COUNTY OF SAN MATEO

Inter-Departmental Correspondence

DEPARTMENT OF PARKS

DATE:

May 8, 2008

BOARD MEETING DATE:

May 20, 2008

SPECIAL NOTICE/HEARING:

None

VOTE REQUIRED:

Majority

TO:

Honorable Board of Supervisors

FROM:

David G. Holland, Director, Department of Parks

SUBJECT:

Midcoast Action Plan for Parks and Recreation

RECOMMENDATION:

Adopt a resolution approving and adopting the Midcoast Action Plan for Parks and Recreation.

VISION ALIGNMENT:

Commitment: Preserve and provide people access to our natural environment.

Goal 15: Residents have nearby access to green space, such as parks and recreational opportunities.

The Parks Department has prepared an Action Plan for providing neighborhood and community recreation services and facilities on the Midcoast. The park and recreation system envisioned in this Action Plan includes neighborhood parks, community parks, a community recreation building and a Midcoast trail system. The intent of the system is to fulfill the local neighborhood needs of Montara, Moss Beach, El Granada, Princeton, and Miramar.

BACKGROUND:

Since the 1970’s, efforts have been made on the Midcoast to implement a local neighborhood park plan. The County’s Needs Analysis & Financing Options Study scientifically measured community values and cited a strong level of support for funding a park system on the Midcoast. The County has funded and facilitated this Action Plan, and supports the need to identify potential organizations to implement and manage this park system.

DISCUSSION:

This report, prepared by the Midcoast Recreation Planning Team, is an Action Plan for providing neighborhood and community recreation services and facilities on the Midcoast. The Action Plan outlines near and long term objectives and a strategy for implementation.

This plan focuses on actions that implement recommendations from three assessments conducted over the past 30 years beginning with the adopted Midcoast Community Plan from 1978. Preparation of this plan also meets the Shared Vision 2010 The Promise of the Peninsula prepared by the County Board of Supervisors. Over a third of the ten commitments and twenty-five goals outlined in the County's shared vision are directly applicable to implementing a Midcoast park system.

The process for developing this Plan included holding public meetings to assess the local community needs, and establishing the Midcoast Recreation Planning Team that meets monthly. The planning team members are representatives from Half Moon Bay Parks and Recreation Commission, Cabrillo Unified School District (CUSD), Midcoast Community Council, and Midcoast Parklands, and two representatives from each of the Midcoast communities (Miramar/Princeton, El Granada, Moss Beach and Montara). San Mateo County Parks with the support of the Midcoast Recreation Planning Team will continue to guide the process and implementation of the plan.

The Action Plan delineates costs for a minimal park system on the Midcoast which collectively includes the City of Half Moon Bay, CUSD, and County Parks, volunteer hours, and in-kind contributions. The near term actions identified will enhance the recreational services to the Midcoast. The parks and recreation services included in these costs include Moss Beach Park, Quarry Park, Fitzgerald Marine Reserve, and active recreation programs provided by the City of Half Moon Bay.

In the 2004 report, Midcoast Park & Recreation Governance Alternatives, several options for governance are presented for consideration. LAFCo is currently reviewing more broadly the governance options for the Midcoast including creating a Community Services District. Decisions and options regarding Midcoast Parks governance needs to wait on the recommendations that will follow from the LAFCo report.

Although San Mateo County Parks Department has a presence on the Midcoast, they are not currently funded for providing recreation programs and services for the unincorporated Midcoast communities. The County will continue to identify alternative funding sources, in cooperation with Half Moon Bay and CUSD, to implement the Action plan and provide the needed recreational services critical for constructing, maintaining, operating and administering a community park system.

FISCAL IMPACT:

There is no impact on the net County cost.