Master Plan I

• INTRODUCTION
• EXISTING PARK SYSTEM
• MASTER PLAN POLICIES
• ACTION PROGRAMS
  • Recreation and Open Space Facilities
  • Capital Improvement Plan
  • Operation and Maintenance Plan
  • Financing Strategies

TABLES

• Table 1: Park and Recreation Facility Attributes
• Table 2: Park and Recreation Facilities
• Table 3: Park and Recreation Support Facilities
• Table 4: Park and Recreation Support Services
• Table 5: Total LOS Acreage for Neighborhood, Community and Large Urban Parks
• Table 6: Parks Standards and Acres
• Table 7: Park Operations and Maintenance Costs per Acre

FIGURES

• Figure 1: Master Planning Process
• Figure 2: Existing Conditions Legend and Map
• Figure 3: Salem Park System Master Plan Legend and Map
• Figure 4: Proposed Trail System Map
• Figure 5: Trail System Cross Sections

INTRODUCTION

Great cities build and sustain public parks, protect open space, and offer recreational opportunities to their citizens to provide balance for their fast-paced, urban life-styles in close quarters. Successful cities are able to:

• Contribute to fulfilling the leisure-time needs of their citizens;
• Preserve and protect areas of unique natural and scenic importance for their original and intrinsic value;
• Incorporate environmental stewardship of natural resources into facilities acquisition and development; and
• Maintain a relationship to their past by retaining and caring for their historical sites and structures.

Salem experienced significant growth over the past two decades. The 1978 Park and Recreation Technical Study served as the city's planning tool for parks during that time. Now, with more than 40,000 new residents and major shifts in city revenues, the 1978 study is obsolete. During these two decades, the city has not sufficiently invested in refurbishing existing facilities nor purchasing new ones, resulting in a park system unable to meet present community needs, much less satisfy future open space and recreation demands.

This plan has been developed with awareness of the current and projected tightness of the budget of the City of Salem. Consequently, the Policy Advisory Committee, appointed by City Council, adopted a level of service 20 percent lower than the level of service established by the 1978 Park and Recreation Technical Study. For funding, the plan seeks a commitment to the same percentage of the general fund as has historically been allocated to parks, use of bonding authority consistent with the city bond management plan, and a system development charge attached to new construction.

Full execution of this plan remedies the current deficit and avoids the creation of new deficits as our city grows. To achieve these goals, all three revenue sources: general funds, bonds and SDC's, must be operational. Future funding increases would be proportional to the growth of the system.

To address current and future park and recreation needs for the community, the Salem Department of Community Services developed this Comprehensive Park System Master Plan in 1998 and 1999. The Master Plan contains four volumes:

Volume I Salem Comprehensive Park System Master Plan provides a policy framework and an Action Program to implement the Master Plan policies.

Volume II Planning Process describes the four-phase approach followed to create the Master Plan.

Volume III Comprehensive Park System Master Plan Facilities Assessment is a detailed inventory and evaluation of the condition of all existing city park and recreation facilities.

Volume IV Appendices provide background information and supporting documentation used during the planning phases.

The 1999 Comprehensive Park System Master Plan incorporates the following current park system elements: neighborhood, community, and large urban parks; school/parks; historical properties currently owned and operated, such as Pioneer Cemetery and Deepwood; natural resource areas, such as Minto-Brown Island Park; special use parks, such as Riverfront Park and The Sports Field Complex; and connector trails, such as the Edgewater Parkway. Additionally, a number of relevant planning documents have also been incorporated into this Master Plan which dramatically broadens its scope. Those documents can be found in Volume IV, Appendices, tab 10, Policy Integration Report.

Another aspect of the city's overall landscape is its Street Tree Program. Long recognized as a Tree City USA, Salem provides for its street trees under Chapter 86 of the Salem Revised Code, "Municipal Shade Tree Ordinance." Other landscape issues are dealt with through the Chapter 132 Landscaping Zoning Ordinance. Currently, these ordinances pertain to public rights-of-way and required landscaping of private development, respectively. Since they only peripherally deal with parks and open space needs of our community, they are not included as part of this Comprehensive Park System Master Plan.

This master plan recognizes the need to develop a comprehensive plan for aquatic programs and facilities in the Salem-Keizer area. The City intends to work closely with the Salem-Keizer School District within the current partnership to benefit users of Olinger and Walker pools as potential users of future facilities. This master plan provides the Salem Park and Recreation Advisory Board the opportunity to begin a process to again study and work toward a consensus plan for addressing aquatic programs and facility needs in the Salem area for recommendation to affected jurisdictions.

The Master Plan serves as a planning and administrative guide for the community, City Council, commissions, advisory boards, and city staff. Once implemented, this plan will meet the recreation, parks, and open space needs of Salem residents as the city expands services to support development to Salem's Urban Growth Boundary (UGB). The Master Plan strengthens the Salem Area Comprehensive Plan (SACP) by providing additional detail and direction to it. The Master Planning process is summarized in Figure I-1 on page 4. Additional information about the creation of the Master Plan and supporting data is provided in the remaining three volumes.

EXISTING PARK SYSTEM

Facility Categories

City park and recreation facilities are categorized into eight classifications according to the function they serve for the community. These are:

• Neighborhood parks
• Community parks
• Large urban parks
• School parks
• Special use facilities
• Historic areas
• Natural resource areas
• Connector trails

Each type of facility fulfills a unique mission based upon community recreation, park, and open space needs. These needs are addressed in the Master Plan policies. The location and condition of neighborhood, community, and large urban parks are shown in Figure I-2. Additional detail regarding the inventory and evaluation is provided in Volume II - Planning Process and Volume III - Comprehensive Park System Master Plan Facilities Assessment.

Existing Park System Characteristics

In 1998, Salem's parks, open space, and recreation system contained the following elements:

• 1,628 acres (more than half of which are in Minto-Brown Island Park) serving 126,673 people - a ratio of 5.66 acres/1,000 residents and far below the national standard of 10 to 20 acres/1,000 residents;
• 29 neighborhood parks, of which over 60% do not meet the minimum 5-acre national standard;
• Four community parks, the largest is only 60% of the maximum size recommended by national standards, and the smallest falls beneath that standard;
• Four large urban parks, none of which are in good condition;
• Ten special use facilities, with Riverfront Park and the Sports Field Complex accounting for 65% of the total area;
• Four historic areas, with Pioneer Cemetery representing approximately 80% of the total acreage;
• Three natural resource areas, of which two total less than four acres; and
• Three connector trails totaling just over 14 acres for the entire city.

Based on a 1998 facilities assessment, 98 percent, by acreage, of Salem's existing neighborhood parks are rated as being in less than good condition. None of the existing community parks, large urban parks, existing natural resource areas or existing connector trails are in good condition. When the newest member of the park system, Riverfront Park, is excluded from consideration, none of the special use facilities are in good condition. On the plus side, one of the four existing historic areas, Waldo Park sized at 0.01 acres, is rated in good condition. The location and condition of parks and open space in each of the eight classifications is shown in Figure I-2. Additional detail about the inventory and evaluation is located in Volume II, Planning Process and Volume III, Comprehensive Park System Master Plan Facilities Assessment. Definitions and examples, background information and supporting documentation are provided in Volume IV, Appendices.

While park and recreation facilities are generally well distributed throughout the city, many neighborhoods are not well served. For example, two neighborhood parks totaling less than six acres serve the entire city south of Kuebler Boulevard. No city parks serve the heavily settled area west of Liberty St. and north of Madrona Ave. to Candalaria Blvd. East of Commercial St., two parks which are too small to meet national standards serve the entire area south of Madrona Ave. out to the UGB. Just one neighborhood/school park of less than four acres serves the entire city northwest of Fairgrounds/Portland Road and east of River Road.

Between 1985 and 1998, the city added 32,000 residents and is projected to add as many as 145,752 more people at total development of the present Salem Urban Growth Boundary. Between 1990 and 1998, the city added 71 acres of park land to its inventory and developed two parks. The only neighborhood park developed since 1985 was 1.25 acre Rees Park. Thus, Salem added more than 32,000 people to its population and just 1.25 acres in neighborhood parks since 1985.

* - Existing natural features, that do not reduce a parks potential to meet minimum recreation active use facilities, could be enhanced. Table 1
The attributes listed above are considered guidelines to follow when property is acquired and donations are made to the city. A degree of flexibility must be maintained given the physical limitations which exist within a given service area, such as acceptance of "pocket parks" or other facilities not meeting the basic standard.

Table I-2
Park and Recreation Facilities

X - Basic Requirement
0- Optional Addition
NA - Not Appropriate
Note: This does not preclude the addition of other unlisted facilities as optional.

X - Basic Requirement
0- Optional Addition
NA - Not Appropriate
Note: This does not preclude the addition of other unlisted facilities as optional.

X - Basic Requirement
0 - Optional Addition
NA - Not Appropriate
Note: ADA access is a design issue to be included as part of the intrinsic cost of any applicable basic facility such as a parking lot or playground.

X - Basic Requirement
o - Optional Addition
NA - Not Appropriate
* - Police and/or private security services.

3.1 Access barriers to existing parks and open spaces shall be evaluated and prioritized for removal or mitigation to provide equitable service, after evaluating opportunity costs, to all residents of the community.

3.2 Greenways or similar uninterrupted linkages may be used to supplement park acreage and expand the service radius to provide a viable alternative to acquiring additional neighborhood park land.

3.3 Natural and greenway areas are community assets that should be utilized, when possible, to the highest and best use for the public's recreational and educational benefit. Public access should be developed, when possible, as part of a linear, natural, greenway system when the affected area is in public ownership or encumbered by an easement. Providing access would result in the connection of existing or proposed park facilities and also improve the safety and/or aesthetic quality of an existing trail. Trail improvement shall not endanger or jeopardize threatened or endangered plant or animal species.

3.4 The Master Plan shall provide and utilize on and off-street facilities in a manner that is consistent with the Salem Transportation System Plan.

3.5 Pedestrian, bicycle, and transit shall be encouraged as the primary transportation modes for all park and recreation facilities. For facilities with larger service areas, automobile access from collector or arterial streets and sufficient parking should be provided to mitigate potential adverse impacts under normal use to surrounding properties. New major facilities should be located, where possible, with transit access to minimize traffic impacts and to provide equal access to all city residents.

3.6 An off-street bicycle and pedestrian system of recreation routes between all parks shall be promoted.

4. How do we pay for it?

4.1 The city shall provide a system of improvements that respects the expanding needs of the current and future population with mandated park acreage standards of 2.5 for neighborhood, 2.5 for community, and 3 for large urban parks per 1,000 residents. The city's financial limitations are addressed by reducing the current standard of 5 acres per 1,000 residents for large urban parks to 3 acres and by not establishing mandated acreage standards for special use facilities, historic sites, natural resource areas, or connector trails.

4.2 The city shall fund all growth-related acquisition and development of park facilities in the Master Plan with System Development Charges (SDC's). Facility deficiencies, rehabilitation, and systems expansions beyond those identified as growth-related in the Master Plan, shall be the responsibility of city's residents and shall be funded through a variety of sources, traditionally allocated through the city's general fund or other tax sources, or fee generated sources. However, within the USA (Urban Service Area) (as defined in SRC Chapter 66) deficit and growth related park facilities may be funded from both SDC and non-SDC sources. The city shall adopt a policy which encourages solicitation of land donations along with public and private grants.

4.3 Because the city has the responsibility to meet the community's park and open space needs, priorities will be determined to meet the greatest needs for the least public cost. Cost/benefit analysis techniques should be applied to help guide the city toward reasonable choices.

4.4 Potential park sites shall be acquired early when any of the following conditions exist:

• The proposed site acquisition meets a specific Master Plan requirement.
• An opportunity purchase arising out of a joint acquisition by two or more public departments or agencies will provide multiple community benefits and the city has sufficient cash reserves to acquire the land.
• The purchase takes advantage of other economic and/or timing situations benefiting the public.
  The priorities for growth related facilities within the USA (Urban Service Area) are addressed within SRC Chapter 66.

4.5 The city should accept land donations when the parcel being donated:

• Meets the park needs of the service area as shown in the Master Plan.
• Can be converted and the proceeds retained for other park purposes which include: park land acquisition, development, rehabilitation, and/or maintenance, if it is not identified in the Master Plan.

4.6 The city shall deliver efficient park services by acquiring, developing, and maintaining a system that fairly serves the park needs of all its residents. Reductions in operations and maintenance funding shall be executed on a system-wide basis, where possible, and not as a result of a site or region specific impact.

4.7 Costs for improvements shall be apportioned by special agreement and by determining primary and secondary benefits where multiple public benefits have been identified.

4.8 Sites that serve multiple purposes, such as parks and storm water detention areas shall be managed through good comprehensive design to maximize the total value of both uses.

4.9 The city shall work with the school district to open school property to park users. Many school district properties are under-utilized and shall be expanded and improved to increase public access.

4.10 The Master Plan defines the public's role in providing park and open space facilities, which ensures full and unrestricted access to all residents. Private and public sectors should look for opportunities to meet unmet needs through cooperative agreements.

4.11 The city shall promote opportunities for private programs or facilities, volunteers, and other appropriate methods to supplement and extend the city's resources in developing and maintaining the park system.

4.12 The city shall provide adequate operation and maintenance of the city's park system. To accomplish this the city shall:

a. Consistently look for methods to use available funds as efficiently as possible; and
b. Develop additional revenue sources to finance operations and maintenance.

ACTION PROGRAMS

They are designed to provide equitable service across the city, recognizing geographic as well as population density needs. To do that, Salem needs to:

• Insure the acquisition and/or development of open space and special use facilities, normally not included under levels of service, that are responsive to the community's needs and are obtainable.
• Renovate, upgrade and remove barriers to existing neighborhood, community, and large urban parks and acquire and develop new parks to reach equity and eliminate the deficit.
• Acquire and/or develop an additional 1,066 acres of neighborhood community and large urban park land to serve new homes out to the urban growth boundary.
• Provide financial strategies to address capital and stable operations and maintenance funding requirements.

The Action Program is a four-part implementation strategy for the Master Plan. It is built upon background information gathered during planning phases I and II and guided by the Master Plan policies.

Part 1 Recreation and Open Space Facilities

Existing facilities, present and future recreation and open space needs, and access requirements were evaluated to address the first three policy questions:

Where should parks be built?

What do you want to do in the parks?

How do you want to get to the parks?

Key Elements

Park Facility Categories

The city should provide equitable park, open space and recreation services to all residents. Eight park and open space classifications are established for the comprehensive park system.

Level of Service Standards

Specific minimum Levels of Service (LOS) should be established for the three types of parks which form the backbone of the city park system: standards were created for neighborhood, community, and large urban parks. Minimum levels of service are 8 acres/1,000 residents with 2.5 acres/1,000 residents each for neighborhood and community parks, and 3 acres/1,000 residents for large urban parks. The key element for determining the location, type, and amount of park facilities described in the Action Program are the Level of Service (LOS) standards in Table 1 (pages 10-11). Specific LOS standards were created for neighborhood, community, and large urban parks which form the backbone of the city park system. They were developed after considering planned LOS in the 1985 Technical Study, current LOS in the city, recommended national standards, and LOS provided by other cities in the Pacific Northwest. A brief summary of the LOS findings is available in Volume II - Planning Process and Volume IV - Appendices.

These minimum standards for neighborhood, community, and large urban parks were used to determine current park deficits and future park needs. They specify a minimum level of basic recreation options to all residents and neighborhoods in the city. Specific LOS standards were not developed for the remaining five classifications because of their unique individual character and the significant additional financial obligation they would represent.

These LOS standards are a key element of this Master Plan because they were used to evaluate the adequacy of the present park system and to plan for future park system needs. The city has committed to a LOS for neighborhood, community, and large urban parks only. Without LOS standards, the city would be unable to plan rationally for or finance future improvements to the city park system.

Park Size and Improvement Standards

The Master Plan includes guidelines for park size and improvements so the eight park classifications can provide suitable recreational opportunities to Salem residents. Size standards apply only to neighborhood parks (5-10 acres), community parks (20-50 acres), and large urban parks (over 50 acres.). Any given park site may serve multiple park classification roles, i.e., both a neighborhood and a community park by virtue of having sufficient total size and the variety of improvements to fulfill both functions. Size standards were not developed for school/parks, special use facilities, historic areas, natural resource areas, and connector trails because of their unique character.

Intergovernmental Coordination

The city should seek intergovernmental agreements, such as one with the Salem-Keizer School District, to incorporate existing school district "park type" properties into the Master Plan and embrace opportunities to expand future cooperation for mutual benefit.

Salem Park and Recreation Advisory Board Role

The Salem Park and Recreation Advisory Board will continue to be responsible for making recommendations to the City Council regarding the city's park system. The committee is comprised of nine citizens who are appointed by the City Council. The primary role of the board will be to:

The remaining three parts of the Action Program address the fourth policy question:

4. How do we pay for it?

Part 2 Capital Improvement Plan

Capital expenditures for land acquisition and facility improvements will be necessary to implement the Master Plan policies and provide the parks and recreation system outlined in Part 1 of the Action Plan. The Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) has set three priorities to improve parks and acquire land necessary to implement the Master Plan policies and LOS standards.

• Existing parks will often require facility upgrades and rehabilitation to be consistent with the Master Plan. In addition, removing access barriers (i.e., no crosswalk or sidewalk) between residents and existing parks are included to provide suitable service.
• Deficit refers to the improvements (acreage associated with park facilities) needed to serve the community based on the proposed Level of Service (LOS) for the 1997 city population of 126,673. The 1997 population in the Salem Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) is presently 170,097 (excluding Keizer). Existing undeveloped parks, proposed school/parks, and other proposed facilities are used to fulfill this need. In addition to land acquisition, elimination of existing park system deficit will be accomplished by rehabilitation and upgrading existing facilities and removing access barriers.
• Growth refers to the park facility acreage which will be needed to respond to growth through build out to the UGB based on the proposed LOS. The population within the present Salem UGB is expected to grow to 218,860 by the year 2020. When this same area is fully developed beyond 2020, a total population of 272,425 is possible based on existing and planned residential densities. Existing county parks and proposed school/parks outside the current city limits and within the UGB, as well as other proposed new sites can fulfill this need. In sections of the UGB that are partially developed, new park facilities may be needed to correct present deficiencies as well as accommodate future growth. For additional detail regarding the improvements and land acquisition assumptions, see Volume II - Planning Process.

Priority 1 - Improve Existing Parks

The existing park system needs substantial rehabilitation and upgrading to comply with the Master Plan. In addition, access barriers (e.g., no crosswalk or sidewalk) must be removed between residents and existing parks to provide better access and utilization of these facilities.

• Land acquisition: None

• Cost: $27.2 million (1998 dollars)
  
  Priority 2 - Deficit Improvements

The LOS standard in the Master Plan is a total of 8.0 acres of neighborhood, community, and large urban park per 1,000 residents. In 1998 the existing system provided 5.66 acres per 1,000 residents. This part of the CIP includes provisions for improvement of existing undeveloped parks, utilization of school sites in cooperation with the Salem/Keizer School District, acquisition of new park sites, and additional barrier removal to provide better park access.

• Land acquisition and development: 314.16 acres to provide a total of 1,031,46 acres of neighborhood, community, and large urban park land.
• Cost: $30 million (1998 dollars)
  
  Priority 3 - Growth Improvements

Completing the first two Parks CIP priorities will provide a park and open space system for the current city population which meets the Master Plan LOS standards. The third priority projects will provide parks facilities according to the LOS standards for future residents. The 1997 city population was 126,673, and the Salem UGB is expected to grow to 218,860 by 2020. When this same area is fully developed beyond 2020, a total population of 272,425 is possible based on existing and planned residential densities. Existing county parks and proposed school parks outside the current city limits and within the UGB, plus proposed new park sites can fulfill this need. Acquisition of new park sites will be coordinated with the urban growth management program (SRC Chapter 66).

• Land acquisition and development: 1,066.02 acres of neighborhood, community, and large urban park land to maintain the 8.0 acres/1,000 residents LOS standard for new residents.
• Cost: $127.5 million (1998 dollars)

The location of these three types of improvements for neighborhood, community, and large urban parks is shown in Figure I-3 - Master Plan Map (page 41). In addition, a connector trail system is envisioned to link the proposed park sites.