College Station's parks department has finished a draft master plan meant to steer park spending and programs for roughly the next decade, and two city panels will weigh it this week.
The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board is scheduled to consider the plan at 6 p.m. today in the Activity Room of the Bob & Wanda Meyer Senior & Community Center, 2275 Dartmouth St. The Planning and Zoning Commission then holds a public hearing Thursday, Oct. 15, on an ordinance that would repeal the city's 2011 parks, recreation and open spaces plan and write the new one into the Comprehensive Plan.
City staff recommends approval, according to the commission packet.
What the draft says about the system now
The draft, prepared with consultant Asakura Robinson, counts 55 developed parks on 1,595 acres, eight undeveloped parks on 299 acres and two cemeteries, for 1,971 acres in all. It counts 12.4 acres of city parkland for every 1,000 people, above the National Recreation and Park Association benchmark of 10, and says College Station beats national medians in nearly every facility category.
The exceptions are tennis and pickleball. The draft lists one pickleball court for every 32,092 residents, against a national median of one per 6,782 for cities of similar size, and calls pickleball the largest gap in the system.
Targets and goals
The plan sets measurable targets for park access. About 67% of residents can now reach a city park entrance on a 10-minute walk; the draft aims for 75% within three years, 80% within five and 90% within 15. It also targets raising tree canopy in city parks from 32.6% to 50% over 15 years.
Five goals organize the recommendations: more nature-based recreation and restoration, better access through linear parks and the greenways the department recently took over, high-quality athletic facilities that keep the city competitive for tournaments, stronger internal planning, and formal partnerships with the Rio Brazos Audubon Society, Texas A&M University, AgriLife Extension and the Texas A&M Forest Service.
The draft notes the city could grow by at least 20,000 people by 2030 and says the department runs with notably fewer staff than peer cities, a gap it expects to widen as new parks open.
