Page 165 - parks-master-plan

• Developers’ plans for park development are not always created with long-term costs or total community interests in mind.

Strategies

• Park design, whether done by developers or the City of Dublin, must be reviewed with the long-term cost of maintenance. The financial commitments required for upkeep of public land mass should be known prior to development.

• Maintenance and functionality of park land must be given equal weight to aesthetics when evaluating development plans.

• Designs that create disproportional maintenance costs should be altered before implementation.

Policy 2: Incorporate long-term financial considerations into park planning

Issue

• As parks develop and as land is acquired, operating budgets must keep pace with the additional areas of responsibility.

Strategies

• Convert selected areas of existing turf grass to a more naturalized

environment and track any resulting

cost savings to better prepare future budgets.

• Develop operating impact statements for all future park developments to give Council more information on projected maintenance and other costs before the decision-making process.

• Work during the design process to offset future financial needs. For example, creating more natural areas reduces budgetary needs while providing benefits to the natural environment.

Policy 3: Balance wants with needs in park design

Issues

• Community scale and intelligent park design can get lost during the process of soliciting public input about park development. Individual

neighborhoods’ desired elements may not be in the best interest of the overall community.

• Certain amenities desirable from an environmental or City perspective (e.g., meadows and prairies) may not be considered desirable by residents.

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