Comprehensive Plan - Carbondale, IL

Adopted June 22, 2010Park Service AreasEvaluating service areas is an effective means of determining if the parks are welllocatedrelative to their users. While some communities have sufficient, or evenan abundance of parkland, the location of these opportunities plays a crucial rolein determining the effectiveness of the entire park system. This analysis allowsidentification of those areas of the community that have sufficient park areasavailable and, more importantly, those that are in need of parks and recreationareas and facilities in closer proximity to neighborhoods.Depicted in Map 2.2, Park Service Areas, are service area buffers around all existingparks. The service areas are shown separately to emphasize the difference in servicearea coverage based on the type of park. In some cases, such as the Superblock /Doug Lee Fields, parks are multi-use destinations, serving as both a communitypark and a neighborhood park for nearby residents.From a purely locational standpoint, the analysis indicates that, within the Citylimits, the developed areas of the eastern side of the community are fairly wellserved by the existing neighborhood parks system. On the west side, there is anavailability of community level parks that serve the local neighborhoods. However,some of the older neighborhoods near the City core and the fringes of the community,especially in the northwest, are deficient in park resources.Comprehensive PlanFindings of the service area analysis for each park type include:• Community parks have a primary service area of one mile, meaning that amajority of persons utilizing these area-wide parks generally reside within thisradius. As illustrated by Map 2.2, Park Service Areas, Carbondale currently hasfour community parks. While their associated service areas cover most of theCity limits, the central areas of the community have limited coverage. Sincethere is limited opportunity for creating a new community park in the nearDowntown neighborhoods, the community park needs might be met throughbetter access to the existing community parks. As future development takesplace in these areas, it will be important that commensurate trail and bikewayimprovements occur.• Illustrated in Map 2.2, Park Service Areas, are the one-half mile service areas ofthe four neighborhood parks, as well as the one-eighth mile service areas of thenatural areas maintained by Green Earth. The intent is to have well-distributedand evenly spaced neighborhood parks in close proximity to residential areas.As displayed, the current array of neighborhood parks provides good coveragein most places, with the exception of the original core of the City. However,under-served areas exist as pockets on the fringe areas of the City. For example,there is limited coverage along the spine of U.S. 51. Other areas currentlyunder served are located in the northwestern and far western portions of theCity. However, these areas are still sparsely developed and may not necessarilyneed additional neighborhood parks until more development occurs. As newresidential development occurs throughout the periphery of the City, there willbe a need for additional neighborhood parks to serve these new developments.• As shown in Map 2.2, Park Service Areas, natural areas have a limited servicearea of one-eighth mile, and, by nature, they serve the needs of people livingin their immediate vicinity. While these parks tend to benefit a relativelylimited population, they provide an additional form of recreation for nearbyresidents. These passive park areas complement the Park District’s more active2.13Land Use Character and Community Growth