The Town of Apple Valley is entering the final phase of its effort to update its Parks & Recreation Master Plan. A Draft Plan is being developed based on Town goals for the future.

A statistically-representative phone survey was just completed this winter. The purpose of the survey was to find out how residents prefer the Town to fund parks and recreation services now and in the future. Scroll down to the Phase 3 summary (below) to read about the survey and download a copy of the survey report.

Phase 1: Where Are We Now?

Working closely with staff and the Parks and Recreation Commission, the planning team reviewed the existing Master Plan, then inventoried, mapped and evaluated the Town's parks and facilities. In addition, demographics, land use, and park operations were evaluated to provide a foundation for the planning effort.

Key findings were documented in the Planning Context memo and in the Existing Resources Summary.

Phase 2: Where Do We Want to Be?

Phase 2 included public outreach to assess the preferences and priorities of residents and key stakeholders. An online questionnaire, focus group meetings, stakeholder interviews, and community events helped identify a vision for parks and recreation, as well as the Town’s role in providing these assets. Combined with the technical analysis conducted in Phase 1, this community feedback was used to develop a Needs Assessment Report of current and future needs for parks, recreation facilities, trails, programs and events. The public involvement findings are summarized in Appendix A of this report.  

Phase 3: How Do We Get There?

Recommendations for improving the park and recreation system were developed in Phase 3. They included strategies and specific projects to meet community needs. Based on input from residents and Town leaders, the following vision was defined for the future:

We envision an interconnected and sustainable system of safe, attractive parks, premier recreation facilities, and diverse special events and programs that preserve our community’s character, support our health and economy, foster opportunities for all ages, and promote
“A Better Way of Life.”

A new mission statement was developed for the Parks & Recreation Department to align with the vision:

Providing a better way to live and play.

It’s important to have a realistic way to achieve this vision—especially since Town funding for parks and recreation is expected to decrease over the next few years. For this reason, 400 randomly selected voters were chosen to participate in a Parks & Recreation Implementation Survey. The purpose was to:

• Identify the projects and services that residents consider to be priorities;

• Gauge residents’ willingness to pay for high priority parks and recreation services through a variety of different funding options; and

• Identify the types of services that residents are most willing to cut/reduce if additional funding for parks and recreation is not secured.

This survey report was presented to the Parks and Recreation Commission and Town Council to discuss the Town’s approach for funding parks and recreation in the future. Once an approach is identified, a draft Parks and Recreation Master Plan will be developed.

Phase 4:  Refinement and Adoption

The Draft Plan will be presented to Town residents and leaders in Phase 4 for review. Based on community feedback, the plan will be revised, and a Final Plan will be presented for adoption. As a 20-year plan, the Final Plan will continue to be used for many years as a tool for achieving the desired parks and recreation system.

If you have any additional questions about the planning process, please contact David C. Coleman, Parks and Recreation Manager at (760) 240-7000 ext. 7885 or recreation@applevalley.org.

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