PARKS AND TRAILS | CHAPTER 5
LEVEL OF SERVICE ANALYSIS BY PARK FACILITY CLASSIFICATION
Recreational opportunities help make a community an attractive place to live, work and invest. As outlined earlier in the plan, Cedar Falls’ projected population for 2030 is 48,762. Table 5.2 identifies the needs for neighborhood and community parks as- sociated with this population increase, based on local Levels of Service (LOS). This section assesses park needs for the year 2030 according to two different method- ologies:
• Neighborhood and community park needs based on Existing Level of Service (LOS) in Cedar Falls. This is the preferred methodology.
○ This methodology suggests a need for an additional 16.8 acres of neighborhood parks and 140.5 acres of community parks, for a total of 157.3 acres additional parkland.
• Neighborhood and community park needs based on the National Parks and Recre- ation Association (NRPA) LOS. This method is included for reference purposes, however, local LOS (above) is the preferred guide.
○ This methodology suggests a need for 27.9 acres of additional neighborhood parks and 0 acres of community parks, for a total of 27.9 acres additional parkland.
Several factors must be considered when determining a neighborhood and com- munity parkland needs, including gaps in service coverage and new community demands. Please note that this analysis does not cover physical factors such as geo- graphic location of parks, accessibility, service area, and park facilities (covered in the following section). Needs for specialty or regional parks are also not included, as those needs are less directly related to population growth. Finally, estimates for fu- ture park needs based on existing levels of service must take into account park ser- vice levels that are currently very high. Cedar Falls currently provides almost twice as much community parkland as national standards suggest. The “population pro- portion” method may therefore overestimate the need for additional community parks in Cedar Falls, and the need may be less than 140 acres. Geographic service areas, analyzed in the following section, will help clarify additional parkland need.
GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION
In order to provide equitable park service for all citizens, park facilities should be well distributed throughout all geographic areas. Figure 5.2 illustrates the location and service radius of Cedar Falls’ neighborhood and community parks. Each park classification has a different service radius, ranging from less than 1/4 mile for mini parks with limited use, up to 3 miles for community parks with a wider draw. (Spe- cial use parks often serve much larger areas, and are therefore not evaluated ac- cording to a specific service radius.) For the purposes of this analysis, only neigh- borhood and community parks are documented, using both a 1/4 mile and 1/2 mile service radius for both categories. The analysis excludes mini parks since their use is discouraged (due to maintenance issues) and excludes regional/specialty parks which do not typically serve the function of a neighborhood hub and every-day recreation service.
83
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174 |
Page 175 |
Page 176 |
Page 177 |
Page 178 |
Page 179 |
Page 180 |
Page 181 |
Page 182 |
Page 183 |
Page 184 |
Page 185 |
Page 186 |
Page 187 |
Page 188 |
Page 189 |
Page 190 |
Page 191 |
Page 192 |
Page 193 |
Page 194 |
Page 195 |
Page 196 |
Page 197 |
Page 198 |
Page 199 |
Page 200 |
Page 201