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ORD 698 11/08/2005 City of Cibolo MASTER PARK PLAN November 8, 2005 ORDINANCE NO. 6 9 8 AN ORDINANCE ADOPTING THE MASTER PARK PLAN OF THE CITY OF CIBOLO, GUADALUPE COUNTY, TEXAS; PROVIDING FOR INCORPORATION; PROVIDING FOR ADOPTION; PROVIDING THAT THIS ORDINANCE IS CUMULATIVE OF ALL OTHER ORDINANCES OF THE CITY OF CIBOLO NOT IN CONFLICT WITH THE PROVISIONS OF THIS ORDINANCE; PROVIDING FOR SEVERATIBILITY; PROVIDING SAVINGS; AND PROVIDING FOR EFFECTIVE DATE. WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Cibolo, Guadalupe County, Texas, adopted a Master Plan in July 1995; and WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Cibolo, Guadalupe County, Texas, adopted Ordinance No. 661 on January 25,2005,to amend the Master Plan; WHEREAS, the amended Master Plan as adopted by Ordinance No. 661 contained policies providing for the adoption of a detailed master plan pertaining to a City-wide park plan; WHEREAS, the Parks and Recreation Commission has prepared a Master Park Plan that is consistent with the goals and objectives of the Master Plan and has recommended approval of said Master Park Plan to the City Council; and WHEREAS, the City Council has received the recommendation of the Parks and Recreation Commission and has considered the Master Park Plan to be in the public health, safety and welfare; BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CIBOLO, TEXAS... SECTION 1. INCORPORATION That the above and foregoing premises are true and correct and are incorporated herein and made part hereof for all purposes. SECTION 2. ADOPTION That the ordinance provisions incorporated in SECTION 3 herein are hereby adopted by the City Council of the City of Cibolo, Guadalupe County,Texas. 1 SECTION 3. MASTER PARK PLAN ADOPTED That the Master Park Plan of the City of Cibolo, Guadalupe County, Texas, attached hereto is hereby adopted. SECTION 4. CUMULATIVE CLAUSE That this ordinance shall be cumulative of all provisions of the City of Cibolo, Guadalupe County, Texas, except where provisions of this ordinance are in direct conflict with the provisions of such ordinances, in which event the more restrictive provision shall apply. SECTION 5. SEVERABILITY That it is hereby declared to be the intention of the City Council of the City of Cibolo, Guadalupe County, Texas, that the phrases, clauses, sentences, paragraphs, and sections of this ordinance are severable, and if any phrase, clause, sentence, paragraphs, and sections of this ordinance should be declared unconstitutional by the valid judgment or decree of any court of competent jurisdiction, such unconstitutionality shall not affect any of the remaining phrases, clauses, sentences, paragraphs or sections of this ordinance, since the same would have been enacted by the City Council without incorporation in this ordinance of any such unconstitutional phrase, clause, sentence,paragraph or section. SECTION 6. SAVINGS That all rightsand privileges of the City of Cibolo, Guadalupe County, Texas, are expressly saved as to any and all violations of the provision of any ordinances affecting the adoption and amendment of the Master Park Plan, which have accrued at the time of the effective date of this ordinance; and, as to such accrued violations and all pending litigation,both civil and criminal,whether pending in court or not,under such ordinances, same shall not be affected by this ordinance but may be prosecuted until final disposition by the courts. SECTION 7. EFFECTIVE DATE That this ordinance shall be effective immediately upon passage and approval of the City Council of the City of Cibolo, Guadalupe County, Texas. 2 AND IT IS SO ORDAINED. PASSED AND APPROVED by a vote of for to against this 8th day of November,2005. APPROVED: r Johnn, ttton ATTEST: Peggy Cimics, City Secretary 3 City of Cibolo Master Park Plan City of Cibolo Master Park Plan SECTION 1 —Introduction In January 2005, the City of Cibolo adopted an update to the Master Plan. The Master Plan includes several elements that include Future Land Use, Major Thoroughfares, Economic Development, Water Utilities and Parks and Recreation. Each element contains specific policy statements to guide City decisions and activities. The City of Cibolo Master Park Plan is the first step in the realizing of the Policies and Programs specified in the Parks and Recreation Element of Cibolo's Master Plan. Specifically, Policy PR-6 states that the City should create and update a Master Park Plan. Policy PR-6 specifies the following programs to be implemented through the Master Park Plan: Program PR-61: Establish minimum guidelines and specifications for each type of park—i.e. neighborhood,community,regional,greenbelt,etc. Program PR-6.2: Establish park placement and dedication policies. Program PR-6.3: Develop a schedule of park construction and improvements to provide the facilities as specified in Section 7.8 Facility Needs Assessment of this plan element(Parks and Recreation Element of the Master Plan). Program PR-6.4: Review the Master Park Plan on an annual basis and update as necessary. One important aspect of the Parks and Recreation element is the identification of the top ten priority needs for the community. These needs have been identified through multiple public hearings and a Community Issues Survey. The top ten park and recreation priority needs for the community in their rank order are: 1. parkland acquisition, 2. trails for walking/jogging/biking, 3. greenbelt acquisition, 4. playgrounds, 5. indoor recreation facilities, 6. picnic areas, 7. picnic pavilion, 8. soccer fields, 9. baseball fields,and Adopted November 2005 Page 1 of 13 City of Cibolo Master Park Plan 10. basketball courts. As the population in Cibolo continues to grow,the need for parks and recreation amenities will also grow. Based on the policies of the Future Land Use Plan, Cibolo will have a population of 36,326 at build out. At the time of the Master Plan adoption, Cibolo had an estimated population of 7,623. Pursuant to National Recreation and Park Association guidelines for park development current and ultimate park facility needs have been calculated and deficits for the top ten priority park facilities have been estimated. The facility deficit/surplus assessment indicates that Cibolo needs the following: Table 1 Facility Deficit/Surplus Calculations Current Facility Standard Facility Deficit Facility Type Facilities 7,623 Pop. 36,326 Pop. 7,623 Pop. 36,326 Pop. Parkland(Acres) 22.7 38 236 15.3 213.3 Trails (Network) 1 1 1 1 1 Greenbelt(Acres) 9 38 170 29 161 Playgrounds 1 2 4 1 3 (Number) Indoor Recreation 0 1 1 1 1 Facility(Number) Picnic Areas 2 2 4 0 2 (Number) Pinic Pavilion 0 0 1 0 1 (Number) Soccer Fields 0 0 2 0 2 (Number) Baseball Fields 0 0 2 0 2 (Number) Basketball Courts 0 1 2 1 2 (Number) The Master Park Plan is intended as a long-range guide to assist the City in satisfying all of the related parks and recreation needs of its citizens. The Parks and Recreation Commission should review this plan every year and make annual recommendations for the confirmation of or update to this document as necessary. A major review of this plan should be conducted every five years. SECTION 2—Purpose The Master Park Plan is intended as a guide to help the City of Cibolo evaluate, acquire and develop parks and recreation amenities. Specifically, the Master Park Plan has been created to achieve the following: Adopted November 2005 Page 2 of 13 City of Cibolo Master Park Plan 1. To ensure a consistent level of parks and recreation services throughout the entire community. 2. To ensure that the appropriate amenities and facilities are tailored to the intended use of each park. 3. To accommodate the variety of uses and needs of all residents in the community. 4. To ensure that land is usable for its intended purposes. 5. To guide the purchase/acquisition of land. 6. To serve as a financial tool for the development of a park system—provide the basis for fmancial planning,debt management and annual budgeting. 7. To define the appropriate level of parks and recreation services for the entire community. 8. To provide a basis for intergovernmental coordination between the City of Cibolo and other governmental entities. 9. To ensure the preservation of and integrity of natural floodplains and environmentally sensitive areas. 10. To ensure a high quality of life for ALL Cibolo residents — i.e. meet all passive and active recreational needs. SECTION 3—Park Classification System (Minimum Guidelines and Specifications for Types of Parks) Cibolo is striving to achieve an integrated system of parks that will be designed to meet specific needs and provide specific levels of service. This system will help to ensure an equitable distribution of park services to all sectors of the community and will help to ensure that parks and recreation needs are met in a cost-effective manner. Cibolo's parks and recreation system will consist of a combination of public and private amenities. Public amenities will be those lands either dedicated to or purchased by the City with their related improvements. Private amenities are those lands that are set aside or preserved by developers for ownership and maintenance by a private group,typically a homeowner's association. Public park facilities should be located adjacent to floodplain areas and natural greenbelts. In some instances, land within a floodplain may be utilized as public park land provided that it meets a valid recreational objective and contains appropriate topography. Adopted November 2005 Page 3 of 13 City of Cibolo Master Park Plan Public Parks Public parks are classified as either: Neighborhood, Community, Regional or Greenbelt. Park classifications address function, intended service areas, uses, resource availability, design characteristics, preferred locations and spatial requirements. Neighborhood Parks —Neighborhood parks are intended to serve immediately adjacent residential neighborhoods. They should be located centrally to the areas that they serve and should be within ready walking distance. Neighborhood parks serve a wide variety of needs that are tailored to the area in which they serve. They should also be designed so as to minimize negative impacts like noise and light onto adjacent residential properties. Some are intended for more passive uses while others are intended for more active uses. Neighborhood parks should be provided with pedestrian connections to the residential neighborhoods served. Accordingly, two classifications of neighborhood parks are specified: Type I Neighborhood Park—Cibolo Valley Drive Park is an example of a Type I Neighborhood Park. Size—5 to 10 acres Service Standard—2.5 acres per 1,000 Residents Service Area—'/2 mile Typical Facilities/Amenities—playscapes, picnic facilities (including bar-b-que grills,tables and benches), gazebos, walking trails, water fountains, sand volleyball courts, bicycle parking and perimeter automobile parking. Locational Criteria — These parks should be located centrally to a residential area and should have at least one side located along a residential collector. Type II Neighborhood Park—Rich Park is an example of a Type II Neighborhood Park. Size— 10 to 20 acres Service Standard—2.5 acres per 1,000 Residents Service Area—'/i mile Typical Facilities/Amenities — those facilities/amenities specified for the Type I Neighborhood Park plus playgrounds,biking trails,multi-purpose fields,pavilions,baseball/softball fields(non- lighted), restrooms, courts (basketball and tennis), small skate parks, disc golf courses, and parking lots. Locational Criteria — These parks should be located centrally to a residential area and should have at least one side located along a residential collector. Type II Neighborhood Parks are Adopted November 2005 Page 4 of 13 City of Cibolo Master Park Plan appropriate for integration with elementary and middle school campuses where their amenities may be shared between the School District and the City of Cibolo. Community Parks—Community Parks are larger in scale than Neighborhood Parks and are intended to serve several neighborhood areas. These facilities should be located so that they are convenient to the residential areas that are served. Connectivity should be provided to the residential areas and to adjacent greenbelts through walking and biking trails. Community Parks are ideal for coordination and collocation with junior high campuses where track and ball field amenities may be shared. Niemietz Park is an example of a smaller-scale Community Park. Minimum specifications for Community Parks are: Community Park Size—20 to 50 acres(may be larger depending on conservation areas) Service Standard—3.0 acres per 1,000 Residents Service Area—2 miles Typical Facilities/Amenities —those facilities/amenities specified for the Type II Neighborhood Park plus competition fields (lit baseball and softball fields), dedicated fields (soccer and football), recreation centers, tracks, commons/green, and equestrian trails constructed in conjunction with adjacent greenbelts. Locational Criteria—These parks will generate relative high volumes of traffic, noise and light and should be located so as to minimize negative impacts to adjacent residential areas. Specifically,they should be located with frontage on a major collector and designed in a fashion that does not encourage cut-through traffic through residential neighborhoods. They must also be built with adequate on-site parking to ensure minimal impact on adjacent roadways during sports competitions and special events. Regional Parks —Regional Parks are the largest classification of municipal park. These are park complexes that serve the entire City and beyond. Many of these facilities will contain one-of-a-kind facilities like a water park,nature center or athletic complex. These will be located at sites that afford the appropriate amount of traffic circulation and at sites that accommodate the unique feature housed at the park; for example, adjacent to a wetland if the park is to house a nature center. Regional Parks should be linked to the rest of the park system via a greenbelt connection. Minimum specifications for Regional Parks are: Adopted November 2005 Page 5 of 13 City of Cibolo Master Park Plan Regional Park Size—more than 50 acres(may be larger depending on conservation areas) Service Standard—7.0 acres per 1,000 Residents Service Area—entire City and beyond Typical Facilities/Amenities — those facilities/amenities specified for the Community Park plus fairgrounds, amphitheatre, community center, athletic complex, aquatic center, competition track (running track), golf driving range, putt-putt golf center, batting cages (may be integrated with and athletic complex),nature center and theme gardens. Locational Criteria — These parks will generate high volumes of traffic, noise and light and should be located so that they are fully buffered from residential areas. Specifically,they should be located with frontage on a major or minor arterial. They must also be built with adequate on- site parking to ensure minimal impact on adjacent roadways during sports competitions and special events. Greenbelts—Greenbelts create the linear system that will link the City's Neighborhood, Community and Regional parks. They will run along the City's floodplains and riparian corridors. Greenbelts will be used to preserve environmentally sensitive areas, maintain the integrity of the City's natural drainage ways, and preserve natural habitats while also providing recreational amenities for the entire community. Efforts should be made during the land use planning, zoning and platting phases of development to ensure that natural greenbelts are preserved to the maximum extent feasible and allowable by law. The preservation and development of these areas will take the investment of public funds to unite these areas into the linear park system envisioned by the Master Plan. Minimum specifications for Greenbelts are: Regional Park Size—none specified (actual areas preserved will vary depending on the nature and shape of the existing floodplain/environmentally sensitive area) Service Standard—none specified Service Area—entire City Typical Facilities/Amenities—hard and soft surface trails (hiking, biking, equestrian and skating amenities), exercise stations, rest stops, safety lighting, disc golf, water fountains, nature centers and nature preserves. Locational Criteria—These parks will be located primarily along the natural floodplains. Adopted November 2005 Page 6 of 13 City of Cibolo Master Park Plan Private Parks The public parks outlined above will take care of the larger-scale needs of the community. However, additional private amenities are also recommended within the City's more dense residential areas. These private amenities will provide for a higher quality of life within residential areas and provide a sense of place or identity within residential subdivisions. "Pocket"parks are small, open space areas that provide a limited amount of parks and recreation uses. Furthermore, these parks will only be of service to immediately adjacent residential lots or residential units. Accordingly, these parks will not be accepted by the City but, instead,will be dedicated to a homeowners' association for maintenance and upkeep. Specific criteria for"pocket"parks are: Pocket Park Residential Density — required for residential subdivisions that contain 3.5 dwelling units per gross acre or higher density Size— 10,000 square feet Placement Standard—each lot in a single-family or duplex residential subdivision or each unit in a multi-family subdivision must be located within '/4 mile of a "pocket" park or private open space Service Area—immediately adjacent lots or units Typical Facilities/Amenities — playscapes, benches, gazebos, walking trails, picnic areas and sidewalks. Locational Criteria—These parks are intended to serve immediately adjacent lots or units only and should be located within a given subdivision or development. SECTION 4—Park Placement and Dedication Policies As mentioned earlier in this Master Park Plan, Cibolo's park system will be comprised of a system of public and private parks. In order for a parks and recreation system to achieve the desired goals, they must be placed appropriately and the adequate amount of space must be dedicated and/or preserved. Placement Section 3 outlines minimum specifications for public and private parks, including the placement for each type of park. Specifically,the placement specifications for parks are as follows: • Neighborhood Parks—within'/2 mile of the residential area to be served Adopted November 2005 Page 7 of 13 City of Cibolo Master Park Plan • Community Parks—within 2 miles of the residential areas to be served • Regional Parks—none specified since these are unique areas that will serve the entire City and beyond • "Pocket"Parks—within 1/4 mile of the residential lots or units to be served Dedication The Parks and Recreation element of the Master Plan defines the type and amount of future parks and recreation needs. This Master Park Plan provides guidelines for the types of parks that will ultimately make up the City's parks and recreation system. Together, these two documents provide the basis by which to analyze developments for the dedication of both public and private park land. Any lands reserved as private open spaces should not be credited toward a development's public park dedication requirement. It is recommended that residential developers be required to provide for the dedication of land or the payment of fees in lieu of the dedication of land for neighborhood and community parks. Furthermore, each development project should be evaluated to determine whether it contains floodplains or other environmentally sensitive areas and how those areas may be preserved. Cibolo's existing Land Subdivision Regulations require either the dedication of eight percent of a subdivision's acreage to be dedicated as open space or the payment of a fee in lieu of land dedication. It is recommended that this methodology be modified to tie land dedication to the actual density and estimated population of a project. Specifically, the following equations are recommended for the calculation of park land dedication requirements: • Single Family Residential: Parkland Dedication= ((Number Lots x 3.0 Persons per Lot)/1,000 Persons)x Service Standard for Neighborhood and Community Parks • Multi-Family Residential: Parkland Dedication= ((Number Lots x 1.5 Persons per Lot)/1,000 Persons)x Service Standard for Neighborhood and Community Parks Adopted November 2005 Page 8 of 13 City of Cibolo Master Park Plan For example,a single-family residential subdivision containing 500 lots would be responsible for the dedication of the following park land: • Neighborhood =((500 x 3.0)/1,000)x 2.5 =3.8 acres • Community =((500 x 3.0)/1,000)x 3.0 =4.5 acres Based on these calculations,not enough land would be dedicated to create either type of park according to the specifications outlined in Section 3. Therefore, the City must decide whether to take a partial dedication, accept fees in lieu of dedication or some other arrangement as may be deemed acceptable by the City. Each proposed dedication of park land must be fully reviewed by the City prior to acceptance. Proposed dedication of park land should occur at either the preliminary plat phase of development or through the establishment of a planned unit development zoning district or some other similar type of zoning action taken by the City Council. Prior to making its determination regarding the acceptance of park land, the Parks and Recreation Commission should review the proposed dedication and forward its recommendations to the City Council. In reviewing a land dedication proposal,the Parks and Recreation Commission should consider the following: • Natural, Scenic, Historical or Agricultural Value — evaluation of each site should determine whether there is any natural, scenic,historical or agricultural value to the property. • Public Access to the Site — each site should have adequate street frontage to facilitate public access and parking. • Connection to Linear Park System — each site should be evaluated to determine the opportunity for connection to the City-wide park system. • Natural Habitat — each site should be evaluated to determine whether it will facilitate the movement of wildlife between habitats or whether it will facilitate the conservation of native vegetation. Adopted November 2005 Page 9 of 13 City of Cibolo Master Park Plan • Land Use Balance — it should be determined if the dedication will help to achieve a balance of urban development with natural elements and helps to define the form of the community. • Alternative Transportation—options for accessing the site through modes of transportation other than the automobile should be reviewed and considered. • Amount of Site w/in the Floodplain—each site should contain no more than seventy-five percent in a FEMA designated floodplain. • Existing Grade/Topography—no more than fifty percent of each site should contain grades that are greater than five percent nor less than two percent and should be well drained and suitable for active development. • Hazardous Substances — prior to dedication, the land owner must make full disclosure of any known or potential contamination of the land by hazardous substances. • Dual Use of the Site — opportunities for sharing the site with other entities such as the School District or the County shall be considered a positive factor for accepting land dedication. • Appropriate Uses — each site should provide opportunities to accommodate the types of uses described in Section 3 of this Plan document. Where land dedication is deemed unacceptable, fees should be assessed in lieu of land dedication. Fees shall be based upon the acreage calculations outlined above and the market value of the land being developed. SECTION 5—Implementation Techniques Section 4 outlines a land dedication process for neighborhood and community parks. However, land dedication is only one of several techniques to implement this Master Park Plan. It is likely that the City will have to implement a variety of techniques to achieve its ultimate vision for parks and recreation facilities. Fee Simple Purchase The purchase of land through a fee simple process provides the greatest flexibility and permanent ownership of the land. In utilizing this option,the City actually purchases the property with public funds and has all rights of management and ownership. This is the most expensive option both in terms of the expenditure of public funds and the removal of land from the tax role. This tool should be used sparingly and only for those parcels that can not be acquired by another means. It is likely that the City will identify those sites that should be protected regardless of cost and this is a Adopted November 2005 Page 10 of 13 City of Cibolo Master Park Plan fmal resort to ensure their preservation. Fee simple purchase isa method of acquisition that should only be used where public management is needed or public access is important for the purpose of the park to be realized. Bonds The City may issue debt to finance the acquisition of land, easements or construction of park land. For parks and recreation needs, a general obligation bond (GO) should be utilized since GOs require voter approval. This means of acquisition is typically used when the parks and recreation amenity to be funded will generate enough revenue to offset the bond costs. Regional parks are the types of facilities where GOs are often used effectively. Drainage Funds Cibolo may implement a drainage fee or surcharge to create a revenue stream for funds to purchase floodplains, address flooding or address issues with regard to storm water runoff. Drainage fees or surcharges may be calculated on the basis of impervious surface where properties with greater amounts of paving and buildings are charged higher rates since they contribute relatively large amounts of runoff into the City's drainage systems. Many of the drainage improvements and projects funded under this type of program may also contribute to the City's parks and recreation vision. Land Exchange As Cibolo starts to acquire additional property, it may actually take ownership of land that becomes desirable to the private sector. In these instances it may be possible to exchange these properties for other lands that the City deems desirable for parks and recreation uses. Land exchanges are usually conducted on the basis of market value for each property. Hence, if the City were to trade developable land for floodplain or flood prone properties then the City may be able to acquire additional acreage. Density Transfer Density transfer is a concept where a developer maintains the right to certain number of residential units on a piece of property even though he/she dedicates or reserves land for parks and recreation sites or for open spaces. Under this concept units are traded from the section of land to be dedicated or reserved to the balance of the site. If density transfer developments are developed correctly they can actually reduce the cost to the developer since they have to install less infrastructure and still achieve the same lot yield. The density transfer concept is intended to ensure that a development design is more sensitive to the Adopted November 2005 Page 11 of 13 City of Cibolo Master Park Plan natural characteristics of a site. The City of Cibolo Zoning Ordinance may be amended to allow for this type of development. Transfer of Development Rights A transfer of development rights(TDR) system is one in which open space may be protected. The City of San Marcos has recently adopted a TDR ordinance. Under the TDR concept the land to be protected is designated as a "sending zone." A specific number of units that may be developed within the "sending zone" are credited to a "receiving zone." Basically, a developer could purchase the right to develop residential units from a property owner and apply that density to their parcel and thereby achieve a higher density. Under the TDR system the value of the development rights are determined privately between the property owners and the"sending zone" is permanently protected. Summary The implementation techniques described here highlight those that are most likely to be used by the City of Cibolo. However, there are other strategies, programs and techniques that may also be utilized. Several different techniques will likely be utilized by the City to realize its ultimate vision. i Adopted November 2005 Page 12 of 13 City of Cibolo Master Park Plan INSERT MASTER PARK PLAN MAP (FORTCOMING) Adopted November 2005 Page 13 of 13