PPTF Presentation
Research, Trends & Community Engagement Summary Report
Slide 1
INTRODUCTION
Purpose & Goals of the Plans
Slide 2
Purpose of the Plans
• The Parks Plan & Recreation Plan will guide the future direction of
parks, facilities, and services over the next ten years
– The Plans are two key planning documents identified in the 2009
Richmond Hill Strategic Plan
• Guided by the People Plan Task Force, the Plans will:
– Follow the priorities of the Strategic Plan
– Provide a strategy for addressing the park and recreational needs of a
more urbanized Town, as envisioned in the 2010 Official Plan
– Reflect the parks, recreational programming and facility needs of the
community
Slide 3
Parks Plan Goals
1. Understand the park and outdoor recreation facility needs of
Richmond Hill’s population
2. Determine where the Town should acquire parkland to ensure that
an appropriate level of parks and outdoor recreation facility services
are provided now and in the future
3. Determine how much parkland and what types of parks the Town
should have in intensification areas
4. Develop a methodology for deciding when and how older parks
should be repurposed to meet the changing needs of the community
Slide 4
Recreation Plan Goals
1. Analyze demographic and socio-economic trends
2. Develop a proactive, innovative, sustainable and synergistic
approach to planning and delivering recreation facilities,
programs and services
3. Provide an understanding of recreation facility assets, programs
and services and identify opportunities for future needs
4. Reflect Richmond Hill’s culturally and demographically diverse
population
5. Test the Town’s recreation needs against best practices and
future trends
6. Set short and long term actions and funding priorities
Slide 5
WORK COMPLETED TO DATE
Background Research
Community Profile & Emerging Trends
Community Engagement
Slide 6
Summary Report
Project Phasing
• This presentation marks the completion of the Research &
Consultation Phase (Phase One) of development of the Plans
– Research & Consultation
– Collection of baseline data that will help influence future assessments
– Identification of Insights / Existing Strengths to Build Upon
• Subsequent phases will include:
–
–
–
–
Slide 7
Assessments of recreation and park needs
Assessment of the recreational service delivery system
Preparation of Draft and Final Plans
Additional consultations with the public, EMT, and this Task Force
Background Research
A number of documents have been reviewed and their contents will be
integrated into the Plans, as appropriate, to ensure consistency in planning
Provincial Legislation
• Ontario Planning Act
• Provincial Policy Statement
• Greenbelt Plan
Strategic Policy Documents
• Richmond Hill Strategic Plan 2009: A Plan for People,
A Plan for Change
Parkland & Facilities Reports
• Pedestrian & Cycling Master Plan
• Parkland Background Paper
• Parkland Dedication Rate Review
• Parks & Recreation Department Pricing Policy
• Richmond Hill’s Cultural Plan
Slide 8
• Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe
• Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan
• York Region Official Plan
• Richmond Hill Official Plan
• Ice Allocation Procedures 2012/2013
• Community Group Use of Indoor Facilities Analysis & Pricing
• Assessment of Parkland & Outdoor Recreation Facilities in
the Town of Richmond Hill
Community Profile & Trends
• Over the ten year planning period, Richmond Hill is forecasted to
grow by over 41,000 residents (2012 population = 192,000)
• Population growth will place pressures on existing parks, facilities
and programs, and potentially generate the need for new ones
– Areas where population is expected to change the most will be most
susceptible to pressures for more or different services
• Population segmentation (e.g. incomes, ethnicities, ages, etc.) will
influence what types of parks, facilities and programs are required
• A number of broad-based demographic, societal and topic-specific
trends will be considered when assessing needs
Slide 9
Community Engagement
Engagement Tool
Date (2012)
Participants
Launch Event
June 12th
Over 80 people
Online Survey
June 13th to July 6th 181 responses to the questions from the Launch
Household Survey
June 18th to July 6th
387 telephone surveys (random sample)
Written Submissions
Ongoing
8 submissions to date
Stakeholder Survey
June 20th to July 6th 29 returned responses
Sports Focus Groups
July 11th
Special Interests Focus Group July 17th
12 representatives from 11 user groups
15 representatives from 9 user groups
Youth Summit
July 11th
24 youth
Youth Survey
July 11th to 25th
13 responses to similar questions as the Summit
Staff Roundtables
July 17th
Over 50 Town Staff
Interviews
July 11th, 12th, 17th
With Council, EMT, school boards, sports groups, building industry
Upcoming
To be scheduled after Draft Plans are complete
Slide 10
Public Open Houses
WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED SO FAR
From Background Research, the Community Profile & Emerging Trends, and Community Engagement
Slide 11
From Background Research...
The Parks & Recreation Plans must align with the Strategic Plan and its Goals,
with the following examples potentially showing how this may be achieved:
– Providing Leadership: showcasing the Town’s role as a steward of the
environment
– Engaging the Community: ongoing community engagement in parks and
recreation planning decisions
– Focusing on Communication: creating effective communication strategies to
market available services
– Aligning our Plans: ensuring accessible and inclusive options are available
– Undertaking New Initiatives: providing an expanded range of choices through
new parkland types and recreation facilities
– Investing in the Community: maximizing the amount of parkland and
naturalized areas, while accommodating appropriate opportunities for social
gathering and unstructured usage
Slide 12
From Background Research...
• The Official Plan defines a more “urban” structure, particularly
within key nodes and corridors
– We need to assess the capability of existing infrastructure to
adequately service new growth areas and their residents
– Parks and recreation services must find a way to fit into higher density
and infill forms of development
– Could result in different forms than we are used to such as smaller
design templates (e.g. urban squares or smaller community centres),
stratified parks and facilities, etc.
Slide 13
From the Community Profile
& Trends Research...
• Population growth likely means that parks and recreation services
will continue to be in high demand
– Over 41,000 new residents forecasted by 2022
– Suggests new and/or enhanced services and facilities may be
required
• Development through intensification and infill will generate
pressures in existing areas where park and facility development or
expansion may be challenging due to land scarcity
– New parkland will be needed in areas where new development is
occurring
• Aging population means more demands for different types of
activities geared to older adults
Slide 14
From the Community Profile
& Trends Research...
• Larger commuter population results in a demand for programs and
permit times at later hours in the evening
– 64% of workforce commutes outside of Richmond Hill
• Lack of time leading to a number of factors including:
– Increased physical inactivity and obesity levels
– Declining participation in volunteer activities and certain organized sports
- in turn, demands for more self-scheduled activities
– More multi-use parks and facilities for ‘one-stop shopping’
• A number of emerging and ‘non-traditional’ activities to meet the
needs of those with different parks and recreational interests
– Focus on inclusivity for persons with disabilities, lower incomes, language
barriers, etc.
Slide 15
From the Community Profile
& Trends Research...
• Aging parks and facilities may not be able to accommodate
increasing pressures from a utilization or design perspective
• New park designs that maximize comfort and safety, respond to
higher density areas (e.g. Urban Squares)
• Increased environmental awareness and stewardship has
implications on facility and program design
• More partnerships and support for volunteers to maximize
community-based delivery of services
Slide 16
From Community Consultations...
Theme
Heard Through
An appreciation for the amount and variety of parks located throughout Richmond Hill
Launch, HHS, Group Survey, Interviews, Focus Groups, Staff Roundtables
Town is home base as residents and groups HHS, Group Survey, Youth Summit
primarily use local parks and recreation services
Connectivity is important as people want improved active transportation choices (trails, bike racks, etc.) to access parks and facilities Launch, HHS, Youth Summit, Staff Roundtables
Some residents want to see new infrastructure HHS, Online Survey, Group Survey, created to meet growth‐related needs
Focus Groups, Interviews, Staff Roundtables
Other residents seek higher quality facilities and not necessarily more facilities
Launch, Group Survey, Focus Groups
More self‐structured activities are wanted
Launch, Online Survey, HHS, Youth Summit, Interviews
Slide 17
From Community Consultations...
Theme
Heard Through
More inclusive and non‐traditional opportunities Launch, Focus Groups, Youth Summit, are being sought
Interviews, Staff Roundtables
Design/redesign parks and facilities with comfort, Launch, Focus Groups, Youth Summit, convenience, choice, variety, and safety in mind Staff Roundtables
Lack of awareness of opportunities / A need to improve overall communication
Launch, Youth Summit, Group Survey, Focus Group, Staff Roundtables
Regularly engage community groups in the planning and design for facilities and services
Youth Summit, Group Survey, Focus Group, Interviews
Develop more creative partnerships with community‐based providers
Launch, Group Survey, Focus Groups, Interviews, Staff Roundtables
Helping groups to develop and maintain local volunteer networks would be of great benefit
Launch, Group Survey, Focus Groups
Slide 18
KEY INSIGHTS
Ideas for Delivering Parks & Recreation Services
Slide 19
Serve the Growing &
Intensifying Population
•
With limited ‘greenfield’ lands, traditional park/facility designs are restricted
– Determine where lands for new parks and facilities will come from
– If park lands are available, evaluate if they are large enough and
conveniently located to support their intended functions
•
Recognize the different needs of different areas (e.g. ‘downtown’ vs. suburb)
– Town has worked with developers to provide new community space in
condominiums in the south end
– Secondary Plans in North Leslie and West Gormley have already identified a
number of new park locations while new parks already acquired in the
Yonge Street and Highway 7 corridors
•
Continue to maximize the sports field supply through use of artificial turf,
enhanced natural turf management practices and addressing unmet needs
through partners such as the school boards
Slide 20
Serve the Growing &
Intensifying Population
Examples of ways to enhance delivery of services in intensified areas:
– Adapt existing facilities to accommodate more usage
– Utilize new and existing community parks to provide a wide range of
use (e.g. Phyllis Rawlinson, Richmond Green, Lake Wilcox Park)
– Integrate Urban Squares and Linear Parks
– Convert underutilized sports fields to higher need uses
– Acquire lands or buildings in built-up areas that can be converted for
park or facility purposes
Slide 21
Adapting to Changing
Community Profiles
Remain apprised of changing market conditions to respond to service
demands through:
– More flexible park and facility layouts to allow for change
– Concentrating multi-use, multi-generational activities at key locations
– Providing a high quality level of service and facility design
– Reconfiguring existing spaces, as done by converting the infrequently
used woodworking shop at the McConaghey Centre into a fitness studio
– Considering ‘non-traditional’ needs such as BMX/dirt bike facilities, tai
chi gardens, skate-zones, barrier-free playground components, etc.
Slide 22
Create Community Hubs
Look at the location of parks and facilities in relation to the markets they
serve to create hubs, considering the following:
– Use parks and facilities as community focal points and destinations
– Continue to integrate theme-based or differentiated parks to define ‘sense
of place’ and create unique experiences
– Evaluate if planned centres and corridors have enough parkland to serve
the thousands of future residents that are expected to live there
– Understand if existing infrastructure in established areas can effectively
continue to meet the needs of surrounding residents
– Determine if multi-use facilities will still be preferred, or if smaller/more
specialized neighbourhood facilities will become the norm
– Define the role that schools, libraries, private parks, etc. will play
Slide 23
Community Development &
Capacity Building Approach
As community expertise already exists to deliver specialized services, apply
community development principles to strengthen the Town’s service delivery
system by:
–Proactively engaging groups in program planning, design and delivery, as
currently done when designing and constructing new parks
–Continuing to stimulate partnerships, networking and collaboration
–Sharing decision-making responsibilities
–Fostering a sense of ownership and empowerment among individuals, groups,
or neighbourhoods
Slide 24
Build Partnerships
•
Find innovative ways to deliver programs and services through
collaboration in order to:
– Address issues and develop solutions
– Reduce service overlaps and gaps
– Maximize limited resources and reduce risk
•
School boards and conservation authorities have historically been key
partners in the delivery of space and services
– Already have shared use agreements, Healthy Schools programs (where
Public Board provides space, Town provides after-school programs)
– Will be especially important to strengthen relationships surrounding
planning, access and maintenance to enable better community usage
Slide 25
Recognizing Demands for
Unstructured Recreation
Demand for unstructured, self-scheduled activities that respond to
interests and time pressures can be (and in many instances is already)
addressed by:
– Incorporating unstructured activities at recreation facilities (e.g. active
living programs, drop-in basketball, sports leagues, etc.) as presently
done at the community centres throughout the day
– Continuing to encouraging spontaneous usage of parks by integrating
skateboard parks, hard surface courts, picnic areas, off-leash parks, etc.
– Flexible program delivery such as providing programs at different times
throughout the week, extending hours of operation, etc.
Slide 26
Remove Barriers to
Participation
To maximize inclusive participation, consideration of:
– Barrier-free access within parks and facilities (e.g. the fully accessible
playground at Crosby Park)
– Financial assistance programs and low-to-no cost program options (e.g.
the partnership with York Region to provide summer camps to children
in families using Ontario Works)
– Promoting awareness to traditional and under-represented market
segments
– Inclusive customer service practices (e.g. ‘youth-friendly’ or accessibility
training, multi-linguistic services, etc.)
– Work with diverse cultural communities to plan for cultural practices
and preferences
Slide 27
Improve the Quality of
Existing Infrastructure
• Continue to improve Richmond Hill’s existing parks and recreation
infrastructure to provide high quality experiences
– As was done with Elgin Barrow and Bond Lake Arenas (which required
structural, mechanical and aesthetic improvements), Crosby Park, etc.
– Land scarcity may necessitate redevelopment of existing infrastructure
due to limited opportunities for new sites
• Evaluate the level of investment required to improve existing parks
and facilities prior to reconstruction or renewal activities
– Recognize that improvements have capital implications, and are not
always development charge eligible
– Opportunities to access grants may come from time to time
– Leveraging partnerships could assist with investment/service delivery
Slide 28
Optimizing Organizational
Efficiencies
• Understand the implications on staffing when evaluating the
expansion of services or spaces
– Population growth and increasingly sophisticated user base will place
added pressures on existing staff resources
– New facilities and parks usually necessitate staff resources to operate
them, as experienced with the Oak Ridges Community Centre and the
additional staff required to support implementation of the Cultural Plan
• Need to enhance organizational effectiveness (e.g. by use of ‘staffing
standards’ or using technology to improve customer service)
Slide 29
Maximize the Role of
Technology
Utilize technology in a variety of ways to deliver high quality services
and enhance capacity through:
– Use of lighting, turf management and/or artificial turf to increase the
number of hours played on a sports field, and potentially free space in
other parks for other needs
– Providing new ways to market the Town’s programs and services (e.g. the
Town uses “e-blasts” to market available ice time)
– Added convenience such as enhanced online registration systems
(similar to the Town’s online permit system for picnics)
– Use of tracking and reporting software (e.g. CLASS) to guide decisionmaking
Slide 30
WHERE WE WILL GO FROM HERE
Next Steps in the Process
Slide 31
Next Steps in the Process
• Receive comments on the Research, Trends & Community
Engagement Summary Report (Phase 1) from the People Plan Task
Force
• Town Staff are already embarking on the Draft Parks Plan, with
presentation targeted to People Plan Task Force in December 2012
• Consultants are beginning to embark on preparation of Draft
Recreation Plan, with presentation to the People Plan Task Force
targeted for early 2013
– Facility needs assessments
– Service, partnerships and operations assessments
– Revenue/funding assessment
Slide 32
Question & Answer Period
Slide 33