Pleasanton Parks and Recreation Master Plan

2-27 Pleasanton Parks and Recreation Master Plan Section Two – Recreation Facility Needs Assessment 2014 2.9.3 Service Area Analysis In addition to providing appropriate quantities and types of recreation facilities, the City strives to provide them in useful and appropriate locations. Service Area Analysis was conducted with respect to all City parks. Proximity to parks is more than a convenience issue. It helps to establish an excellent City park system by providing improved air quality, circulation, social opportunities, community identity, and community health benefits. Proximity to parkland is one of the elements identified as predicting levels of physical activity in the community, and a survey of U.S. adults finds that people with access to neighborhood parks were nearly twice as likely to be physically active as those without access to parks. Further, 43% of people with safe places to walk within ten minutes of home met recommended activity levels, while just 27% of those without safe places to walk were active enough to meet recommended activity levels (Active Living by Design, Land Use Fact Sheet). One‐half mile is approximately a 20‐minute walk for most people. It is generally considered a significant threshold in distance, beyond which some segments of the population will tend to decline walking opportunities. Therefore, most residences should be within one‐half mile, a convenient walkable distance for most people, of a neighborhood park or other park that may satisfy common recreation needs. This one‐half mile radius around parks and recreational facilities is defined as a neighborhood park “service area”. This service area emphasis is key in a community in which families, neighborhoods, and active living are central issues. To analyze the extent to which the distribution of existing Pleasanton facilities is appropriate, a service area radius map is provided (see Exhibit 2.9‐5). Service area radii are generated with the park location as the central radius point. Geographical or other physical obstructions should be considered in analysis of actual service area, so service area shapes are not necessarily full circle but may be truncated to reflect a major barrier, such as an arterial roadway. When areas zoned for residential use fall outside graphic service area designations, it can be said that the area may be underserved by the existing parks. The service area analysis demonstrates that there are four residential areas outside of the established one‐half mile service radius from a developed neighborhood park:  Two areas on the south end of town that have mostly low density housing (near Happy Valley Road and Ruby Hill Golf Course)  One area on the northwest tip of town with some high, medium and low density residential areas near Dublin Canyon Road  One area on the east side of town in the area that will be considered with the East Pleasanton Specific Plan Gaps in service can be addressed by adding a new facility, expanding existing facilities, or by making available an existing facility, such as a school, that has not been previously available for recreation.