Parks & Recreation Master Plan Appendices
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Appendix A Charlotte County Parks Needs Assessment Charlotte County Parks Needs Assessment Study FLORIDA GULF COAST UNIVERSITY Division of Public Affairs Dr. Margaret Banyan Dr. Thomas Felke Ashley Skalecki 6/30/14 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The purpose of this Charlotte County Parks Needs Assessment Study was to prepare background research and information in preparation for the county parks master plan. There were several components to this project that provide a solid research foundation for a master plan. This needs assessment study was comprised of several different elements, including a demographic study of users and associated growth trends; recreational trends research; an exhaustive policy, plan, and regulatory framework review; and a level of service analysis comparing Charlotte County standards with other measures. As part of the process of data collection, the researchers interviewed representatives from the South Florida Water Management District, The Southwest Florida Water Management District, Charlotte County Natural Resources, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program, and the Charlotte County Community Development Department. As much of this study was designed to be supporting data for future use, it is not primarily formatted for readability. Its intent was to collect and present data that could later be used as part of the parks master plan. As a result, the researchers erred on the side of providing more data, rather than less. Further, emphasis was placed on providing references for documents and data sources to be located at a later point. Among the next steps in the development of a parks master plan will be to inventory existing parks, identify level of service and level of service gaps, map facilities relative to the needs and inventory, and develop an implementation plan for park acquisition and funding. Much of the data requirements to develop these next steps are compiled in this report. Charlotte County Needs Assessment Study 6/30/14 p. 2 CONTENTS Executive Summary............................................................................................................................................. 2 Table of Tables ................................................................................................................................................... 8 Table of Figures ................................................................................................................................................ 10 Section I: Demographic Profile and Spatial Analysis of Charlotte County ........................................................ 12 Introduction................................................................................................................................................................................... 12 Demographic Profile ............................................................................................................................................................. 12 Population Projections ........................................................................................................................................................... 12 Spatial Analysis ...................................................................................................................................................................... 12 Current Population ...................................................................................................................................................................... 13 Population Estimates .............................................................................................................................................................. 13 Gender ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 13 Residency ................................................................................................................................................................................. 15 Selected Age Groups ............................................................................................................................................................ 15 Race, Ethnicity, & Language ................................................................................................................................................ 19 Income ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 22 Disabilities ............................................................................................................................................................................... 26 Demographics Summary ....................................................................................................................................................... 27 Section II: Trends Research ................................................................................................................................ 29 Activity Trends .................................................................................................................................................. 29 Popular activities ........................................................................................................................................................................ 29 Florida Residents .................................................................................................................................................................... 29 Florida Tourists ........................................................................................................................................................................ 30 National Trends ...................................................................................................................................................................... 30 Changes in Participation Rates ................................................................................................................................................ 31 Florida Residents and Tourists Participation Trends ........................................................................................................ 31 All Sport Activities: National Participation Trends .......................................................................................................... 31 Outdoor Sports: National Participation Trends ............................................................................................................... 31 Outdoor Sports Participation for First Timers ................................................................................................................... 31 Participation by Demographic Groups .................................................................................................................................. 32 Age ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 32 Gender ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 33 Ethnicity .................................................................................................................................................................................... 33 Income ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 34 Charlotte County Needs Assessment Study 6/30/14 p. 3 Other Relevant Trends ............................................................................................................................................................... 35 Technology .............................................................................................................................................................................. 35 Motivation ................................................................................................................................................................................ 35 Potential Facility Usage Trends ........................................................................................................................................... 35 Section III: Document and Regional Plan Review ............................................................................................. 37 SubSection A: Plan Review ............................................................................................................................... 37 Charlotte County ............................................................................................................................................... 37 Charlotte County Comprehensive Plan ................................................................................................................................... 37 Blueway Trail System ................................................................................................................................................................. 38 Incorporated Municipalities ..............................................................................................................................