The first open house will be held March 2 at 5:30 p.m. at the Heights Recreation Center, located at 711 W. Arapaho Road. The city plans to hold another open house March 3 at 5:30 p.m. at the Huffhines Recreation Center, located at 200 N. Plano Road. Both meetings are expected to last two hours.
The master plan was first brought up during the Feb. 7 City Council meeting. Updating the plan allows the city to refocus its efforts on what residents want in terms of parks and other recreation uses, allowing the council and other departments to plan for future projects based on funding opportunities and other factors, said Lori Smeby, Richardson's director of the parks and recreation department, at the council meeting.
Smeby said the city of Richardson conducts an update to the master plan every five years and that the plan is scheduled for a rewrite every 10 years. The city of Richardson is required to alter the plan to be eligible for grant opportunities at the county and state levels. The last update to the master plan was adopted in 2017.
Data gathering is the focus of this first phase of updating the master plan with park facility inventories and population analyses taking place as well as public input opportunities. Once this data and public input are analyzed, the city can develop an action plan along with financial strategies to present to the City Council.
The master plan is scheduled to be adopted by the City Council in early 2023.
To learn more about the master plan, visit www.cor.net/parksmasterplan.
