Department of City of Southfield Department of Parks And

City of Southfield
Department of Parks and Recreation

PARK ACQUISITION AND DEVELOPMENT
MASTER PLAN 2012-2016

PARK ACQUISITION AND DEVELOPMENT MASTER PLAN 2012-2016

MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of the Southfield Parks and Recreation Department is to provide excellence and equal opportunity in leisure, cultural and recreational services to all of the residents of Southfield. Our purpose is to provide safe, educationally enriching, convenient leisure opportunities, utilizing public open space and quality leisure facilities to enhance the quality of life for Southfield's total population that might not otherwise be available.

ELECTED OFFICIALS &
ADMINISTRATOR

The Honorable Brenda L. Lawrence, Mayor
Joan Seymour, Council President
Sidney Lantz, Council President Pro Tem
Donald F. Fracassi, Councilman Myron A. Frasier, Councilman Sylvia Jordan, Councilwoman
Jeremy Moss, Councilman
Kenson J. Siver, Councilman Nancy L. M. Banks, City Clerk
Irv M. Lowenberg, City Treasurer
James G. Scharret, City Administrator

PARKS & RECREATION
Board

Dr. E. Delbert Gray, Chairperson
Rosemerry D. Allen, Vice-Chairperson
Ronald D. Roberts Dawn Stephenson

Administration

Doug Block, Acting Director
& Business Manager

Master Plan

Merrie Carlock, Park Planner / Landscape Architect

Surveys & Focus Groups

Pamela S. Kirbach / Kirbach consultancy

Full Time Staff

Patti Dearie-Koski
Laurie Dillon Matt Dinan
David DuChene
Holly Graves
Maxine Halperin Janet Husaynu Kost Kapchonick Taneisha Marks Nicole Messina
Robert Murray Jonathon Rahn Bruce Richards
Chris Riley
Dan Bostick Denis Carroll Joel Chapman

Ted Davis

Michele Tiska

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. II.

COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION

• Social Characteristics........................................................................................................3 • Natural Features ...............................................................................................................6

HISTORICAL OVERVIEW

• Department Origins...........................................................................................................9 • Current Status.................................................................................................................11

ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURE

III.
• Organization & Personnel ...............................................................................................13 • Budget.............................................................................................................................15 • Partnerships, Volunteers & Sponsorships.......................................................................16

INVENTORY

IV.
• Parkland and Facilities....................................................................................................18 • Parks, Facilities and Accessibility....................................................................................20 • MDNR Recreation Grant Inventory .................................................................................31 • Public School Facilities ...................................................................................................34 • Private Recreation Facilities............................................................................................35 • Regional Recreation Opportunities .................................................................................38 • Program Inventory...........................................................................................................40

MASTER PLAN PROCESS AND PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

V.
• Planning Process ............................................................................................................46 • Community Surveys and Focus Groups..........................................................................46 • Public Input Process........................................................................................................48

PARK AND FACILITY ANALYSIS

VI.
• Park Land Analysis..........................................................................................................55 • Facilities Analysis............................................................................................................57 • Park Analysis...................................................................................................................61

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

VII.
• Mission Statement...........................................................................................................69 • Goal and Actions.............................................................................................................69

VIII. ACTION PROGRAM

• Park Development Proposals..........................................................................................72 • Land Acquisition Priorities...............................................................................................73

APPENDIX

IX.
• Regional Planning Agency Plan Receipt.........................................................................74 • County Plan Receipt .......................................................................................................75 • MDNR Plan Approval ......................................................................................................76 • MDNR Plan Certification .................................................................................................77 • Summary of Master Plan Survey Results........................................................................79

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TABLESANDMAPS

NO.

TABLE OR MAP

PAGE

1. Park Acquisition Dates………………………………………………………………………….…9 2. Park Development & Improvement Projects 2001-2011………………………………………11 3. Landscape Enhancement Projects 2001-2011…………………………………….…………..12 4. Land Acquisition 2001-2011…..……………………………………………………………….....12 5. Organizational Chart……………………………………………………………………………….13 6. Authorized Personnel…………………………………………………………………..………….14 7. Park Land by Category…………………………………………………………………..…..……19 8. Parks and Recreation Properties (by Park Site)………………………………………………..20 9. Municipal Recreation Facilities……………………………………………………………………30 10. Public School Facilities……………………………………………………………………………34 11. Private Recreation Facilities………………………………………………………………………36 12. Athletic & Sports Programs………………………………………………………………………..40 13. Community Youth Sports Groups…………………………………………………………………41 14. Private Sponsor Public Special Events…………………………………………………………..42 15. Parks and Recreation Special Events…………………………………………………………....42 16. Survey Results by Section………………………………………………………………………...46 17. Park Land Standards……………………………………………………………………………….55 18. Developed Park Land Standards……………………………………………………………….…55 19. Municipal Recreation Facilities………………………………………………………………….…57 20. Major Park Development Schedule 2012 – 2016 …………………………………………....…72 21. Land Acquisition Schedule 2012 – 2016.……………………………………………………......73

No. MAP

PAGE

1. Land Use Map……………………………………………………………………………………….4 2. Green Infrastructure Map..………………………………………………………………………...7 3. Park Locations Map……………………………………………………………………………… 34 4. Oakland County Public Recreation Land……………………………………………….……….39 5. Typical Park Service Areas……………………………………………………………………….56

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I. COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION

This plan has been created for the City of Southfield, a residential community and business center in southeastern Michigan. Southfield borders the City of Detroit and also the communities of Farmington Hills, Redford Township, Franklin, Bingham Farms, Royal Oak Township, Berkley and Oak Park. This plan is intended to primarily address municipal park development, land acquisition for parks and parks and recreation facilities. The secondary purpose of the plan is to plan for the needs of parks and recreation programs, sports, youth and senior services, and special events within the community of Southfield

.

SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS

POPULATION

The City of Southfield occupies an area of 26.6 square miles in the southeastern portion of Oakland County, immediately north of the City of Detroit. Originally a rural farming community, the City experienced a period of rapid development in the 1960s and 70s after the City was incorporated in 1958. The greatest numerical increase in population was recorded in the decade between 1960 and 1970 when the population grew from 30,000 to 69,000; an increase of almost 120 percent. The population was recorded at 78,296 in the 2000 census, making Southfield the third largest residential community in Oakland County at the time. The 2010 Census has indicated a slight decline in population for Southfield, down to 71,758 persons as a result of the recession. This decline is expected to reverse over the next ten years, regaining population losses. The long term population forecast for Southfield predicts that the population of Southfield will increase moderately over the next 25 years to 80,590 persons (SEMCOG).

AGE

Southfield aged between 2000 and 2010. Person 65 years or older increased from approximately 15 percent of the population in 2000 to 17 percent of the population in 2010, an increase of 2.2 percent overall, even during a period of population decline. Youth, under 18 years of age, represent 20 percent of the population or 14,698 persons in 2010. The number of persons over age 65, as a percentage of the total population, is expected to continue to rise as “babyboomers” move into retirement age groups by ten percentage points to 25 percent of the total by 2035. The population under 18 years of age is expected to remain flat or increase slightly to 21% by 2035. Young adult to age 34 represent 20 percent of the population in 2010, while adults, aged 35 to 64 are 42 percent of the total.

RACE & ETHNIC GROUPS

The Southfield population is 70 percent African American and 25 percent white. The remaining 5 percent are other races. Significant ethnic or religious communities include Chaldean-American and Jewish, particularly the Orthodox Jewish community, and recent Russian Jewish immigrants. Persons of Asian heritage represent 1.7 percent of the population, while 1.3 percent are of Hispanic origin. Persons who identify themselves as multi-racial account for 2.1 percent of the population. (U.S. Census)

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LAND USE PATTERNS

The City of Southfield is nearly 95 percent developed with 71,758 residents. Southfield is a major center of regional employment with 8,600 businesses and 110 “Fortune 500" companies, comprising more than 26 million square feet of office space, and 4 million square feet each of retail and industrial/research and development space. As a result, the daytime population increases to approximately 150,000 persons. Southfield businesses support two-thirds of the community’s tax base, providing high-quality residential and business services.

There are several concentrated economic activity centers in Southfield, which are the Southfield Downtown Development District (Greenfield and Eight Mile Road), City Centre (Northwestern and Civic Center Drive), Pebble Creek (Telegraph and I-696) and the Silver Triangle (12 Mile and Northwestern Highway).

The largest use of land in Southfield is single family residential with more than 47 percent of all land (about 7,663 acres) devoted to single family land use. Multiple family land use accounts for 5.3 percent of the land area. Commercial and industrial land uses account for 16.4 percent of land use while transportation, communications and utilities account for 16.2 percent of the land area.

LAND USE MAP

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HOUSING

The number of housing units in Southfield has been flat over the last decade, although there has been an increase in vacant housing by 2,500 units. In the past few years, the City has experienced a fair share of empty or foreclosed housing units during the housing crisis similar to other communities in metropolitan Detroit and throughout the United States. Approximately 47 percent of Southfield homes are owner occupied, with 41 percent renter occupied and 12 percent vacant. Although most residences are single-family detached homes, Southfield has a significant amount of large multifamily apartment complexes, including senior facilities.

EDUCATION & ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS

Of people over 25 years of age, 87 percent have graduated from high school, and 37 percent have a four-year college degree or higher. Median household income in Southfield in 2000 was $52,468 annually and a per capita income of $28,108. Seven percent of individuals lived below the poverty line. About 23 percent of Southfield’s employed residents work in Southfield. Another 21 percent commute to Detroit. The remaining 56 percent commute all over metro Detroit, reflective of Southfield’s central location, reasonable housing costs, and access to numerous highways.

TRANSPORTATION

Southfield was developed on the township one mile grid system with major roads running, on the section lines, east-west and north-south. Four major highways traverse the City. Diagonally from the northwest corner to the southeast corner, the Lodge Expressway/Northwestern Highway provides easy access to downtown Detroit. Interstate 696, completed in 1989, provides regional cross-town travel from east to west and Southfield Road becomes the Southfield Freeway south of Ten Mile Road. Telegraph Road (US-24) provides north-south travel for thousands of commuters daily. The area is also serviced by SMART, a regional bus system. Numerous bicycle paths and routes are located throughout the City.

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NATURAL FEATURES

TOPOGRAPHY AND SOILS

The topography of Southfield is almost entirely flat, sloping gently to the southeast resulting from its glacial history as lake plain. The elevation for the City is approximately 575 feet above sea level. The flat character of the lake plain is altered by the valleys of the Rouge River and its tributaries and to some extent, a series of former lake beaches.

Soils range from silty to clay loams, with some areas of sand and blue clay. Many areas are poorly drained with high water tables being typical. The City's agricultural history has created some areas of deep topsoil, while the rapid development of the 60's and 70's caused extensive soil disturbance, and loss of topsoil.

WATER RESOURCES

The most significant water resource in Southfield is the Rouge River and its tributaries. The main branch of the Rouge River flows south from the northern border, crossing under I-696 and Telegraph Road and exiting at the southern boundary

into the City of Detroit at Eight Mile Road. River tributaries include the Evans Ditch, Tamarack Drain and Pebble Creek. Land adjacent to these waterways is characterized by steeply-sloped valley walls and wooded floodways. Unlike much of Oakland

County, no natural lakes exist in Southfield, although some wetlands remain. Artificial drainage of natural wetlands was used to accommodate development resulting in a net loss over time. Remaining wetlands are regulated by the DEQ as well as the City's own local wetlands protection ordinance.

VEGETATION

The City of Southfield is located within a deciduous eastern forest. Due to its recent history of urban development and prior history as an agricultural community, few remnants of mature natural vegetation remain. A few properties retain some significant vegetation. Some woodlots have progressed from old field associations to mixed hardwoods. A drymesic forest located on the WXYZ property has been identified as significant through the Michigan Natural Features Inventory and was at one time listed with the Nature Conservancy.

Many parcels containing woodlands are in public or quasi-public ownership. A degraded wet prairie association identified on MDOT property between the Freeway Park and Lincoln Woods and has been restored as part of a wetlands mitigation project. Carpenter Lake Nature Preserve, Bauervic Woods Nature Preserve and Valley Woods Nature Preserve all contain large caliper native canopy trees and understory. Berberian Woods, within Valley Woods, is an excellent example of near pre-settlement forested valley and is considered botanically significant on at statewide basis. Woodland preservation has also occurred in neighborhoods of large lot development, particularly along the RougeRiver floodplains. The remaining woodlands have been mapped and tree removals are now regulated by the City's woodland ordinance.

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GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE MAP

7

WILDLIFE

Most common Michigan animal species are found in Southfield, if in somewhat lesser numbers than more rural areas. Deer are plentiful throughout the City and are found on larger tracts and along the river corridors. Other mammal species include fox, raccoons, muskrats, opossum, mink, rabbits, squirrels, and mice. In recent years coyotes have also taken up residence in Southfield. Garter snakes are common. Snapping turtles are frequent in Carpenter Lake and soft shell turtles bask on the mud banks of the Rouge River in Valley Woods Nature Preserve. Migrating songbirds and waterfowl such as ducks and geese, utilize the larger tracts and nature preserves as they travel across metropolitan Detroit. Resident hawks preside over larger tracts, along the river corridor and highways. Butterfly species depend on remnant and restored meadows and prairies on both public and private lands.

CLIMATE

The climate of Southfield and southeast Michigan is influenced by its location with respect to major storm tracks, the overall influence of the Great Lakes and the urban "heat island" of metropolitan Detroit. The most pronounced lake effect occurs in the winter when arctic air moving across the lakes is warmed and moistened producing excess cloudiness and

moderated temperatures. Throughout Michigan, most winter storms originate to the northwest except in metro Detroit where

much of the heaviest precipitation comes from southwest winds. This is a result of the location of the normal wintertime storm track south of Detroit, which brings, on average, 3" snowfalls. Occasional heavy snowfalls, freezing rain and sleet are also typical of southern Oakland County. The average annual snowfall is 41 inches.

The average temperature for the area is 48.6°F, ranges from a high/low of 30.3°F/15.6°F in January to 83.3°F/61.3°F in July. The growing season averages 180 days with a last frost date in early May and a first frost date in late October.

In the summer, most storms pass to the north or may dissipate as they approach Detroit. Summer weather is typified by intervals of warm, humid, sunny skies with thunderstorms followed by mild, dryer weather. Temperatures of 90°F or higher are commonly reached in the summer months. The sun shines about 68% of the time in the summer as compared to 30% in the winter. Annual precipitation (water equivalent) is 32.62 inches. (National Climatic Data Center).

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II. HISTORICAL OVERVIEW

DEPARTMENT ORIGINS

On August 4, 1970, Southfield citizens passed a six million dollar bond issue for the purposes of paying for the costs of acquisition, development, and maintenance of a parks and recreation system for the City. At the same time, the City's first Master Recreation Plan; the Open Space Acquisition and Development Program, was adopted by council. A supplemental document analyzing the recreation potential of the Rouge River floodplain was also prepared. These two documents and the bonding issue provided the basis for the Southfield Parks and Recreation system. In addition to the 1970 Park Master Plan, subsequent Master Parks and Recreation Plans were written for the years 1975-1980, 1983-1988 and 1989-1994, 1995-2000 and 2002-2006.

Prior to 1970, Southfield possessed four park properties including the 157 acre Civic Center site. The other three sites totaled only 21 acres. The City was severely deficient in parklands and recreational facilities for its population. A 3.8 million dollar revenue bond allowed for the construction of the Civic Center Sports Arena and Pool (1970-71), Sled Hill (1971) and the Civic Center Nature Pond (1971). The Evergreen Hills Golf Course was also constructed in 1972. The Civic Center became the center of recreational activity in the City.

The original City charter for Southfield provided for a millage of no less than .3 of a mill designated for Parks and Recreation each year. In 1978 Southfield voters passed an amendment raising the limit to 1.75 mills per year for funding Parks and Recreation services. This was approved by over a 2 to 1 margin. By fiscal year 1983-84, the department operated on 1.45 mills with a total annual budget of over 3.8 million dollars and over 600 acres of parkland. The park acreage was divided among 33 individual parks and historic sites throughout the City. As of 2010 the Department of Parks & Recreation manages nearly 775 acres of public open space at 33 different sites throughout the City. The following is a list of most park acquisitions and approximate acquisition dates.

TABLE 1 PARK ACQUISTION DATES

PARK NAME

ACREAGE

YEAR NOTES

•••••

Pioneer Cemetery Southfield Cemetery The Burgh Civic Center Park Optimist Park–
0.965 5.57 2.284
157.00
5.0
From township From township From township - reduced for Civic Center Dr. ROW
1959

1965

Federal Land for Parks Program

Restrictions transferred to Carpenter Lake in 2003 Formerly Cranbrook Park Leased from Oakland County-Formerly Little League Park Formerly Stevenson School Park - Donated Bequest from the estate of Mary Thompson Leased land from Oakland County

••••••••••

Miller Park Catalpa Park
7.34 10.00
7.6
20.00 12.00 85.00 20.00 14.7
1967 1967 1968 1968 1970 1971 1971 1971 1971 1971
Lahser Woods Park Thompson Farm Catalpa Park - Addition Beech Woods Park Evergreen Woods Bedford Woods
Now Bauervic Woods
Seminole Mini Park Stratford Woods Commons
.634
4.2