Parks, Recreation, and Open Space
The purpose of the Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Element is to set goals, policies and actions related to the acquisition, management, and maintenance of parks and open space, and planning of recreational facilities and programs.
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Chapter Highlights
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Goals and Policies
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Parks and Recreation
PR-1.1 Parks and Recreation Master Plan. Prepare a Parks and Recreation Master Plan to address park conditions and needs, recreation programming, facilities, and funding opportunities. As a part of a Parks Master Plan, evaluate adopted park standards, including designations for type of parks and guidelines for the facilities to be developed in future parks.
PR-1.2 Park location. Ensure that park sites are located equitably, throughout the city, to maximize access to parks for residents within a 20-minute walking distance.
PR-1.3 Parks accessibility. Provide a variety of parks and recreational facilities accessible to all residents throughout the city, including community and neighborhood parks, to meet the needs of youth, adults, and senior citizens.
PR-1.4 Future parks priority areas. As feasible, work with the private development community to facilitate creation of parks in the future parks priority areas as indicated in Figure 10.3.
PR-1.5 Prioritize underserved areas. Prioritize development of new parks and recreation facilities in underserved areas of the city, encouraging access to free or low-cost recreation for all Palmdale residents.
PR-1.6 Expand park amenities. Encourage expansion of amenities at existing public parks.
PR-1.7 ADA Design. Incorporate all design features, required by the Americans with Disabilities Act, which improve access to parks and park facilities for citizens with different abilities and needs.
PR-1.8 School and park synergy. Co-locate schools and parks and partner with non-profit organizations to provide recreational opportunities that benefit both students and the public.
PR-1.9 Parkland incentives. Work with the private development community to incentivize creation of publicly accessible parkland either on-or-off-site.
PR-2.1 Bikeway network. Encourage bicycle use by developing a comprehensive bikeway network for the city that meets access needs of all bicyclists.
PR-2.2 Bicycle safety. Increase the level of public safety for all bicyclists.
PR-2.3 Transportation modes to parks, schools, and recreation. Promote biking, walking, or taking public transit to public parks and recreation facilities.
PR-2.4 Sidewalks. Ensure connecting sidewalks are well maintained throughout the city.
PR-3.1 Recreation education. Collaborate with community partners to expand healthy, and educational recreation programs and services for youth and families.
PR-3.2 Culturally sensitive programming. Provide culturally sensitive programming at various recreation facilities to serve the city’s diverse population.
PR-3.3 Shared school amenities. Work with local school districts to make campus recreation amenities (such as open grassy areas, basketball courts, baseball fields, gymnasiums, among others) available to surrounding neighborhoods and local sports leagues or organizations during off-school hours.
PR-3.4 Arts and culture programming. Work with local schools, non-profits, local organizations, and artists to increase arts and culture programming (such as such as performing arts and theater, visual arts, youth, and senior programs) throughout Palmdale.
Parkland
PR-4.1 Incorporate parkland. Wherever feasible, incorporate uses that increase the public benefit of park land, and are compatible with the goal of providing active recreation opportunities.
PR-4.2 Non-traditional parks. Consider non-traditional types of parks to extend the range of recreational opportunities available within the city, including linear parks, neighborhood parks, and remodeling vacant buildings for indoor activities, among others.
PR-4.3 Public input. Seek public input on locations for and amenities in new neighborhood and community parks.
PR-4.4 Recreation, cultural and artistic opportunities. Continue to work with public and private entities to provide opportunities for recreational, cultural, and artistic activities within the community.
PR-4.5 Park site considerations. Account for physical, land use, and cost considerations when evaluating future park sites for acquisition or dedication.
PR-4.6 Dual purpose recreation. Explore options to provide public recreation access (i.e., walking or picnicking) to utility and or drainage basin areas as safety permits.
PR-5.1 Park maintenance and improvements funding. Provide sufficient funding for maintenance and improvements for all parks.
PR-5.2 Park fees. Collect park fees and review this fee annually, to provide financing for improvement of parkland.
PR-5.3 Parks financing. Consider formation of a citywide public financing district to provide funding for design, acquisition, construction, and maintenance of parks throughout Palmdale.
PR-5.4 Parks planning. Continue to use the City’s Capital Improvement Program as the mechanism for short-term planning for acquisition of park land and construction of park and upgrades to existing facilities.
PR-5.5 Grant funding opportunities. Identify and pursue Quimby grant funding and other opportunities to finance future park development to meet parkland goals.
Open Space Network
PR-6.1 Open Space network. Develop an open space network through preservation of corridors along fault zones, natural drainage courses and in hillside areas to connect with the large areas of open space designated on the General Plan Land Use Map.
PR-6.2 Acquire natural open spaces. Work with private property owners, conservation agencies, and the County of Los Angeles to expand and acquire natural open spaces and hillsides on the periphery of the city.
PR-6.3 Passive recreation use. Encourage the use of open space areas for passive recreation with access points, multi-use trails, and interpretive information.
PR-6.4 Incentivize open space. Work with the private development community to incentivize new publicly accessible open space through land dedications, land swaps, or other means.
Trails Network
PR-7.1 Multi-use trails. Provide and maintain multi-use trails, for use by pedestrians, bicyclists, and equestrians, connecting to existing or currently planned multi-use trails.
PR-7.2 Multi-use trail connections. Prioritize multi-use trail connections to existing neighborhoods, public parks, and public facilities based on the modal priority network in the Mobility Element.
PR-7.3 Promote new multi-use trails. When feasible, consider adding multi-use paths near or within areas used for water retention, like the aqueduct, or below transmission lines, to increase local walking and biking routes.
PR-7.4 Trail accessibility. To the extent feasible, ensure that trails are accessible to all residents and incorporate ADA design features.
PR-7.5 Trail amenities and facilities. Provide trail support facilities, such as benches, trash cans and trail heads/staging areas, as needed throughout the multi-use trails network.
PR-7.6 Trails acquisition. Explore various means of acquiring trail easements or rights-of-way and pursue all available funding sources to provide trail acquisition and construction.
PR-7.7 Trail financing. To the extent feasible, use grant funding and private donations to finance trail construction.
PR-7.8 Trails network adoption. Incorporate the citywide multi-purpose trail network adopted under the General Plan into the regional trail system.
Open Space Preservation
PR-8.1 Greenbelt program. Establish a greenbelt program to create a network of open spaces on the city’s periphery.
PR-8.2 Varied open space features. Utilize a variety of features, including city entry points, landscaped arterial roadways, bikeways, equestrian paths, hiking trails, and park sites, to create an open space network.
PR-8.3 Open space linkages. Create a network of open space by creating linkages wherever possible, especially to and from residential neighborhoods.
PR-8.4 Open Space preservation through Hillside Management Ordinance. Implement the standards adopted under the City’s Hillside Management Ordinance for new development including clustering and density transfer of housing units, in order to maintain areas of scenic and other open space within hillside areas.
PR-8.5 Location and retain open spaces. Utilize the City’s discretionary land use approval process to locate and retain areas for use as open space through dedication or other legal means. Develop criteria and guidelines to identify areas that should be protected.
PR-8.6 Integrate natural hazards to open spaces. Integrate natural hazard areas, such as floodways, seismic fault zones, and unstable soils, among others into the open space network to ensure public health, safety and welfare while preserving open space.
PR-8.7 Open Space funding. Identify and utilize all available funding sources for acquisition and maintenance of open space areas for public benefit.
PR-8.8 Work to preserve Open Space. Cooperate with private and public entities whose goals are to preserve natural and constructed open space.
PR-8.9 Land Trust criteria. Develop criteria and guidelines to identify how to establish land trust open space locations.
My Neighborhood Map
Desired Targets and Outcomes
OUTCOME: Provide more publicly accessible trails.
Space
KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATOR:
- Increase in miles of trails.
- Connections to existing neighborhoods.
Space
TARGET:
- Increase miles of trails.
- All new trails provide trailheads with basic amenities.
OUTCOME: Provide more public parkland and open space.
Space
KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATOR:
- Increase in acres of parks and open space.
- Connections to existing neighborhoods.
Space
TARGET:
- 5.0 acres of parkland or open space per 1,000 residents.
- 90% of residents are within 20-minute walk of park, trailhead, open space, or recreation facility.
OUTCOME: Expanded public recreation amenities and programs.
Space
KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATOR:
- Participation in self-directed and organized public programs.
- Equitable access to amenities and programs citywide.
- Diversity of programs offered.
Space
TARGET:
- Maximize program participation citywide.
- Expand and create new programs reflective of current community needs.
- Utilize community partners to grow recreational opportunities.
OUTCOME: Provide more publicly accessible trails.
Space
KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATOR:
- Increase in miles of trails.
- Connections to existing neighborhoods.
Space
TARGET:
- Increase miles of trails.
- All new trails provide trailheads with basic amenities.
OUTCOME: Provide more public parkland and open space.
Space
KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATOR:
- Increase in acres of parks and open space.
- Connections to existing neighborhoods.
Space
TARGET:
- 5.0 acres of parkland or open space per 1,000 residents.
- 90% of residents are within 20-minute walk of park, trailhead, open space, or recreation facility.
OUTCOME: Expanded public recreation amenities and programs.
Space
KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATOR:
- Participation in self-directed and organized public programs.
- Equitable access to amenities and programs citywide.
- Diversity of programs offered.
Space
TARGET:
- Maximize program participation citywide.
- Expand and create new programs reflective of current community needs.
- Utilize community partners to grow recreational opportunities.
