20/20 Vision: The Role of Park Visioning
in Shaping the Future
of Your Greenspace
Parks & Greenspace Conference
Atlanta Botanical Garden
Monday, March 23, 2015
Agenda
• Walt Ray, RLA, ASLA Moderator
•Barbara Marin Friends of Springbrook Park•Byron Amos Friends of Vine City Park •Mandy LeCompte Friends of Little Nancy Creek Park
State of Atlanta Parks• Atlanta ranked 42 out of 60 cities
(Trust for Public Land Parkscore) • Detroit, Baltimore, Cleveland, and Phoenix rank higher.
•The Stats
Minneapolis AtlantaSpending per Resident: $213 Spending per Resident: $81
Park Budget: $90 Million Park Budget: $35 Million
Residents Living within Ten Minutes Walk to a Park: 92%
Residents Living within Ten Minutes Walk to a Park: 60%
Parkland: 14.9 % (planning goal is 10%) Parkland: 5.8% (planning goal is 10%)
State of Atlanta Parks
• The Hard Facts
• Over 300 parks • Total Budget- $35 Million for the whole park
system• Piedmont Park Conservancy’s Budget is $3
Million• Limited Budgets• Limited Staff• Limited Capacity• Parks need Community Support
• Capital Improvements• Programming• Maintenance
Park Visioning• Community Supported Master Plan for Greenspace
• Community as Client• Neighbors are Experts• Staff are Facilitators and Interpreters• Strong Reliance on Public Input• Community will Own Master Plan
• Process is Flexible• Every Community is Different• Process & Plans Reflect Unique
Character• Process is Successful
• 31 Completed Visioning Plans • Over $13 Million Invested • Engaged Communities
Visioning Process• Application Process
• Committed Steering Committee (The Client)•Attend Monthly Organizational Meetings•Represent Constituency (Neighborhood Surveys)•Organized Park Group •Public Meetings•NPU Coordination•Neighborhood Association Coordination
• Public Engagement Process•Stakeholder Surveys•Public Meetings•Spread the Word
Visioning Process
Advantages to Community• Public Involvement - Critical and Useful
• Coordination with StakeholdersParks DepartmentDepartment of Watershed ManagementSchoolsNeighborhood AssociationNeighborhood Planning Unit
• Community-BuildingSteering CommitteeFriends of the Park GroupImplementation Committee
• Conceptual Master Plan• What Goes Where
• How Much Might Cost
• Collaborative Process
• Utilizing Free Services
• Facilitate Fundraising
• Prioritize Improvements
• Create/Strengthen Partnerships
Benefits of Visioning
Community Grows a Park and
the Park Grows Community
Timeline
5/2011 .9 acre neighborhood lot identified
12/2012 Property purchased
3/2013 Visioning
12/2013 PP Grant received $39K
7/2014 Permit received
10/2014 Contractor completes construction
1/2015
Ongoing
Ribbon cutting
Play area, Community garden
Design ProcessMore to Less Community Input
• Visioning (neighborhood adults and kids)• Conceptual Maps• Grant Proposal/Budget• Permit Documents• Bidding Process--Contractors Input• County Permitting Process• Construction Realities• Ongoing Improvements/Additions
Community Engagement
• Meet neighbors and discover assets
• Friends meetings identify issues
• Build e-mail list to keep neighbors informed
• Inform neighborhood organizations
• Visioning info sheet to 400 families gets everyone on the same page
Info Sheet
• Children’s visioning should include play expert
• 15 neighbors at adult visioning meetings
Community Engagement
Conceptual Maps
Map changed when landscape designer joined neighborhood and project
Community Engagement (cont’d)
• Wayfinders keep neighbors informed about plans
• Board of involved neighbors includes two Scout leaders
• Neighbors’ talents utilized (website; logo; gardening/composting, etc.)
• Fund/friend-raising events (festivals, wine-tasting, silent auction)
• Celebrations to mark progress
Community Engagement (cont’d)
• Website, Facebook, Newsletters, E-mail
• Nextdoor.com
• VolunteerWorkdays
• Springbrook Park Neighborhood
Community Engagement (cont’d)
Before & After
Before
Consensus Building• Provide lots of information
• Provide opportunities for input (visioning, email, conversations)
• Personally talk to those adjacent to park
• Use committees (play, comm. garden)
• Ask trusted people to review plans and changes (Friends Board, County, PP)
• Complex issues addressed by carefully selected people
Contact Information
• Barbara Marin
• Email: [email protected]
• Phone: 404-580-0269
• Park Website: www.springbrookpark.com
• Silent Auction – May 9, 2015 7-9pm
• www.springfortheparks.org
The New Vine City Neighborhood Park
Presented By: Byron Amos
Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation
Governor's
Greenspace
Program
A “SIGN” OF THINGS TO COME
IN THE BEGINNING
THE KUDZU MONSTER
HAS ANYONE SEEN MY HOUSE???
HELP ME, I’VE FALLEN & I CAN’T GET UP
PEEK-A-BOO, I SEE YOU
“IT FEELS GOOD TO HAVE A FRESH HAIR CUT”
NOW YOU SEE IT……
NOW YOU DON’T
Option A
Option B
VCCA Development Committee Approved/ with some design concepts
from Option B
before
Vine City
Neighborhood Park
on Magnolia Street
after
Little Nancy Creek ParkPark Visioning Process
Our neighborhood needs a playground but can’t find a location
North BuckheadNeighborhood
We ask the City to consider acquiring three abandoned lots…
…with great potential for something other than yet another subdivision.
August 2007, we get our wish! The City purchases the 5 acre lot…now what??
Park Pride to the Rescue!
$25,000 Visioning GrantOpportunity Seized
…and a partnership is formed.
Great parks start with an engaged community
We held four public meetingsThe second meeting was a design workshop
and invited the community to explore the possibilities of their new park
Neighbor feedback varied….
But ultimately proved useful
Finally, we had a Conceptual Vision in May 2009!
LittLe NaNcy creek ParkConCeptual Vision
May 12, 2009
And now the hard part…turning the vision into reality
Day 1 (of the next six years)
Park Pride connects us with corporate volunteer groups
A community garden is built with neighbors and corporate volunteers
Volunteer days are the foundation of successful park building
So many neighbors donate their sweat equity…
Local builder Delaney Rossetti Construction installs safe bridge rails
which becomes the inspiration for our logo
Park Pride’s Picnic in the Parks brings more neighbors into the park
Russell Landscape Group, owned by a neighbor, seeds and maintains
front entry
Neighbor Stephen Fristoe, Eagle Scout candidate, builds park benches
Sarah Smith Elementary School installs a Butterfly Garden
A third grade Wolf Scout Den transforms this…
into a magical Children’s Cottage!
Integrated Land Design creates our Master Plan
Installing a playground is a dynamic challenging, multi-year process
The ground breaking brings us one step closer…
Opening Day - April 2012! The kids’ joy is worth all the blood, sweat & tears
The City celebrates our long-awaited accomplishment with us!
Fast forward to 2015…the parking lot is still full with families enjoying our
world-class playground
CHOA’s Strong4Life and United Healthcare partner with LNCP to install
a walking trail
Walking Trail and Fitness Area
Community Garden
Ongoing Park Pride Partnership of Community Work Days
Engraved bricks, a simple and effective fundraiser, add a personal touch to the
playground entrance path
A chance to reconnect with nature…
Play with friends…
and explore your extended backyard.
You never know whoooo you’ll meet!
Little Nancy Creek Park – What’s Next?
littlenancycreekpark.org
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