mansion 1 Introduction 1 Introduction Setting The Hayward Area Recreation and Park District (HARD) encompasses 64 square miles within the Eden and Washington townships of Alameda County. The District is located 25 miles southeast of San Francisco, 14 miles south of Oakland, 26 miles north of San Jose and 10 miles west of the valley communities surrounding Pleasanton. Map 1 - Project Vicinity (page 2) shows the District in relation to the San Francisco Bay area. HARD provides park and recreation services to the City of Hayward, as well as the major unincorporated areas of San Lorenzo, Ashland, Cherryland, Castro Valley and Fairview. Fifty-five per cent of the District’s population is comprised of the City of Hayward, which is centrally located in Alameda County. Map 2 – Hayward Area Recreation & Park District Boundaries (page 4) shows the District boundaries and the neighborhoods that make up the District. An extensive network of freeways and bus lines, as well as three Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) stations (Hayward, South Hayward, and Castro Valley), and an Amtrak station serve the District. The jurisdictions contained within the District contain a diverse group of urban and suburban areas. From turn-of-the century Victorians and Craftsman homes, to 1960's apartments and new subdivisions, the District includes a wide range of housing. The central part of the District is highly urbanized, represented by the communities along Highway 580 and Highway 880 corridors. Many of these communities are nearly built out and/or experiencing redevelopment. The west District boundary is comprised of a large area of relatively undeveloped Bay shoreline, flanked on its eastern edge by large-tract industrial uses. To the east, the District boundaries extend well into the hills north of Castro Valley, the Hayward Hills and the Palomares Hills. Major new housing developments on vacant land in rural and suburban parts of the District have been recently built, are under way or in the planning process. In the more urbanized areas, there are several planning studies underway for in-fill, multi-use development using high-density, transit-oriented models. Working with the Alameda County Housing and Community Development Department, BART is participating in one of these transportation-oriented studies for Castro Valley. Additional studies are also underway for the Hayward BART and South Hayward BART stations. Like most of the Bay area, communities within the District are experiencing rapid change, not only in the numbers, ages and interests of the people who live and work here, but also in the public opinions and 1 HARD MASTER PLAN CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION JUNE 2006 San Pablo Bay San Rafael Martinez 80 Concord 680 580 Richmond Walnut Creek 24 Oakland 580 San Ramon ty San oun S a C a ost San n Leandro a C ntr ty F Co oun r a C Francisco a 880 ed n lam c A is 580 c o B a Pleasanton Pacific y Ocean HAYWARD AREA 92 RECREATION & Union City PARK DISTRICT San 84 Mateo 880 Alameda County Santa Clara Coun Palo Alto ty 680 north San Jose Map 1 VICINITY MAP HAYWARD AREA RECREATION & PARK DISTRICT MASTER PLAN UPDATE HARD MASTER PLAN 2 CHAPTER 2 FACILITIES & PROGRAMS JUNE 2006 policies that determine just what form communities will take in the future. While many of the District’s parks and recreation facilities are located in already built out or in established neighborhoods, the pressures for change are nonetheless significant. Based on ABAG projections for Alameda County, and the number of pending projects currently under consideration, much of the future development within HARD’s jurisdiction will take place in the urban infill areas of the unincorporated redevelopment areas of Castro Valley / Eden Hospital and San Lorenzo Village, as well as redevelopment areas in the City of Hayward including the Cannery, Highland Hills, and the Mission Blvd. Corridor. Other areas that will likely include significant growth include the industrial corridor in the City of Hayward and the La Vista Quarry site in the unincorporated hillside area just east of City of Hayward. There will also be some development in the suburban hillside areas of Castro Valley and Palomares Canyon, although this development will be more restricted than in the past due to the passage of Measure D. At the same time, the population is changing; the City of Hayward’s population, which represents the majority of the District, has grown by 25 percent in the last ten years, at almost double the rate of both Alameda County and the Bay Area. This density is also represented in the unincorporated areas of the District with Cherryland (11,859/persons per square mile) and Ashland (11,284 /persons per square mile) ranking respectively as the third and sixth most densely populated areas of the Bay area. Within the urban areas of the District, no single racial or ethnic group constitutes a majority of the population. Hispanics now comprise 34 percent of the total population, with Whites at 29 percent, Asians and Pacific Islanders totaling 20 percent, and African Americans at 11 percent. A new category, Two or More Races, accounts for almost 5 percent of the population. This cultural diversity extends throughout the District. For example, in City of Hayward neighborhoods, a single population group forms a majority in only seven neighborhoods (two have a majority of Whites and five have a majority of Hispanics). Major population increases of these ethnic groups (in terms of percentage) since 1990 are the school-age group (5-19), the “baby boomers” (35-54) and the seniors (75 and over). This setting provides unique opportunities and challenges for meeting current and future parks and recreation needs. The District will continue to face an increasing demand for more varied and quality outdoor experiences including, trail and bikeway opportunities, community facilities and recreational programming for all age groups. Therefore, as new development areas are planned and constructed, the District will need to work with their agency partners to promote continued park development, preservation of open space and affordable recreation services for a highly diverse, and increasingly dense population. 3 HARD MASTER PLAN CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION JUNE 2006 Oakland 680 580 B San Ramon A R T San Leandro R Dublin R 880 Castro Valley 580 Ashland BART Cherryland Fairview San Francisco Bay Pleasanton San Lorenzo Hayward 92 R R R Union City R B A R T 84 880 San Francisco Bay HARD Service Area Boundry City of Hayward Alameda County Map 2 HAYWARD AREA RECREATION & PARK DISTRICT SERVICE BOUNDARIES HARD MASTER PLAN 4 CHAPTER 2 FACILITIES & PROGRAMS JUNE 2006 This directive, given the current economic and regulatory situation, will require practical solutions. Any new facilities and services must be balanced with