2006 Parks, Trails and Open Space Plan - City of Lakeville

Chapter
6
ANALYSIS AND RECOMMENDATION
Introduction
This chapter provides the analysis of future parks, trails and open space needs along
with recommendations for addressing these needs. This chapter applies the park, trail
and open space classification standards and policies outlined in previous chapters of
this plan to the growth and land use expectations identified in the Lakeville 1998
Comprehensive Plan. In analyzing future facility needs through 2030, consideration was
given to the following factors:
• Comparison of growth against national park standards.
• Continued integration of school facilities within the Lakeville park and trail system
to avoid duplicate investment in park and recreation facilities.
• On-going development and upgrade in the trail system to improve access to City
parks and expand the service areas of existing or planned facilities.
• Integrate the analysis of park needs with the Comprehensive Land Use Plan to
identify park, trail and open space needs based on future land use, population
growth and distribution, transportation planning, MUSA staging, and
environmental protection.
Comparison With Accepted National Norms
Table 16, Recommended Facility Standards, summarizes by activity the recommended
physical design standards, per capita recommendations and service radius for a wide
variety of recreational activities. While these standards can be applied to existing
conditions, their real asset is as a planning tool in establishing needs for future planning
horizon years. Application of the standards will occur in subsequent analysis sections
to reaffirm community trends or as a tool in guiding Lakeville decision-makers.
The following analysis provides a comparison of Lakeville’s park system with standards
established by the National Park and Recreation Association. The national standards
provide the foundation for the City’s park standards pertaining to park classification
service areas and per capita acreage. This comparison provides a general benchmark
for evaluating the adequacy of the existing system as well as forecasting future need.
Following this general comparison, a more detailed evaluation of the City’s various park
classification and search need was conducted to address park and recreation issues
unique solely to Lakeville.
City of Lakeville, Minnesota
Chapter Six
2006 Comprehensive Parks, Trails, & Open Space Plan Page 103