Prince William County GovernmentPrince William County Government

Parks & Open Space

Prince William County Parks & Open Space Project

Planning Commission and Park Authority Presentation - March 9, 2005

1Date: 3/9/2005

Parks & Opens Space Project

Collaboration between the Planning Office, Park Authority and Public WorksPurpose/Intent:

Identify and analyze data on existing parks, open space and environmentally sensitive areasCoordinate efforts between County AgenciesDetermine best method for setting aside new passive and active parkland, creating greenway corridors, and preserving vital openspace and environmentally sensitive areas

2Date: 3/9/2005

Basis for Parks & Open Space Project County Comprehensive Plan

Parks and Open Space ChapterCreate and maintain an inventory of existing private sector and other jurisdictional parkland and facilities for use in future park analysis.

Environment ChapterTo protect the biological diversity, processes, and functions of natural habitats, identify a network of preservation corridors or large woodland areas to be incorporated into an overall habitat protection network.Investigate the benefits of establishing a private conservancy fund for the purpose of purchasing privately held lands for preservation purposes and seeking perpetual conservation easements to preserve open space.

Long Range Land Use ChapterCreate a new Public Facilities Map.

3Date: 3/9/2005

Basis for Parks & Open Space Project Park Authority Comprehensive Plan

Establish long-range acquisition and development priorities.Develop a Parks and Open Space Master Plan for the County that identifies areas suitable for recreational development, open space preservation, and/or historic/cultural preservation, and identify means for acquiring such areas.Coordinate with the County Planning Office to establish policies for protecting the County’s open space (ie. green infrastructure) and establish guidelines as to the management of such spaces.

Consider developing a per capita standard for open space and/or passive park acreage.Identify possible funding sources for property acquisition.

4Date: 3/9/2005

Other Driving Factors

Green Network Plan –CBF, American Farmland TrustCitizens – Park Authority Needs AssessmentRezoning process – cash and in-kind proffersGIS – We have the technology

5Date: 3/9/2005

Project Phases

Phase 1: Data Collection & AnalysisSeptember 2004 – April 2005Outputs:

Preliminary reportProposed Parks and Open Space map (revised)Proposed Long-Range Land Use Map (revised)

Phase 2: Citizen ParticipationSeries of Public Forums throughout CountyInformational websiteApril – June (2005)Output: Citizen Input Report

6Date: 3/9/2005

Project Phases, cont.

Phase 3: Commission & Board participationJoint (and/or separate) work sessions with Planning Commission and Park Authority BoardWork sessions with BOCSJune - July (2005)

Phase 4: Final project reportAugust – December 2005Outputs:

Project report Revised Parks & Open Space Map and Long-Range Land Use Map for BOCS adoption Proposed amendments - Parks & Open Space Chapter of the Comprehensive Plan for BOCS adoptionRevised Park Authority Comprehensive Plan for Park Authority Board adoption

7Date: 3/9/2005

Status of Phase 1Parks and Open Space Data Collection

What are our current resources?Data collected:

Federal and state landsCounty parks and schoolsOther county owned landHOA owned lands Private golf coursesPrivate easements, dedicated conservation lands, and wetland banksPrivate land dedicated to parks and/or open space

8Date: 3/9/2005

Federal Land

Total = 40,456 Acres

9Date: 3/9/2005

State Land

Total = 929 Acres

10Date: 3/9/2005

Park Authority & School Board Property

Total = 4,203 Acres

11Date: 3/9/2005

HOA Owned Land

7,136 Acres

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Golf Courses

4,078 Acres

13Date: 3/9/2005

Wetlands Banks & Conservation Easements

Total = 2,537 Acres

14Date: 3/9/2005

Status of Phase 1 –Data Analysis – Green Infrastructure

Where do we want to go?Status of data analysis

Open SpaceEnvironmentally-sensitive landsCultural resources

“Green Infrastructure Map”

15Date: 3/9/2005

Environmental Resources

16Date: 3/9/2005

Cultural Resources

17Date: 3/9/2005

Parks & Opens Space Project

Next StepsFinalize data collection phase (March 2005)Perform data analysis (Green Infrastructure Map) (April 2005)Report to BOCS on Phase 1 analysis (April 2005)Citizen Participation phase (start at the end of April)

Questions?