HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolution No. 77530 0
RESOLUTION NO. 7753
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY
OF AZUSA ADOPTING THE "MASTER PLAN OF LOCAL
PARKS" AS THE LOCAL PARKS ELEMENT OF THE
AZUSA GENERAL PLAN (GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT 85-1)
THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF AZUSA DOES RESOLVE
AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. The City Council of the City of Azusa
hereby finds, determines and declares as follows:
A. There is in effect a duly -adopted General
Plan for the City of Azusa;
B. The General Plan Amendment which is the
subject of this resolution was the subject
of a duly -noticed public hearing by the Planning
Commission of the City of Azusa on May 8, 1985
at which time the Planning Commission heard and
considered evidence on the amendment and by its
Resolution No. 2152 [adopted by a vote of five
(5) yes, one (1) absent, said vote being not
less than a majority of the total members of
the Planning Commission] recommended that the
City Council approve this amendment;
C. Said amendment approved by the Planning
Commission was also the subject of a duly -
noticed public hearing before the City Council
on June 17, 1985 at which time the Council
heard and considered evidence on the amendment;
D. The adoption of this amendment to the
General Plan is in the interests of the public
health, safety, and general welfare of the
City of Azusa and is consistent with good
zoning and planning practices;
E. In taking this action the City Council
considered the effects of the decision on the
housing needs of the region in which the City
is located and balanced those needs against
the public service needs of the City residents
and available fiscal and environmental resources.
SECTION 2. The City Council of the City of Azusa
does hereby amend the General Plan of the City of Azusa to
include a local parks element, commonly referred to as "Master
Plan of Local Parks, Azusa, California," attached hereto as
Exhibit "A."
SECTION 3. The City Clerk shall certify the adoption
of this resolution.
PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED this 15th day of July ,
1985.
I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing Resolution was
duly -adopted by the City Council of the City of Azusa, at a
regular meeting thereof, held on the 15th day of July ,
1985, by the following vote of the Council:
AYES: COUNCILMEMBERS
NOES: COUNCILMEMBERS:
ABSENT: COUNCILMEMBERS:
/1111 ITY CLERK
CRUZ, COOK, CAMARENA, MOSES
NONE
LATTA
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MMSTER PLAN OF LOCAL PARKS
PREPARED BY;
CITY OF AZUSA
CM-fUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT
MARCH 1985
INTRODUCTION................................................... 1
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES ........................................... 2
TYPES OF PARKS ................................................. 4
PARK STANDARDS ................................................. 5
PARK INVENTORY ................................................. 9
PARK DEFICIENCY................................................16
IMPLEMENTATION.................................................17
CONCLUSION.....................................................18
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Recreation planning has been traditionally identified with resource planning
or facility planning. The major emphasis has been on open space preservation
and development of spaces for recreation. Before 1970, site design, organized
competitive sports, and outdoor public spaces were incorporated into most
recreation plans. The philosophical basis was the social reform or city
beautification movement of the 1900's. Parks were viewed as natural refuges
from the evils of the surrounding city and as pastoral retreats from urban
congestion and pollution.
The emphasis in recreation planning is the relationship of public recreation
opportunities to other land uses, design, and access at the urban and regional
scale. Today, this emphasis has been broadened to include social and environ-
mental factors. An expanded focus of urban beautification, community develop-
ment, historic preservation, environmental interpretation, multi -use of public
and private spaces for recreation, and a broad range of organized recreation
programs is now common practice. The philosophical justification is to beaut-
ify or renew the city to make it a desirable place to live in, work in, and
visit.
The Master Plan of Local Parks is an expression of a community's objectives,
needs, and priorities for the provision of recreation space, services, and
facilities. This plan will serve as a guideline for public policy and private
decisions related to the scope, quality, and location of recreation oppor-
tunities to meet the needs of the residents and visitors of the city. The
Master Plan of Local Parks is a longrange, comprehensive, and policy oriented
document that (1) sets forth goals, policies, and principles, (2) identifies
park sites necessary to be acquired and developed to overcome neighborhood
and community park deficiencies in the predominantly developed areas of the
city, and (3) establishes standards governing the acceptance of land dedica-
tion to satisfy the Local Park Code.
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GOALS:
The Master Plan of Local Parks has a primary goal:
To provide a system of local parks which is adequate to meet the
recreation needs for all residents of the City of Azusa.
OBJECTIVES:
The Master Plan of Local Parks objectives are:
o To promote cooperation of all private and governmental entities
m achieving the acquisition and development of public and private
local parks.
• To establish a system of recreation facilities.
• To encourage the development of private parks while permanently
insuring adequate public local parks for all citizens of tl:e City
of Azusa regardless of economic status.
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• To provide policies and standards which will enable the city to provide,
over the nest two decades, the local parks needed by the ;ear 2000.
• To integrate planning for local parks with planning for open space,
conservation, riding and hiking trails, bicycle trails, regional
parks, scenic highways, and flood control.
a To provide local park facilities which are appropriate for the in-
dividual neighborhoods and communities in which they are located.
• To insure that local park facilities are available when and where
needed by acquiring them through the subdivision process.
BROADER PLANNING OBJECTI
While this Master Plan is'addressed to establishing policies and principles,
identifing park sites, and to meet the recreation needs of the citizens of
Azusa, there is also an emphasis in achieving broader planning objectives,
among which are:
o Achieving quality urban design and development.
• Assuring harmony in the small-scale relationships that increase the
livability of neighborhoods.
• Protecting and enhancing the environment and property values.
• •, 3
o Creating visual amenities by infusing parks within the urban fabric.
• Establishing recreation cores composed of neighborhood and community
parks as focal points for urban development.
e Developing an open space system, built by joining major public, quasi -
public, and private open spaces into a continuous system, promising'
increased economy and efficiency through combined use, and increased
amenity in the form of linear open spaces.
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Mini or Vestoocket Parks - Lately, there has been a great emphasis on mini -parks,
which are usually vacant lots combined and converted to recreational uses.
Mini -parks may serve children only, senior citizens only, or any combination
of all age groups depending on the needs of the neighborhood. The size and'
location is determined more by the availability of vacant land than by any
other factor. A mini -park may feature children's play area, quiet game areas,
landscaping, and some sports activities as space allows.
The mini -park offers other valuable qualities. By using vacant lots and
removing dilapidated structures, the mini -park can remove existing and
potential eyesores and hazards from all areas of the city. Also, the mini -
park will provide breaks in the continuous structure of residential and
commercial areas and establish focal points of activity.
Communitv Park - The community park is designed to provide a variety of active
and passive recreation services for all age groups of a community (several
neighborhoods). The primary requisite of a community park are outdoor fields
for organized and unorganized sports, indoor space for various activities,
special features, and horticultural development. Some of the general features
of a community park include; fields for baseball, football, soccer, and soft-
ball; courts for tennis, racquetball, basketball, and other games; recreation
building containing an auditorium, special use rooms, gymnasium, and social
activities; and may include any and all characteristics of a neighborhood park.
Park/School Concent - The park/school concept of combining education and
recreation facilities on a single site has great merit. This combination
makes possible a wide variety of opportunities on less acres and at a lower
cost than do separate installations.
The neighborhood Dark -elementary school is the primary unit of planning
for physical education, recreation, and health education. This combination
of an elementary school and neighborhood park should be planned in such a
way that all areas and facilities are used to meet the educational and
recreational needs of the people living in the neighborhood. It is essential
that areas and facilities be cooperatively planned for the dual purpose of
instruction and recreation, and that the school and community recreation
programs be coordinated for maximum use of these areas and facilities by
the entire neighborhood.
The community park --junior high/high school, a joint development of school and crrimmity, is
planned to provide facilities for the youth and adults to meet a wide range
of educational and recreational needs and interests on a single site. This
combination of land uses provides an economical and practical approach to a
community -wide facility for education, social, and recreational programs.
The total community park -school area should be landscaped to create a park-
like setting which enhances and does not interfere with the instructional
and recreational areas.
The State Legislature passed Business and Professions Code Section 11546, the
land dedication statute, specifying that the governing body of a.city or
county may by ordinance require the dedication of land, the payment of fees
in lieu thereof, or a combination of both, for park or recreation purposes
as a condition to the approval of a final subdivision map, provided that
(among other requirements):
"(b) The ordinance includes definite standards for determining the
proportions of a subdivision to be dedicated and the amount of any fee to be
paid in lieu thereof."
"(d) The legislative body has adopted a General Plan containing
a Recreation Element, and the park and recreation facilities are in
accordance with definite principles and standards contained therein."
In conformance with this statute, the local park ordinance includes standards
determining land and fee requirements. In addition, considering the minimal
2.5 acre Local Park Code requirement (most of which is typically needed for
active recreation rather than passive recreation purposes), the following
standards (1) were used in selecting sites for this Master Plan of Local Parks,
and (2) are specified as guidelines governing the acceptance of land dedicated
to satisfy the Local Park Code.
NEIGHBORHOOD PARK SITE SELECTION STANDARDS:
o Ideally, the neighborhood park should be located in the center of a
neighborhood with equal population on all sides. Preferaly it should
be surrounded by homes, several blocks deep, but if so, it should be
improved in a manner equal to the yard improvements of its neighbors.
e The site must have water available.
• The site must have access to a local street.
o Slope Standards:
- Maximum slope of 6% over 60% of the area.
- Maximum slope of 107 over 30% of the area.
- Maximum slope of 20% over 10% of the area.
- 1/2 Local Park Code credit for slope areas greater than 10%.
- No Local Park Code credit for slope areas greater than 20%.
o The site must provide at least 2.5 acres available for park
development.
o The service area should not be divided by natural or artificial
barriers such as arterial highways, railroads, freeways, and
commercial or industrial areas. Such barriers would render the site
unaccessible and undesirable as a neighborhood park.
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• Service Area R,,ii:
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- 2 to 6 acre park site - 1/4 mile maximum
service radius.
- 6 to 15 acre park site - 1/2 mile maximum
service radius.
• No Local Park Code credit for park sites located within a 25 year
flood plain.
• Neighborhood parks should be located adjacent to elementary school
sites where possible.
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9 A site for neighborhood park purposes adjacent to a school should
be of such size and dimensions as would accomodate the conventional
outdoor play activities with due consideration of convenience of
the school, safety of users and of neighbors, and aesthetics of the
neighbors.
e Every neighborhood park should have park -like features, with grassed
surface, shrubs and trees, bordered landscaping, and as much more as
the size of the site will permit.
o Should a neighborhood site apart from a school be desired, it should
be so located as to serve a neighborhood considerably removed from a
school.
o The site for a neighborhood park, especially when not attached to a
school, should preferably be surrounded by streets. Improvements of
the streets is as important to the park as to a homesite. If the park
is located in a well -built-up neighborhood, where adjacent streets are
not sufficient for parking, the site should have a parking lot.
o As sites must always be considered in relation totheirsoil both as
to fertility and suitability for recreational activities, adequate
drainage is also important.
COIVUNITY PARR SITE SELECTION STANDARDS:
o A community is a group of neighborhoods. The community park may
include within itself the essential neighborhood park and play-
ground facilities, but it is intended to provide additional facilities
not capable of being supplied by all of the neighborhood parks.
To serve this purpose well, a community park should be at least
16 acres.
o The site must have water available.
o The site should have access to an arterial street.
e Slope Standards:
- Maximum slope of 6% over 50% of the area.
- Maximum slope of 10% over 30% of the area.
- Maximum sIope of 20% over 20% of the area.
- 1/2 Local Park Code Credit for slope areas greater than 10%.
- No Local Park Code credit for slope areas greater than 20%.
• Service Area Radii:
- 16 to 30 acre park site - 1 mile maximum service radius.
- 30 to 60 acre park site - 2 mile maximum service radius.
o No Local Park Code credit for areas located within a 25 year flood
plain.
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9 Community park should be located adjacent to junior or senior high
schools where possible.
• The site should be accessible to the people of the community by foot,
bicycle, or short automobile run. Preferably, it should be surrounded
by residential neighborhoods.
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o The site should be of such size and dimensions as to permit the develop-
ment and practice of amenities and facilities generally associated
with a community park.
o The fortuitous existence of unique flora or geological formation some-
times commend a site for selection as a community park, especially
if it possesses open land for functional development.
o All community parks need not be similar in all respects. Community
differences and adaptability of the sites to unique development will
indicate variable planning.
o A high school complex, while meeting some needs of a community park,
rarely can satisfy all or most of the renuirements. Juxtaposition of
high school and community park is frequently advisable.
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In a regional context, Azusa is the gateway to the scenic 26 -mile San Gabriel
River Canyon and Crystal Lake. This offers the residents of Azusa a close -at -
hand recreational opportunity for hiking, riding, camping, fishing, and
swimming in the great outdoors. The San Gabriel River Canyon and Crystal Lake
intended to serve a population other than just residents of Azusa. It is
for this reason why we cannot consider this regional recreation area as a
local facility, even though these opportunities are only minutes away.
In order to evaluate the existing conditions of the local park system, an
inventory of city parks and public schools located within the city's boundaries
was taken. Azusa has nine public parks totaling 47.28 acres. There are
also 10 elementary schools, 3 junior high schools, and 1 high school in the
city totalling 185.76 acres. Each of the parks will be described in terms
of location, size, and amenities offered.
rTTV PAPV-
City Park is located on Santa Fe Avenue behind the Azusa City Hall and
Library. Some of the amenities include two lighted tennis courts, restrooms,
picnictables, an 830 square foot recreation building, and play equipment.
This 5.1 acre park site is primarily used for passive recreation.
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EDWARDS MINI -PARK:
Edwards Mini -Park is .20 acres and is located at the corner of Azusa Avenue
and Sixth Street in the Central Business District. This mini -park provides
a lawn area, trees, and benches which is used for passive recreation.
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GLADSTONE PARK:
This is a 4.6 acre facility in the southern part of the city. Located at
the corner of Pasadena Avenue and RussellStreet, this park provides an 830
square foot recreation building, snack bar, restrooms, a lighted baseball
diamond, a basketball court, picnic shelter, barbeque, and a horseshoe pit.
This park may be used for both passive and active recreation.
JONES INI-PARK:
Jones Mini -Park is located on San Gabriel Avenue at Second Street. This
.28 acre site provides a grass area with trees and landscaping and is used
for passive recreation. Both Jones Mini -Park and Edwards Mini -Park are
privately owned and may not be available in the future.
MEMORIAL PARK:
Memorial Park is located on Orange Place between Third and Fourth Streets
in the central part of the city. This community park includes a 16,000
square foot recreation building and gym, two lighted baseball diamonds, three
lighted basketball courts, and three lighted tennis courts. There is also
a lighted football field as well as locker rooms with restrooms and showers.
This facility is 11.9 acres in size and is situated in a residential neighbor-
hood.
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NORTHSIDE PARK:
Northside Park is in the northwest section of the city on Eleventh Street
at McKeever Avenue. This 12.8 acre park site includes an 830 square foot
recreation building, restrooms, a basketball court, two lighted baseball
diamonds, and a soccer field. There is also a picnic shelter and tables,
barbeques, two horseshoe pits, and play equipment. Northside Park is
adjacent to Hodge Elementary School,making this an excellent joint development
of park and school.
PIONEER PAR
Pioneer Park is situated at the corner of Sierra Madre Avenue and Dalton
Avenue the northern part of the city. This 4.1 acre park is used for
passive recreation. Some of these amenities include picnic tables, shelters,
barbeques, restrooms, and play equipment.
SLAUSON PARK:
Slauson Park is a community park located at the corner of Pasadena Avenue
and Fifth Street. This is a 4.5 acre facility in the northeastern portion
of the city. This park provides the residents with a recreation building,
5,300 square foot swimming pool with covered bleachers, a basketball court
and baseball diamond,and play equipment. There is also a picnic area with
tables, benches, and barbeques as well as locker rooms, restrooms, and
showers. This recreation facility is mostly used for active recreation.
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ZACATECAS PARK:
Zacatecas Park is a 3.8 acre site located at the corner of First Street
and Virginia Avneue in the west part of the city. This park is named
after Zacatecas, Mexico, Azusa's sister city. This park includes a base-
ball diamond with covered bleachers, restrooms, snackbar, picnic tables
and shelters, play equipment, and on-site parking. Unlike all of the
other parks, Zacatecas has industrial land uses to the north and south of
the site. There is also an.aban.doned county sewer treatment plant to the
west. The only residential land uses are to the east of the park.
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The following is a list of schools in -the Azusa Unified School District
that are located within the boundaries of the city and can be considered
part of the recreation facilities.
TOTAL.............................185.76
School
Grades
Acres
1.
Henry.Dalton
(K-6)
4.43
2.
Gladstone
(K-6)
17.20
3.
Victor F. Hodge
(K-6)
19.77
4.
Charles H. Lee
(K-6)
10.50
5.
Magnolia
(K-6)
2.23
6.
Mountain View
(K-6)
8.45
7.
Clifford D. Murray
(K-6)
10.64
8.
Paramount
(K-6)
9.96
9.
W.R. Powell
(K-6)
9.01
10.
Valleydale
(K-6)
12.17
11.
Center
(7-8)
13.87
12.
Foothill
(7-8)
15.24
13.
Slauson
(7-8)
9.50
14.
Azusa High
(9-12)
42.79
TOTAL.............................185.76
' EXISTING CITY- PARKS AND SCHOOLS 15
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LEGEND:
CITY PARK '
1
SERVICE AREA
CITY OF
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The park deficiency of Azusa was determined using two criteria; (1) total
acres, and (2) service radius.
The Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) uses a standard of
2.5 acres per 1,000 persons for neighborhood parks and 4.0 acres per 1,000
persons for community parks to ddtermine the park deficiency. This standard
is combined with the assumption that school play grounds will provide 1.5
acres of the standard for recreation space per 1,000 persons. Azusa will
use a standard lower than SCAG with an over all 3.5 acres per 1,000 persons.
This standard accounts for 1.5 acres of this standard to be provided by school
play grounds.
The population in the City as of January 1, 1984, was 32,861 persons. As
of August of 1984, there were 47.28 acres of park land and 185.76 of public
school land. Using the standard of 3.5 acres per 1,000 persons with 1.5
acres of this from schools, there is no park deficiency. However, the 1983
Land Use Element of the Azusa General Plan indicates a projected population
of 37,500 persons by the year 2000. If no new local parks are aouired and
developed, there will be a deficiency of 8.64 acres.
Although the total local park land and school play grounds satisfy the
standard, there is a deficiency in terms of service radius. A service radius
of 1/4 mile for neighborhood parks under 5 acres and schools, 1/ wile radius
for neighborhood parks over 5 acres, and 1 mile radius for com;nunity parks
over 5 acres was used to determine the service radius deficiency. As a
result, the west and south parts of the City lack sufficient access to local
park land (see map on page 15). Even though most of the west side is of
commercial and industrial uses, it is equally important to provide these
areas with parks. Park land in commercial and industrial uses can provide
the City with continuity between different land uses as well as providing
quiet and beautiful resting areas. Mini -parks tend to work quite well in
these situations.
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The main tools for the acquisition and control of local parks are
acquisition, and regulation. Acquisition of full or partial rights
to land is the most certain means for public agencies to acquire land for
parks and open space. This may be done through condemnation, donation, or
purchase. In general, if it can be clearly shown that a public purpose is
served, there should be no constitutional barriers to public park acquisition
by either condemnation or purchase.
Local parks can also be acquired through regulatory means, which today are
exercised almost exclusively by local governments. Regulatory tools provide
some of the most basic controls on the quality of the environment in terms
of guiding the pattern of design and development. The main types of regulation
to keep land open are 1) zoning, and 2) subdivision control. As regulation
does not involve compensation to the landowners, care must be taken to avoid
too stringent restrictions which might be interpreted as confiscatory and
hence unconstitutional.
Of the regulatory tools, zoning offers most promise for preservation of open
space. Development zoning includes large lot and cluster zoning which are
primarily applicable in urban areas.
Subdivision control ordinances can affect park land through regulating how
developments are laid out and what public improvements are to be Drovided.
Dedication of a certain percent of each subdivision for permane7it nark land,
or a payment in lieu of dedication equivalent to cost of park land, or a
choice of the two may be required.
PROPOSED SITES:
Currently, a specific plan is being developed for the north end of town.
This plan area is north of Sierra Madre A.er:ue and west of San Gabriel Canon
Road and will cover approximatel:• 120 acres. A second area which is located
within Azusa's Sphere of influence and for which a specific Plan is likely
to be developed in the future is the approximately 200 acres owned by the
Monrovia Nursery Company. That area is bounded generally by Sierra ?ladre
on the north, city limits on the west and south, and northeriv extension of
Citrus Avenue on the east.
There should be at a minimum two neighborhood parks located within each of
these specific plan areas. These local parks should be of appropriate si.ze
and service as to accomodate the future population in these areas. The park
land can be acquired through subdivision and dedication requirements.
The future population of these two specific plan areas is anticipated to
make up the bulk of growth that is projected through the year 2000. Therefore,
it is important to provide park land in this area in order not to create a
deficiency of local parks.
Tn order to make up the deficient service areas in the commercial and industrial
areas, mini -parks and neighborhood parks should be located in the industrial
areas. These parks should have facilities that will reflect the types of
occupations and needs of the employees of these areas.
COO IlOs�i
179
Local Parks are vital elements in our environment. They perform necessary
and positive functions: they provide recreation opportunities for the citizens,
protect physical resources, and affect a wide range of economic development
decisions. Every aspect of planning and development should be infused with
a concern for imaginative and effective uses of park land. Both physical
and psvchological accessibility*to local parks is 3 basic consideration
for all park planning. And it is imagination that is the key to stimulating
local parks and action so that these parks can serve the positive functions they
should in urban societies.
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