The Carlsbad City Council adopted an updated plan on Tuesday that will guide parks and recreation priorities through 2030 based on community feedback, industry trends, city demographics and other factors. The City Council also voted for staff to prioritize the development of additional pickleball courts in Carlsbad and to focus on building new courts, not converting existing tennis courts.

Under the new Parks & Recreation Department Master Plan, the city will continue major investments initiated under the previous master plan, approved in 2015. This includes completing Carlsbad's newest and largest park to date, Veterans Memorial Park, near the corner of Cannon Road and Faraday Avenue. At 94 acres, it's more than twice as big as Carlsbad's next largest park, Poinsettia Community Park. It's currently expected to be completed by 2026.

The next park after that will be Robertson Ranch Park at the corner of Cannon and El Camino Real. The city just started the planning process, which began with getting initial input from the community on the park's design.

Thousands of community members provided input on the department's master plan update through community meetings and a scientific survey representing Carlsbad's adult population within a +/- 5% margin of error.

The survey found that most residents say their need for parks is being met and 9 out of 10 rate the condition of parks, fields and facilities as good or excellent. Residents said more shade, lighting and family picnic areas would make Carlsbad parks even better. After community and neighborhood parks, the next most important types of parks and facilities were off-leash dog parks, outdoor swimming pools and outdoor pickleball courts.

Under the city's previous Parks & Recreation Department Master Plan, the city completed several new and expanded parks and recreation projects, representing a total investment of more than $25 million, including:

• The city's first outdoor pickleball courts, an arena sports field, and an expanded playground at Poinsettia Community Park
• A new dog park, along with an added restroom at Poinsettia Community Park
• A new community center, ornamental gardens and community garden at Pine Avenue Community Park
• An adult fitness circuit and picnic areas at Calavera Hills Community Park
• A gathering space with a stage, picnic areas, catering facilities and restrooms at Aviara Community Park

During this time, the city also oversaw the development of a new neighborhood park at the site of the former Buena Vista Reservoir in northern Carlsbad. A major renovation of the Monroe Street Pool, which would double the number of swimming lanes, is currently being designed. A new community garden at Stagecoach Park is expected to be completed by mid-summer 2024.

Future funding
The updated plan reflects the fact that the city is not projecting the same level of growth as it has seen in the past, meaning developer fees to fund new amenities will be less. In addition, the city is currently projecting a General Fund structural deficit in the coming years. As a result, the city is looking for opportunities to reduce ongoing spending and enhance revenues to close that gap.

The updated plan calls for staff to study options to potentially change developer fees so more money is available for future projects. In addition to construction costs, new parks and facilities would require funding on an ongoing basis for maintenance and operations. Results from the developer fee study will be presented to the City Council when it's complete.

Park planning
The City Council also discussed how the city determines if it has enough parks. Recently, a citizens committee studying growth management recommended keeping the current park standard of 3 acres per 1,000 residents. But the committee also wanted the city to explore the feasibility of creating and implementing a standard based on how far each Carlsbad resident lives from a park. The City Council asked staff to present information about a standard based on distance when it presented the updated master plan.

At Tuesday's meeting, city staff showed a Carlsbad map with circles around parks showing a ½ mile radius, which would be about a 10-minute walk, depending on the route. Including city owned parks, city owned anticipated parks, other city owned recreational areas, state owned parks (i.e., beaches), and recreational areas the city required developers to build as part of new neighborhoods, most of the city is within the ½ mile radius.

Next steps
City staff will begin implementation of the projects and initiatives listed in the short term and ongoing strategic action sections of the department's master plan update, with some projects coming back to the City Council for additional approvals and funding as needed.

More information
2023-2030 Parks & Recreation Department Master Plan Update
Parks & Recreation Department Master Plan webpage
Parks & Recreation Department, parksandrec@carlsbadca.gov