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CC - ACTION ITEM: Adoption of a Resolution Adopting the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department’s 15-year Culver City Parks Plan.
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Meeting Date: February 10, 2025
Contact Person/Dept.: Adam Ferguson, Senior Management Analyst / PRCS Department
Phone Number: (310) 253-6685
Fiscal Impact: Yes [] No [x] General Fund: Yes [] No [x]
Attachments: Yes [X] No [ ]
Public Notification: (E-Mail) Meetings and Agendas - City Council (02/04/2025); (E-mail) Parks, Recreation & Community Services Department Updates (02/04/2025)
Department Approval: Ted Stevens, PRCS Director (01/21/2025)
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt a resolution adopting the Parks, Recreation and Community Services (PRCS) Department’s 15-year Culver City Parks Plan (“Parks Plan”).
BACKGROUND
At the City Council Meeting on May 8, 2023, the City Council directed staff to proceed with a parks master plan in conjunction with the feasibility study for Bill Botts Fields and Veterans Memorial Park. The City Council selected OLIN as the consultant to prepare the Parks Master Plan. The Parks Master Plan project schedule included four specific time frames:
• Information Gathering
• Early Ideas
• Draft Plan
• Final Plan
During the information gathering section of the project, there were three community meetings with the public. At the meetings, the public was able to ask questions directly to the project team and express any concerns they have for changes to the parks and/or current amenities and conditions. The meetings included interactive boards of each park in Culver City allowing participants to leave comments pertaining to each park. Attendees also were given the opportunity to express thoughts on the current PRCS program offerings by sharing PRCS programs they use the most and what PRCS programs they would like to see offered. Two of the meetings were in-person and held at the following locations and times:
• Syd Kronenthal Park - May 1, 2024, from 6:00 PM-8:00 PM.
• El Marino Park - May 14, 2024, from 6:30 PM-8:30 PM.
A virtual meeting was also held on May 2, 2024, via Zoom.
Throughout the early ideas section, there were planned pop-up events at various locations in the City in order to received feedback from the public. These locations included:
• The Farmer’s Market in Downtown Culver City
• Dances for the Developmentally Disabled (DDD) at the Senior Center
• Love Local x Helms Market in the Arts District
• Movies in the Park at Fox Hills Park
• Fiesta La Ballona
• Culver City Senior Center
There was also a Virtual Lunch Update on the Parks Plan at 12:00 PM on July 23, 2024.
As part of the draft plan section, two community meetings were scheduled to introduce the draft of the Park Plan to the public at the following locations and times:
• Culver West Alexander Park - September 24, 2024, from 6:00 PM-8:00 PM.
• Lindberg Park - October 2, 2024, from 6:30 PM-8:30 PM.
A virtual meeting was scheduled for October 3, 2024, from 6:00 PM-8:00 PM.
In addition to the community meetings, the public provided written comment from September through November 5 on the draft plan and any proposed improvements to the individual parks.
Planning Context and Documents
OLIN has also met with staff in various City departments including PRCS, Planning and Development, and Public Works in order to better understand departmental needs, goals, and projects across the City. In addition, OLIN has met with the Culver City Arts Foundation and the Culver City Historical Society in order to better understand those organizations’ goals and how those goals intersect with the City’s parks.
In addition to meeting directly with staff, the following City documents were reviewed during the information gathering section and when applicable incorporated into the Parks Plan:
• General Plan 2045 (2024)
• Urban Forest Master Plan (2015)
• Parks and Recreation Master Plan Update (2009)
• Stormwater Quality Master Plan (2021)
• Hazard Mitigation Plan (2023)
• Culver City Emergency Operations Plan (2024)
• Strategic Plan (2018)
• Bicycle & Pedestrian Action Plan (2020)
• Culver City Complete Streets Design Guidelines (2024)
• Microgrid Feasibility Report (2019)
• Energy Action Plan (2016)
• Culver City Turf Report (2019)
• Feasibility Study for Veterans Memorial Park and Bill Botts Fields (2024)
DISCUSSION
PRCS operates and maintains Culver City’s eleven parks and two parkettes. This includes offering recreation programming at park sites, organizing and offering sports programs, and maintaining sports fields and passive grass areas. The intent of the Culver City Parks Plan is to envision the next generation of Culver City’s parks by analyzing areas of need and opportunity through the lens of equity and the plan proposes improvements for facilities, amenities, and programming. The Plan supports a community-driven vision, mission and various goals for the PRCS department.
The Parks Plan is currently available online at <https://bit.ly/ccparksplan2025>. This link also is available as Attachment 1.
Vision, Mission, and Goals
The vision in the Parks Plan is an aspirational statement of what the ideal future is like for the parks in Culver City. The Parks Plan states as the vision “Parks are the heartbeat of Culver City, bringing together people of all ages and backgrounds to recharge and inspire joy in vibrant natural environments that honor our shared history and community.”
The mission defines what the PRCS Department does or stands for from day to day. The Parks Plan states that the mission is “To provide for the well-being of Culver City residents by supporting diverse, safe, and equitable opportunities for recreation, learning, and arts while protecting our most valued natural and cultural resources.”
The goals of the plan are broken down with actions and methods in order to ground the large concepts in the goals and give PRCS the steps, tools, and ability to meet each goal. The goals are:
• Provide equitable access to parks and park facilities.
• Increase capital budget funding and staff longevity.
• Integrate sustainability and climate resiliency into parks management, design, and construction.
• Preserve and enhance natural habitats by supporting biodiversity and ecosystem connectivity.
• Strengthen recreational, arts, and cultural programming for all ages.
Proposed Park System and Amenities Upgrades
The Parks Plan addresses each park in Culver City that is overseen by PRCS by listing the needs of each park and proposing improvements. It also identifies which park has stormwater opportunities and what size that specific stormwater project could be (from on-site systems to simpler water use tracking).
Committee and Commission Approval
On August 14, 2024, the Disability Advisory Committee (DAC) received a presentation from OLIN concerning the goals and public feedback for the Parks Plan. At that meeting, the DAC gave feedback to OLIN concerning park needs for the disabled population. They reported to OLIN on key concerns that should be considered when discussing and prioritizing site-specific projects. On October 9, 2024, the DAC brought a discussion of the Parks Plan back to their meeting in order to give updates having spent the previous months reviewing a draft of the Plan. These updates and recommendations were incorporated into the early drafts of the Parks Plan.
On November 13, 2024, the Planning Commission reviewed a draft version of the Parks Plan, listened to public comment concerning the Parks Plan, and received correspondence from the public. After their discussion, which included public outreach, specific park projects, and the Feasibility Study for Veterans Memorial Park and Bill Botts Field, the Planning Commission unanimously voted to recommend that the City Council adopt the resolution adopting the Parks Plan.
On December 3, 2024, the PRCS Commission reviewed the draft of the Parks Plan in detail and a discussion ensued concerning the layout of the document, specific pictures that appeared in the document, site specific projects, and overall goals of the document. On January 7, 2025, the Parks Plan returned to the PRCS Commission to review the changes that were made after their December meeting. At that meeting, the PRCS Commission unanimously voted to recommend City Council adopt a resolution adopting the Parks Plan.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
There is no fiscal impact related to adopting the Parks Plan. Funding for future projects that come out of the Parks Plan has not been determined or identified.
ATTACHMENTS
1. 2025-02-10 - ATT 1 Link to Culver City Parks Plan Document
2. 2024-02-10 - ATT 2 Resolution Adopting Parks Plan (Large file including Culver City Parks Plan as Exhibit A)
MOTION
That the City Council:
Adopt a resolution approving and adopting the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department’s 15-year Culver City Parks Plan.