As if there wasn’t enough to do on March 4, Charlottesville Parks and Rec has scheduled a public forum to discuss the Master Plan Project for the western end of McIntire Park. The meeting runs from 6:30 to 8:30 in City Council chambers, and yes, that is the same time as both the Old Lynchburg Road Citizen information meeting and the UVA Medical Center update . A copy of the Park Forum agenda is posted below.
As has been reported, the City of Charlottesville has entered into a Land Lease with the Piedmont Family YMCA that provides for the construction of a community recreation center within McIntire Park. A provision of this land lease requires the City to conduct a master plan process that will determine the exact location of the YMCA within this portion of McIntire Park. This process will produce a conceptual master plan that will:
1) Locate the YMCA facility within a pre-defined area on the west side of McIntire Park
2) Identify other potential recreational improvements on the west side of McIntire Park reflecting the needs and values of the community.
To that end, upon completion of a six week Request for Proposal (RFP) process, the City has retained the services of a landscape architectural firm. Rhodeside-Harwell will assist the City in facilitating a community-driven process that will update the park master plan for the portion of McIntire Park west of the Norfolk Southern Railway. The March 4 meeting is only the first of several community engagement meetings designed to create open discussion of this project. The current schedule is as follows:
Community Engagement Meeting Schedule:
- March 4, 2008: General Public Meeting – City Council Chambers 6:30pm; Agenda below
- April 12, 2008: Design Charette* – 9am – 12noon; Open to the Public (location to be determined)
- May 6, 2008: General Public Meeting – 3:30-7:30pm; Open House to review Draft Master Plan (location to be determined)
- May 19, 2008: Presentation to City Council of Final Master Plan; Adoption
Additionally, youth and teen focus groups will be held in partnership with Schools, Boys and Girls Club, YMCA, Public Housing Sites, and Recreation Center participants in late March and early April.
Additional and ongoing information about this and other City Parks projects can be found at Charlottesville.org/parks.
*(I had to look this up, but according to Dictionary.com, a Charette is “a final, intensive effort to finish a project, esp. an architectural design project, before a deadline.)
McIntire Park Master Plan Update
Public Meeting #1
Tuesday, March 4th, 2008 @ 6:30 PM
Charlottesville City Council Chambers
Agenda
6:30 – 6:45 — Sign in and Browse
6:45 – 7:00 — Welcome and Introductions
Dave Norris, Mayor
Project Team Mike Svetz
• Project Background and Purpose
• Project Parameters
7:00 – 7:20 — Presentation: Existing Conditions and Site Planning Options
7:20 – 7:30 — Audience Comments/Questions
7:30 – 7:40 — Give Us Your Opinions
Review options and complete questionnaire
7:40 – 8:10 — Discussion Of Options
8:10 – 8:15 — Next Steps
Questions or comments? Please email recservices@Charlottesville.org