Bellaire City Manager Sharon Citino provided an update July 6 regarding the city's ongoing discussion to put together a future Parks Master Plan.
What's happening?
City officials launched a Parks Master Plan survey in early July that will remain open through September. The survey takes approximately eight to 10 minutes to complete and asks questions related to the quality and quantity of parks and recreational opportunities in the city and allows residents to leave comments about parks and facilities that they frequently visit.
The survey can be completed online on the city's website.
"Having [residents'] input is really helpful to us to know what it is we are missing in our parks or where we need to lean in and do more," Citino said. "But we are really excited to deliver the results here to the community shortly."
Citino also said that the city intends to continue with a community engagement plan beyond the survey that will include a website, notifications, emails and in-person booths at community events throughout September.
In case you missed it
City officials began working on the new Parks Master Plan earlier in the year. City Council voted in early April to execute a $221,800 contract with MHS Planning and Design to get the official process started.
According to prior reporting, the firm will work with the city to develop a master plan that will establish a long-term vision, evaluate conditions and provide a strategic roadmap for improvements and priorities for the city's park and recreation facilities over the next 10 years.
Bellaire has approximately 14 parks that provide a range of amenities such as playgrounds, swimming pools and walking trails. As of early 2026, Trust for Public Land data showed that about 94% of residents in Bellaire live within a 10-minute walk of a park.
