Tigard Park System Master Plan - City of Tigard

TIGARD PARK SYSTEM MASTER PLAN UPDATEIV. NEEDS ANALYSISThe purpose of the assessment is to establish in quantifiable terms theneed for park-related amenities, recreation facilities, and programs in theCity of Tigard. These needs are based on the resources that exist and thosethat are desired for the future. For this reason, the identification of parkand recreation needs is inextricably intertwined with the planningcontext for existing resources and the community’s vision for the future.This chapter summarizes the results of the needs assessment. The chapteralso notes increasing community demand for recreation programming.The park and recreation needs identified here, along with the publicinvolvement findings in Chapter 3, provide a foundation for the goals andobjectives identified in Chapter 6.PARKLAND NEEDSThe need for parkland in each category was analyzed based on ageographic model of park access, the standards for comparablecommunities, public involvement findings and the trends observed inpark systems throughout the western states. This multi-faceted approachidentifies specific needs for parkland and reflects community preferencesfor the park system.At the time of the 1999 Park System Master Plan, Tigard’s population was37,000. By 2007, the population had reached 46,715. For the purposes ofthis plan update, a moderate growth is assumed at 1.5% per year resultingin a 2028 population of approximately 63,042 people. This futurepopulation is consistent with Metro projections. These populations wereused to analyze the level of service (LOS) standards. The parkland analysisdeveloped existing and proposed level of service standards, expressed interms of acres of land per 1,000 persons in the City of Tigard, for eachpark type. However, no standard was proposed for pocket parks or specialuse areas. These park types can be used as substitutes for other parkcategories when there is not the opportunity to have a larger multipurposesite.The analysis of parkland also included a geographic element. The AccessAnalysis Map illustrates ¼ and ½ mile service areas around each park thatprovides basic local park amenities. The map also indicates similar serviceareas for the elementary and middle school sites in Tigard, sites that haveCHAPTER 4 NEEDS ANALYSIS 29