Bellaire’s 10-year Parks Master Plan enters community engagement phase of development

City officials and planning consultants officially began gathering feedback from Bellaire residents regarding future enhancements of the city’s park system at an Aug. 19 Parks Master Plan community meeting.

This feedback is slated to help shape Bellaire’s ongoing development of its 2027-2037 Parks, Recreation and Open Space Master Plan, which, once complete, will establish the city’s parkland initiatives for the next decade, according to information presented at the meeting.

In case you missed it

Zach Clark, a consultant from MHS Planning & Design, opened the Aug. 19 meeting with a presentation informing Bellaire residents of the Parks Master Plan’s intent and the status of its development.

Clark explained that the plan is developed every 10 years with the purpose of evaluating the city’s existing parks, facilities, trails, recreation programs and open spaces to identify how they can be improved.

The plan additionally highlights opportunities for the city’s growth and what city officials should prioritize operationally over the next decade to ensure its facilities are meeting the community’s needs.

How we got here

In April, Bellaire City Council unanimously voted to execute a $221,800 contract with outdoor environment design firm MHS Planning & Design to collaboratively build the Parks Master Plan prior to its adoption.

Clark said during the presentation that planners and staff from Bellaire’s Parks, Recreation and Facilities Department are currently in the community engagement phase of the plan’s 8-step development process.

This phase targets gathering feedback from residents about the improvements they would like to see through surveys, focus groups, pop-up events and community meetings similar to the Aug. 19 gathering.

“Right now, we’re just in the early stages [of engagement]. Any kind of feedback is what we’re looking for,” Clark said. “As much as we can get, the better.”

Remember this?

The City of Bellaire’s previous Parks Master Plan was adopted in 2015.

Utilizing this plan through 2025, city officials implemented numerous changes related to playground expansion, facility equipment replacements, lighting upgrades, landscaping, park signage installation, perimeter fencing and more across Bellaire’s park system, according to the meeting presentation.

Of the city’s 17 parks, 13 of them underwent these renovations over the last decade.

• Bellaire-Zindler Park
• Evelyn’s Park
• Evergreen Park
• Feld Park
• Joe Gaither Park
• Lafayette Park
• Locust Park
• Loftin Park
• Mulberry Park
• Paseo Park
• Russ Pitman Park
• Vic Driscoll Park
• Ware Family Park

Bellaire’s Parks Master Plan for 2027-2037 will encompass the entirety of the current park system, per presentation details.

Public input

After the presentation was concluded, attending residents were allowed to ask city staff and MHS consultants directly any questions they had about the plan in an open floor setup.

In small groups, attendees were additionally invited to write down their feedback on interactive boards placed around the room, each board posing different questions about Bellaire’s existing parks and facilities.

Some of the suggestions left by community members for future improvements to the city’s park system and programming include:

• Improved pool maintenance
• Addition of native plants, shrubbery and trees
• Addition of biking/running/walking trails fitted with water stations
• Addition of dog parks
• Increased diversity of sports programming
• Regularly scheduled community events such as farmers markets, food truck services, music events and fundraisers
• Increased inclusion of adult park programming

Bellaire resident Richard Thorp, who has lived in the area for the past four years, told Community Impact that Bellaire’s parks are in good condition as is and do not require fixing, only enhancements of what already exists.

“‘Fixed’ implies broken... but really, [enhancements] start with a really great park system,” Thorp said. “I think enhancing the Evergreen Pool—because it’s older—so that we have a really good fitness pool and a pool for the kids swim team, that’s important. And then acquiring just a little more park space, judiciously, would be great.”

What’s next

Ryan Smith, director of Bellaire’s Parks, Recreation and Facilities Department, said that city staff intends to host more community engagement events in the near future to maximize the amount of resident feedback that is received.

Members of the community can expect these events to span from the end of August until mid-September, Smith confirmed.