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Transmittal - 8/9/2022ERIN MENDENHALL Mayor Kristin Riker Public Lands Director PUBLIC LANDS DEPARTMENT 1965 WEST 500 SOUTH SALT LAKE CITY, UT 84014 www.slcgov.com TEL 801-972-7800 CITY COUNCIL TRANSMITTAL __________________________________ Date Received: ___________________ Lisa Shaffer, Chief Administrative Officer Date sent to Council: ______________ TO: Salt Lake City Council DATE: July 11, 2022 Dan Dugan, Chair FROM: Kristin Riker, Director, Public Lands, Public Lands Director________________________ SUBJECT: Briefing of Glendale Regional Park Preferred Plan STAFF CONTACTS: Kristin Riker, Director, Public Lands Department kristin.riker@slcgov.com; Katherine Maus, Public Lands Planner, Public Lands Department katherine.maus@slcgov.com; Nancy Monteith, Senior Landscape Architect, Department of Public Services nancy.monteith@slcgov.com DOCUMENT TYPE: Information Brief RECOMMENDATION: Review documentation and briefing provided. BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION: Since 2018 the Glendale Water Park site has been closed to the public. Public Lands is finalizing a master plan to guide development of the 17-acre site. Demolition of obsolete infrastructure will continue through this summer. A portion of the park must be open to public recreation by April 2024 to meet the requirements of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (https://www.nps.gov/subjects/lwcf/index.html). To meet this deadline, The City is moving forward with Glendale Park Phase I implementation and is in the process of selecting a consultant to develop detailed design for Phase I with construction of site improvements to follow. The purpose of this briefing is to share the preferred Glendale Regional Park Site Plan and Phase I Site Plan with the Council and provide a summary of the planning process and a preview of the Master Plan document. Public Lands is finalizing details of the master plan document and it will be transmitted to City Council in the coming weeks. Public Lands will share the preferred plan with the community, prior to transmitting the master plan document to Planning Commission and City Council. The planning process and final plan are outlined below. The project team is comprised of members of Salt Lake City in the Public Lands Department, Engineering Division and Transportation Division, as well as our planning consultant, Design Workshop. The Design Workshop planning team includes specialized subconsultants, including River Restoration for environmental health and restoration recommendations, David Evans and Associates for public engagement, and Agora Partners for programming and partnerships. This project team has been working 8/9/2022 8/9/2022 Lisa Shaffer (Aug 9, 2022 15:22 MDT) to develop the Glendale Regional Park Master Plan since 2021, which will provide the guiding vision and design for the future of the old water park site and establish a framework to guide development and programming of the site into the future. The plan relies heavily on Glendale community input and is aimed at representing the unique and diverse culture of the Glendale Community while also including amenities that will create a regional draw for residents of Salt Lake City. The project team has worked closely with project stakeholders, neighborhood residents, community partners and students at Glendale Middle and Mountain View Elementary Schools to create a community-supported vision that reflects the Glendale neighborhood’s rich heritage. Over 1300 people responded to a city-wide survey, bringing the total participant count for the project to nearly 1700. Key elements of the master plan were informed by public input and include: • Community Gathering and Event Spaces – a promenade/community plaza spanning the north central gateway, an event stage and lawn, smaller pavilions and picnic lawns and a riverside beach and boardwalk. • Play Places for Everyone - hiking, walking and paved trails, an all-ages and abilities playground, climbing features, multi-use sport courts, dog park, and sledding hill. • Places to Enjoy the Water - a splash pad, kayak rental, access to the Jordan River for recreation, boat dock and ramp, and an outdoor pool. • Places to Wheel Around - an ice/roller skating ribbon, skateboarding area and bike trails. PUBLIC PROCESS: Community engagement for the master plan process and for the development of the preferred plan used a multi-pronged approach including youth and stakeholder engagement, development of a community advisory committee, online survey and public open house, along with in-person engagement events. The public process began with robust engagement with the Glendale Community and then broadened to a citywide engagement effort. A detailed description of the public engagement efforts can be found at https://www.slc.gov/parks/parks-division/glendale-waterpark/. In brief, the engagement process consisted of three engagement windows: Public Engagement Window 1: The first public engagement window prioritized neighborhood and community stakeholder engagement to ensure the community voice was the guide in establishing the initial vision. Considering the predominately younger population in this area, the project team focused on Glendale Middle School and Mountain View Elementary School students and families, while also engaging community leaders and the Glendale Neighborhood Council. The project team met multiple times with the students, engaged in design charettes and used the direction we received from these 130 students to guide initial plan alternative design. The project team also attended and held several in-person events with the Glendale community and created a Community Advisory Committee (CAC) specifically for this plan creation. The CAC was comprised of members who are considered leaders in the Glendale community and represented a variety of community organizations, businesses and affiliations specifically in the Glendale community. The members of the CAC provided key feedback on the project mission, goals, engagement process and vision for the park and shared information about the planning process with their community. The engagement from Window 1 drove the development of two concept alternatives. Public Engagement Window 2: The two concept alternatives were shared with the public and with City Council. The project team kicked- off broad, citywide public engagement with an open house hosted at the Glendale and Parkview Community Learning Center to open a survey. Residents of Glendale, members of the CAC and the city at large attended the event to orient themselves to the plans. Over 1360 people citywide participated in the survey which informed the development of the final preferred plan for the site. The preferred plan includes community-prioritized features from each of the two concept plans. The project team met again with the CAC to review engagement results and get feedback before moving forward with the final preferred plan. Public Engagement Window 3: The third and final window included sharing out of the final preferred plan for the site with the Parks, Natural Lands, Urban Forestry and Trails Advisory Board (PNUT Board), the CAC and Glendale Neighborhood Council. The final preferred plan will be shared with the public in July 2022, with the master plan to follow upon adoption by City Council. The project team will seek formal adoption of the Glendale Regional Park Master Plan by City Council in Summer 2022. Please see below for additional details on engagement events, descriptions, and participation. Updated Public Engagement Calendar Public Engagement Events Notes Time Period Community and Neighborhood Department Survey 3,500 Respondents-- Public Survey through the department of Community and Neighborhoods to gauge public interest in the future of the park https://www.slc.gov/can/cares/waterpark/ 2020 SLC Waterpark Commemoration Survey Report 3841 Respondents—Public Survey to gauge interest in demolition and re-development of the park. https://www.slc.gov/wp- content/uploads/2021/01/Water-Park-Survey-Report- Nov-2020.pdf 2020 Glendale Community Council Visioning Exercise 11 Participants and 3 Community Council Members visioning a potential future for the site 2021 Initiation of Formal Planning Process by Public Lands department Public Lands initiates a formal city engagement and planning process for the Glendale Regional Park Master Plan supported by Design Workshop as project consultant. Spring/ Summer 2021 External Stakeholder Engagement: Community Events Parents and students were asked at three community events which elements from past surveys should be included in the park. Events included: Morning Coffee with 20 respondents; Glendale Scare Fair with around 50 respondents; Hartland 4 Youth and Family Event with 40 respondents Fall 2021 External Stakeholder Engagement: Glendale Middle School and Mountain View Elementary Design exercises were led with 88 middle school and 40 fifth grade students to gather feedback and input on the future design of the site. The process included on- site meetings with 88 Glendale Middle School, “Place- It” activity with University Neighborhood Partners, and collage creation. https://multicultural.utah.gov/glendale-youth-as- placemakers/ Fall 2021 Community Advisory Committee Meeting 1 A CAC was created to ensure neighborhood representation in the preferred plan and final master plan documents. These stakeholder meetings ensured engagement with westside communities. The first meeting oriented participants to the project and asked for general impressions on the project. January 2022 Community Advisory Committee Engagement Meeting 2 This meeting presented two conceptual ideas for the park and sought specific feedback on the ideas and amenities for the future site. February 2022 “Plan Your Park” in-person Open House and engagement event at Community Learning Center Project team worked with Glendale Community Council to host an event with over 100 attendees to share with the community the concepts that have been generated so far and to launch a public survey. March 16, 2022 Online Survey Public survey to gather broader feedback on amenities and concept alternatives receiving 1361 responses. March 16, 2022- April 16, 2022 CONSIDERATIONS The preferred plan presented here (Exhibit A) illustrates the full buildout of the 17-acre site and includes programs and amenities prioritized through public engagement. Development of the full site will require multiple phases, defined by future funding allocations. The consultant team proposed a series of phases that represent a strategic development of the site. Detailed design of each phase will refine the design, construction materials, site character, maintenance requirements, and construction costs. Additionally, specific proposed improvements (such as an outdoor pool) will require additional feasibility studies as well as collaboration with community partners and other City departments and divisions. Recommendations for addressing considerations of the preferred plan are included in the Glendale Regional Park Master Plan draft document Later this summer. MASTER PLAN PREVIEW The Glendale Regional Park Master Plan final draft will be transmitted to City Council subsequent to a review by the Planning Commission. The consultant team explored how this site design reflects the community, restores the site as an ecological asset, and makes recommendations regarding operations, site management, programming, and maintenance. The plan also dives into how the park will fulfill the established goals, including the park vision being led by the community, providing opportunities for safe community gathering and programming, completing the regional connection of open space along the river and enhancing access to nature, and finally improving environmental quality and justice. The plan includes improvements to site access with proposed recommendations for new connections, trails, public transportation access and access across 1700 South. It highlights the ecology of the site and unique characteristics the Jordan River provides, and how the site might be impacted by future climate changes. The plan also makes recommendations on programming opportunities for Public Lands into the future, outlines the types of programming the community desires to see, and how partnerships may be carried out in the future. Finally, it outlines plan metrics to assess the fulfillment of the park goals that were confirmed by the public. Implementation strategy is included in the Glendale Regional Park Master Plan draft and will be contingent on funding availability. The project team intends to minimize the phasing to the greatest extent possible based on funding and has begun work on Phase 1 with $3.2 million allocated in impact fees. PHASE 1 With the tight timeline to implement Phase 1 of construction, the project team must move forward with detailed design of Phase 1 park elements on a parallel course to the Master Plan adoption process. The Community Advisory Committee Engagement Meeting 3 This meeting shared the results of the broader survey with the Committee and solicit feedback and impressions on the data. April 12, 2022 Community Advisory Committee Engagement Meeting 4 Final preferred plan sharing and feedback from the CAC, as well as explanation of Phase 1 May 31, 2022 Presentation to Glendale Neighborhood Council Sharing of public process and phase 1 implementation projects, timeline and budget Jun 15, 2022 FUTURE ENGAGEMENT: Preferred Plan Confirmation Confirm final preferred plan and share with the public. July 2022 FUTURE ENGAGEMENT: Master Plan presentation and adoption Presentation of preferred plan and Master Plan document to City Council for adoption. July 2022 selection process for a consultant to develop design drawings for Phase I is underway. Many factors contributed to the selection of Phase 1 elements and amenities, which include: - Inclusion of recreational elements that meet the LWCF requirements - Features that can be constructed within our expedited timeline and fit within current budget allocations - Sequencing development for maximizing park use and access by connecting Phase 1 to the existing Glendale Neighborhood Park and its amenities, such as the restroom - Inclusion of improvements that will not be affected or closed during construction of future phasing - Community support amenities that are typical of a regional park and are eligible for use of impact fees - The project team has cost estimated Phase 1 elements and will include elements that are currently buildable for the $3.2 million allocated. Due to current levels of inflation and escalation, it is very likely that all elements included here will not be feasible with the $3.2 million build. The project team will prioritize Phase 1 elements, indicated below, and may request additional impact fee funding to complete all Phase 1 amenities. The following features are included for potential design and construction in Phase 1, in priority order: 1. Playground with accessible design and assistive technologies for all ages 2. Pavilion 3. Looped pathways 4. Community Plaza and gathering space 5. Landscaping and site restoration (scalable based on budget) 6. Multipurpose sport court 7. Parking (existing parking is available should this be removed from Phase 1) The proposed Phase 1 elements can be found in Exhibit B. Future phases of the park will be implemented as quickly as funding and logistics can be navigated. SITES CERTIFICATION The project team has been exploring certification through the Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES) for the future Glendale Regional Park. SITES (sustainablesites.org/) is a sustainability-focused program based on the understanding that any project has the ability to protect, improve and even regenerate healthy ecosystems by reducing water use, filtering stormwater runoff, providing wildlife habitat, and improving air quality and human health. The SITES certification is managed by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), the same agency that manages the LEED rating system for buildings. Where LEED addresses buildings and vertical construction, the SITES’ rating system is used for everything related to the landscape. The Glendale Regional Park site has been pre-scored by our consultant to assess the feasibility of creating a SITES certified landscape. Upon scoring the project, the Glendale Regional Park Site has the potential to certify on the Platinum level if the City elects to pursue certification to the greatest extent. The project team recommends pre-certifying the entire park master plan for the 17-acre site as a tangible commitment to environmental quality and justice. Each phase of the project would be certified during construction. Overall costs for certification vary based on site size and condition but some expected costs for pre- certification and certification of Phase 1 include: • $5,000 to pre-certify the entire new park • $6,500 for Certification of Phase 1 of the park • $6,500 for Certification of each successive phase • Additional costs for specialized consultant work to assist the City through the certification process(es) estimated around $90,000 Projects pursuing certification often incur higher costs in design and construction, however, they consistently return significant long term cost savings related to ongoing operations and maintenance costs. If certification is pursued, the Glendale Regional Park would be the first SITES certified landscape in Utah. With historic underinvestment, lower levels of service and evidence of environmental injustices present in this community in the past, having a SITES certified landscape in the Glendale neighborhood would not only show the City’s investment in restorative landscapes and climate resiliency but would also set a standard for site development in the future and begin to show tangible effort towards equitable environmental investment across the City. The project team is in favor of pre-certifying the entire 17- acres as well as proceeding with certification for Phase 1. MAINTENANCE AND MANAGEMENT Demolition is ongoing to remove the remaining obsolete infrastructure. Due to cost increases and unforeseen site conditions, demolition timeline and costs are increasing. Upon completion of the demolition, Public Lands will take over site security and the SWPP plan, and site hazards will be secured, and restoration will begin while Phase 1 is being constructed, including addressing and managing the noxious weeds and invasive vegetation on site. The Glendale Regional Park Master Plan draft provides recommendations for site management and restoration during construction, and after. In addition, Public Lands will strive to preserve the health of the existing trees and canopy on site as an ecological and environmental asset. While the former water park site remains an attractive nuisance, Public Lands has contracted with CBI security during demolition, prior to and during construction on Phase 1. Recommendations for future management of the site, including programming and partnership needs, are also included in the Master Plan draft document. In order to fulfill the park goal of creating a safe community asset, programming and management into the future will be key. Potential opportunities for addressing management needs including expanding internal Public Lands staff, continue to create and build upon key community partners and stakeholders, engage with community organizations that promote inclusivity, equity and partnerships, and working with local and minority-owned businesses to program elements of the site. NEXT STEPS a. Project team will share preferred plan with the public upon transmittal to City Council. b. Project team will transmit the final draft of the Glendale Regional Park Master Plan to Planning Commission for public hearing and recommendation, and complete administrative process to receive Mayoral recommendation. c. City Council will receive a recommendation from Planning Commission related to adoption of the Master Plan, as well as a memorandum from Planning Staff and a Mayoral recommendation memorandum. d. Council will conduct adoption process, which will include a public hearing and additional public outreach e. Project team will share out final Glendale Regional Park Master Plan to the community Upon transmittal of the final Glendale Regional Park Master Plan draft, City Council will lead the Master Plan adoption process for Glendale Regional Park Master Plan in Summer 2022. If City Council has any comments or questions on the preferred plan, Master Planning process, or Phase 1 implementation, the project team would welcome any collaboration on these efforts as a city. ATTACHMENTS: A. Preferred Plan for Glendale Regional Park B. Phase 1 Glendale Regional Park EXHIBIT A EXHIBIT B