1

Master Plan Process

Introduction Assessment Community Need

The Park Citys Future

Connect Enhance Expand

Project Schedule
4 5

1: Framework
Kick-off & Stakeholder Interviews 2011 Parks Inventory Needs Assessment Existing Conditions Analysis Community Survey Development

2: Concepts
Develop 3 Scenarios Plan Refinement Draft Action Plan Launch Public Outreach

3: Master Plan
Final Master Plan Implementation Strategy

APRIL

MAy

JUNE

JULy

AUGUST

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

Community Public Survey Meeting #1 Public Meeting #1 Public Meeting #2 #1

Kick Off

Client Review

Parks Board

Stakeholder WorkSession

Client Review

Stakeholder Worksession

Client Review

Stakeholder Worksession

Client Leadership
6

Stakeholder Group
Board of Parks Commissioners Public Facilities-Charles Carroll + Ted Grabarz Parks Manager-Andy Valeri Recreation Superintendent-Luann Conine Tree Warden/Urban Forester-Steve Hladun Planning & Economic Development-Bill Coleman; Donald Eversley, Director of Planning and Economic Development Neighborhood/NRZ Coordination-Angie Staltero Downtown Special Services District-Rick Myers Bridgeport Regional Business Council-Paul Timpanelli Historic Preservation Commission-Stuart Sachs Small and Minority Business Resource Office-Deborah Caviness Lighthouse Program, Office of Education and youth-Tammy Pappa Greater Bridgeport Regional Business Council-Brian Bidolli City Council-Lydia Martinez, Martin C. McCarthy, Susan Brannelly, Denese Taylor-Moye, Anderson Ayala, Robert S. Walsh, M. Evette Brantley, Howard Austin, Sr., Thomas C. McCarthy, Michelle Lyons, AmyMarie Vizzo-Paniccia, Warren Blunt, Richard Bonney, Angel M. DePara, Jr., Carlos Silva, Manuel Ayala, Richard M. Paoletto, Jr., Robert Curwen, James Holloway, Andre F. Baker
7

Mayor Bill Finch Charles Carroll, Parks Director & Public Facilities Director Ted Grabarz, Sustainability Director & Deputy Director of Public Works Steve Hladun, Project Coordinator Mike Nidoh, Director of Planning Board of Parks Commissioners: James Brideau, James Giles, Banjed Labrador, Mark Marko, Frank A. Mercaldi, Ann E. Owens, Rosa, Cruz

Sasaki
Jason Hellendrung-Managing Principal Gina Ford-Design Principal Brie Hensold-Project Manager, Planner Eamonn Hutton-Landscape Architect Stephen Gray-Urban Designer

Heller & Heller

Barbara Heller-Parks & Recreation Planner

Previous Planning & Ongoing Projects

Master Plan of Conservation and Development (2008)
downtown Jobs Neighborhoods Education Infrastructure Environment

BGreen 2020
Green Energy Greenfields & Green Spaces & Buildings Green Wheels Water resources Waste, Materials & recycling Businesses & Jobs Marketing

New Parks Amenities and Improvements

2011 Parks Master Plan

Schools Renovations Knowlton Park Black Rock & South End Bike Paths CDBG Public Park Improvements: Svirha, Waterview, McGovern Washington Park and Knowlton Park Funds Complete Streets

New Signage Complete Streets Surprise, its Bridgeport

7 NRZ Plans Potential Downtown Playground Glenwood Tennis Court Improvements

Community Survey
66

114 online responses to date Top 3 parks for improvement - Seaside, Pleasure Beach, Veterans Memorial Park Popular future amenties - playgrounds, splash pads, picnic shelters, swimming facilities

67

PArKS ProGrAM
Needs Assessment and Potential Program

2011 Inventory Assessment

32 33

Standards

Parks Inventory
2011 Parks data updated through consultations with Client, site visits, GIS and other data

Need

Z - X X
BPT

Parks Classification
y
NRPA

Z
SA/HH

Based on MP Conservation and Development: Mini-parks, neighborhood, community, regional, and special use parks

System Benchmarking
Park acreage for system and types benchmarked against peer cities (similar population) and aspirant, large systems nationally

NPRA standards adjusted for Bridgeports specific needs National Parks and Recreation standards Existing condition in Bridgeport Today

Park Assessment
Park types compared against national standards and recommendations by consultant team

Park Element Assessment

Park Elements compared against national standards and recommendations by consultant team

34

Washington, DC

1,346 acres 45+ parks

Mini parks speCial Use regional parks CoMMUniTY parks

Park System City Comparisons

Miami

Lawrence Lowell Hartford Waterbury Providence Bridgeport Miami Worcester Buffalo New Haven Pittsburgh Oakland Baltimore Minneapolis Boston

National Standards

neigHBorHooD parks

Lawrence Providence Lowell Baltimore Buffalo Bridgeport Boston Hartford Oakland Pittsburgh Worcester Waterbury Washington, DC Minneapolis New Haven
totAl ACreAge

96

1,436
BPT NRPA

totAl ACreAge

ACreS / 1,000 reSIDentS

1,442 1,442
SA/HH

10

20

8,000

4,000

35

Parks Diversity
36

Mini-park <1% Neighborhood Park 6% Community Park 22% Regional Park 65% Special Use Park 7%

37

% of total Acreage
Mini Special Use Neighborhood

COMMUNITy

REGIONAL

5 Park types

regional parks CoMMUniTY parks neigHBorHooD parks Mini parks speCial Use

Park Type Assessment

38 39

Mini-park
Strategic interventions
67 NA 203

Neighborhood Park
216 289

Highest need for more neighborhood parks

4.4 bPt

72 nrPA SA/hh

86 bPt nrPA SA/hh

Community Park
Full city is within the service radius of a community park, but additional need exists due to dense population base

mInI-PArK totAl ACreAge

neIghborhooD PArK totAl ACreAge

regional Park
Minor need for additional regional park space

Special use Park

286 291 bPt nrPA 1,082 577 26 286 551 SA/hh bPt nrPA 1,082 577

Recommendations will vary according to opportunity and community input

SA/hh

CommunIty PArK totAl ACreAge

regIonAl PArK totAl ACreAge

Field Sports
42

4
43

25

29 29

17

14

14

BPT NRPA SA/HH

BPT NRPA SA/HH

bASebAll/ SoFtbAll

FootbAll/ SoCCer

Court Sports
17 11 24 29 29 24
BPT

72 48
NRPA SA/HH

1 4
BPT

NA

BPT NRPA SA/HH

NRPA SA/HH

bASKetbAll

tennIS

volleybAll

Play
2 1 2 3 5 5 2 1 7 3 2 1 7 3

53 19 115 72

1 1

BPT NRPA SA/HH BPT NRPA SA/HH

BPT NRPA SA/HH

BPT NRPA SA/HH

BPT NRPA SA/HH

PlAy grounDS ICe SKAtIng rInK

# leISure ACtIvItIeS

SPrAy PAD

InDoor Pool outDoor Pool

# PlAy FACIlItIeS

Leisure
2 1 3
boCCe

# CourtS

# FIelDS

12
BPT

7
BPT

BPT

NRPA SA/HH

NRPA SA/HH

NRPA SA/HH

horSeShoeS

ShelterS

44

Park Need

Population Density

Nearly half of City neighborhoods are underserved (under 10% land area for parks)Black Rock, Boston Ave/ Mill Hill, Brooklawn/St. Vincent, Downtown, East Side, Hollow, Reservoir/ Whiskey Hill, West End/ West Side.

45

-2008 Master Plan

Car Access

Needs Assessment
6.8 acres of open space per 1000 residents vs. the regional average of 8.5 / 1000 12% of the population does not live within a 10-minute walk of any open space. Only approximately 4 of its 22 miles of waterfront are currently publicly accessible.

Diversity

Income

Access and Need

46 47

BGreen 2020, Need Assessment

14

30 1

16

36

23

Access to Parkland Within the City

Bridgeport Parks Department, US Census, RPA

20 2 6 19 24 33 10 8 22 12 7 38 25 27 17 40 39 29

35

15

37

18

26

11

41 21 28

13 31

32

Parcels within a 1/3-mile walk of a park Bridgeport Parks within a 1/3-mile walk of a school Bridgeport Public Schools

Park Need 0 20 20 40 40 50 60 80 80 100

*Park need is a composite index of income, race/ethnicity, age, residential density, and auto ownership, based on census data.

BGreen 2020 A Sustainability Plan for Bridgeport, Connecticut

31

15 minute walk

HIGH

LOW

Parks Spending & Revenue

58

Operations/Staff
Parks Maintenance Staff-14 Recreation Staff-3 Best Practice Maintenance Standard -1 employee / 15 acres Usual Maintenance Standard-1 employee / 18-22 acres
59

Parks spending is low as measured against peers and other cities Revenues largely come from the Golf Course, with other revenues from checkpoints, rentals, and annual stickers

$25,000

$300 $150
$1,530

$12,500

Boston

Oakland

Miami

Minneapolis

Baltimore

New Haven

Pittsburgh

Hartford

Waterbury

Washington, DC

SPenDIng Per ACre oF PArKS

Washington, DC

Minneapolis

New Haven

Pittsburgh

Waterbury

Bridgeport

SPenDIng Per reSIDent on PArKS

Bridgeport

Boston

Oakland

Baltimore

Hartford

Buffalo

Buffalo

0
Miami

$14

$2.5 M $2 M $1.5 M $1 M 0.5 M 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 0
OTHER GOLF COURSE reCreAtIon mAIntenAnCe

20

3 14
BPT

22
COMPS

47

63
BEST PRACTICE

NATL. USUAL STND.

totAl AnnuAl revenueS

tHE FuturE oF PArK CItY

3 Potential Scenarios for Bridgeport Parks & Recreation

70

3 Plan Scenarios

Scenarios
Stories about how Bridgeports future might unfold A method for finding appropriate movements down each path
71

Needs Assessment

Stakeholder Interviews

Community Input & Refinement

Community Survey

Client Direction

Connect
Connect by Water
Pequonnock River & yellow Mill Creek Pleasure Beach link & Captains Cove / South End access

Connect by Infrastructure
Implement bike lanes, complete streets, sidewalks maintenance Focus on east-west connections

Connect with New Parks

Create a linear park system east-west across the city and the Pequonnock River

LINEAR PARK ALONG INFRASTRUCTURE (COMMONS PARK, DENVER)

HELEN ST

Yellow Mill Creek Today...

BOSTO

N AVE

REMINGTON ARMS

DAMS DISRUPT FISH MIGRATION (GLENWOOD PARK)

LACK OF PUBLIC ACCESS ALONG CREEK CORRIDOR

CHANNELIZED WATER CORRIDOR

Imagine Yellow Mill Creek...

80 81

BOSTO

N AVE

REMINGTON ARMS

DEVELOPMENT SPURRED ALONG RESTORED CREEK

PUBLIC RECREATION AND ACCESS

UNIQUE LANDSCAPE

Sliver by the River Today...

TRAIN STATION

R WATE

BUS STATION

SLIVER By THE RIVER

95

FUTURE RELATIONSHIP TO KNOWLTON PARK

ST R

AT F

RD

POTENTIAL BOATING ACCESS

ADJACENT TO MULTIMODAL TERMINAL

Imagine Sliver by the River...

84 WATERFRONT PARK 85

O RD

DESTINATION PLAy

ST R

AT F

PROM

WATERFRONT AMPHITHEATER

ENAD

ACCESSIBLE WATERS EDGE

INFORMAL AMPHITHEATER

DESTINATION PLAyGROUND

90

91

ENHANCE
... Restore and transform the Bridgeport Parks System

Enhance
92 93

Seek Big Wins

Renaturalized large parks Renaturalized waters edge Buffered highway/train corridors and infrastructure

Hyper Parks serve high need areas

Durable materials and a high number of family and child-oriented park amenities

Low Maintenance small parks and infill

DURABLE PLAy FIELD, BROOKLyN

MAIN

Old Mill Green Today...

BRO OKS

LAKEVIEW CEMETERy

ORC

HAR D

BO

STO N

AV

PEM

BRO

KE

LUIS MUNOZ MARIN

OPEN, UNDERUTILIZED PARK SPACE

DIFFICULT TO ACCESS DUE TO TRAFFIC PATTERNS

HELE

HISTORIC TREE CANOPy

MAIN

STREET CLOSING
SK AT E

Imagine Old Mill Green...

97

96

PA

RK

BRO

OKS

IMPROVED CROSSWALKS

DO

G P AR

K
BA

LAKEVIEW CEMETERy
SKE

HAR D

ORC

TB

ALL BA AV E

KE

BO

PEM

BRO

STO N

SKE

TB

ALL PLA y F

STREET CLOSING
IEL D

LUIS MUNOZ MARIN

DOG PARK, COLORADO

PLAy ACTIVITIES

DESTINATION PLAy GROUND

HELE

Beardsley Today...
MAIN ZOO

NO

BL

8 / 25

BUNNELLS POND GLENWOOD

OPEN LAWNS ARE MAINTENANCE-INTENSIVE

NATURAL FEATURES

STREET AND TRAIL CONNECTIONS

Imagine Beardsley...
100

MAIN ZOO

101

NO

BL

8 / 25

BUNNELLS POND GLENWOOD

NATURALIZED LANDSCAPE, MA

TRAILS PROVIDE ACCESS

MINIMAL MOWED EDGES

106

107

ExPANd
... Network and partner to find new opportunities and more efficient maintenance

Expand
108 109

... Pleasure Beach Waterfront

110 111

... Volunteer Clean-ups

112 113

114

... Public parks, schools, and multi-family housing share common grounds

115

116

... Expanded hours, increased access, & maintenance efficiencies

117

122

Expand - Website & Communications

Increase website users access to information with increased organization and a more accessible interface
D WAL
ACCESS TO TOO MUCH INFORMATION CAN BE OVERWHELMING FOR A USER

123

San Francisco worked access to information out successfully - many links are available but a strong visual hierarchy makes sorting through them easy
E AV DEN LIN

R EME E AV E
PA VE K A R

HAVING A PREDICTABLE LAyOUT MAKES READING THROUGH A WEBSITE ENJOyABLE

126

The Branded System Freshkills Park NYC

127

Examples of a complete branded identity system including product packaging, website/newsletter, signage, and advertising billboard.

3 Scenarios for Bridgeports Parks & Recreation System

CoNNECt

ENHANCE

ExPANd