Agenda Packet_2022-05-17 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Exhibit 1 ACTION PLAN The Santa Ana community— including neighbors, stakeholders, activists, organized groups, City staff, and elected leaders — together recognize the value of parks and recreation. Key groups and City leaders have endorsed the notion of providing a higher level of service. As part of the General Plan update, conversations continue around setting a parkland standard at 2 or even 3 acres per 1,000 residents. The Parks Master Plan takes a more realistic approach, identifying the key unserved areas and opportunities to increase the City's level of service to 1.5 acres per 1,000 residents for parkland, with trail corridors and other joint -use school sites adding important recreation opportunities. Still, the costs outlined in this plan are exorbitant — likely far more than the City can implement over the next ten years. The PMP advises focusing on the following actions to make progress towards the community's vision for the parks and recreation system. Although numbered, the following actions do not appear in priority order. Together, they represent first steps in implementing the Park Master Plan. City Council 1. Prioritize Maintenance and Asset Management: Ensure that the City of Santa Ana can continue to steward existing park assets and replace facilities at the end of their lifecycles to sustain their use. Identify maintenance funds for new parks prior to development. 2. Increase Park Resources for New Development: Undertake a Nexus Study and increase impact fees so that Santa Ana can provide parks and facilities that support new residential development. Consider changes to other fee program parameters/policies, such as districting, to have more flexibility in spending funds where lands may be available. Review the City's land dedication requirements as per the Quimby Act to determine overarching City requirements for new residential development through both land dedication and impact fees. 3. Redirect Other Funds to Parks: Even if an impact fee increase is enacted, earmark and invest a greater amount of existing funds in parks and recreation. As part of the annual budgeting process, prioritize park projects funding through sources such as cannabis funding and increase General Fund support for ongoing staffing, operations and maintenance as the City's parks and facilities expand. 14-115 4. Explore Voter -Approved Tax Measures and Other Public and Private Support: Given current community demands to provide more parkland, begin a public information and communications campaign to share the results of the Parks Master Plan —so that residents and groups are clear about their role and the level of community support that will be required to make this investment. a. Establish a Parks Foundation to raise funds for parks and recreation. b. Create a park sponsorship program for all parks to leverage local investment into individual sites. Similar to an "Adopt -a - Park" program that recruits volunteers to support park operations and maintenance, the "Park Sponsorship" program will recruit one-time or ongoing donors and sponsors to fund capital projects and operations at a particular site. c. Conduct a random -sample voter survey to measure public support for a bond measure or other voter -approved funding measures. d. Track, recognize, and promote community support for park projects and program, calling attention to the individuals, groups, and businesses supporting parks and recreation. S. Create a Park Opportunity Fund: Incorporate General Funds, cannabis revenues, private donations, and other available funding into an established Park Opportunity Fund to leverage for matching grants and have monies available when opportunities arise for new park acquisition. 6. Pursue Key Land Acquisition Opportunities: Aggressively pursue opportunities to acquire available lands that meet multiple PMP criteria for enhancing the park and recreation system. Explore options to acquire the Willowick Golf Course as the greatest singular opportunity to increase the City's level of service and to provide sufficient space for the larger -scale recreation options desired by residents. Also, prioritize park acquisition in the key park gaps noted for their "high severity of need" to support the City's equity and environmental justice goals. 7. Develop the Golden Loop and Key Trail Corridors: Coordinate with Santa Ana's Public Works Agency to prioritize development of the Class I and Class IV trails noted in the PMP. While these linear trails do not count as parkland per City definitions, recognize that these trail corridors —even when located along streets or in street rights - of -way —represent one of the most valuable opportunities to increase recreation options and improve park access. 5/17/2022 CHAPTER 8: ACTION PLAN