Parks & Recreation Comprehensive Master Plan

Inclusive Playground at Community Center

Shaping spaces, enriching lives... together we grow and thrive!

Welcome to the community engagement website for the Town of Chapel Hill's Parks & Recreation Comprehensive Master Plan. Your input will help the Town decide the types of parks, recreation facilities, programs, connectivity, and open spaces that will serve our community today and in the future.

To grow together, we need you to plant your ideas!

Add your ideas to the interactive map
Share your feedback on the idea wall
Complete the budget prioritization exercise

Help us shape spaces and enrich lives—right here in Chapel Hill.

Shaping spaces, enriching lives... together we grow and thrive!

To grow together, we need you to plant your ideas!

Add your ideas to the interactive map
Share your feedback on the idea wall
Complete the budget prioritization exercise

Help us shape spaces and enrich lives—right here in Chapel Hill.

Spring 2026 Update

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Community Engagement Status
We held the Community Engagement phase of the Comprehensive Master Plan during the spring, summer, and fall of 2025. About 4,800 people took part. Right now, we’re reviewing feedback from around 30 engagement events, surveys, and our EHQ page to help decide what comes next and what the community wants for parks, recreation, greenways, open space, and cemeteries, both now and in the future.
We’ll analyze the information by comparing it to local, state, and national trends, and then summarize it in the master plan report coming out later this fall. We’ll outline facility and program priorities, along with cost estimates, and organize them into immediate, near-term, and long-term plans. This will include estimates for starting programs, planning, designing, and building facilities, as well as ongoing costs for running and maintaining them. This process will help us decide which facilities and programs should be included in the Town’s system. We’ll also suggest ways to find funding.
National Commission for Accreditation of Parks and Recreation Agencies Status
Our project team is also working together to gather and prepare the information needed to apply for the National Commission for Accreditation of Parks and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA) certification. We can start the application process once the Comprehensive Plan is finished.
Legion Property Park Concept Plan Status
As part of the Comprehensive Master Plan, we’re creating a concept plan for the park area of the 36.2-acre Legion property at 1714 Legion Road. The team is reviewing feedback from 2017, when the property was bought and the park was first proposed, as well as comments collected since then, including those from the 2022 engagement phase. The plan will outline possible uses for the land outside of the affordable housing project and show how the proposed wetland could be included. Community members will be able to review the Legion Park concept plan on this page in late summer.
Community Engagement Status
We held the Community Engagement phase of the Comprehensive Master Plan during the spring, summer, and fall of 2025. About 4,800 people took part. Right now, we’re reviewing feedback from around 30 engagement events, surveys, and our EHQ page to help decide what comes next and what the community wants for parks, recreation, greenways, open space, and cemeteries, both now and in the future.
We’ll analyze the information by comparing it to local, state, and national trends, and then summarize it in the master plan report coming out later this fall. We’ll outline facility and program priorities, along with cost estimates, and organize them into immediate, near-term, and long-term plans. This will include estimates for starting programs, planning, designing, and building facilities, as well as ongoing costs for running and maintaining them. This process will help us decide which facilities and programs should be included in the Town’s system. We’ll also suggest ways to find funding.
National Commission for Accreditation of Parks and Recreation Agencies Status
Our project team is also working together to gather and prepare the information needed to apply for the National Commission for Accreditation of Parks and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA) certification. We can start the application process once the Comprehensive Plan is finished.
Legion Property Park Concept Plan Status
As part of the Comprehensive Master Plan, we’re creating a concept plan for the park area of the 36.2-acre Legion property at 1714 Legion Road. The team is reviewing feedback from 2017, when the property was bought and the park was first proposed, as well as comments collected since then, including those from the 2022 engagement phase. The plan will outline possible uses for the land outside of the affordable housing project and show how the proposed wetland could be included. Community members will be able to review the Legion Park concept plan on this page in late summer.
Community Engagement Summary Released

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Learn more about how we engaged with and got feedback from our community!
Your participation here was a key piece of our comprehensive approach to engagement for the Master Plan.
The consultant will present a detailed analysis and recommendations for the final plan in Summer - Fall of 2026.
Learn more about how we engaged with and got feedback from our community!
Your participation here was a key piece of our comprehensive approach to engagement for the Master Plan.
The consultant will present a detailed analysis and recommendations for the final plan in Summer - Fall of 2026.
January 2026 Master Plan Update

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The engagement phase of the Parks and Recreation Comprehensive Master Plan has concluded. The process was expansive, intentional, and collaborative. Key highlights:

~9,000 community touch points

Focus groups hosted in all of our primary languages

In-person, digital, and paper formats

Received feedback from town staff, community partners, and residents

Staff will provide a high-level summary on the engagement phase of the Master Plan process in the January 30th Town Council Information Item. The consultant will provide a detailed analysis and recommendations early this summer.
The engagement phase of the Parks and Recreation Comprehensive Master Plan has concluded. The process was expansive, intentional, and collaborative. Key highlights:

~9,000 community touch points

Focus groups hosted in all of our primary languages

In-person, digital, and paper formats

Received feedback from town staff, community partners, and residents

Staff will provide a high-level summary on the engagement phase of the Master Plan process in the January 30th Town Council Information Item. The consultant will provide a detailed analysis and recommendations early this summer.
Community Listening Session

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Join us at the Seymour Center Auditorium (2551 Homestead Rd., #6) on November 20th from 6:15 to 7:30 p.m. for an in-person, public listening session. Share your thoughts about parks, Parks and Rec facilities, and open spaces as part of our Parks and Recreation Comprehensive Master Plan engagement.
Join us at the Seymour Center Auditorium (2551 Homestead Rd., #6) on November 20th from 6:15 to 7:30 p.m. for an in-person, public listening session. Share your thoughts about parks, Parks and Rec facilities, and open spaces as part of our Parks and Recreation Comprehensive Master Plan engagement.
Focus Group Meetings: Refugee Community Partnership

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Last week, our Parks & Recreation Department, our Master Plan Consultant, BerryDunn, and our Communications & Engagement staff held two focus groups with immigrant and refugee women’s groups that meet at the Refugee Community Partnership. Staff shared information in Arabic, Burmese, Karen, and Spanish. Participants took part in engagement activities, sharing what types of programs and facilities/amenities they want to see more of in Chapel Hill. Participants shared that they really appreciated being included in this process! Engagement for the Master Plan will wrap up next month.
Last week, our Parks & Recreation Department, our Master Plan Consultant, BerryDunn, and our Communications & Engagement staff held two focus groups with immigrant and refugee women’s groups that meet at the Refugee Community Partnership. Staff shared information in Arabic, Burmese, Karen, and Spanish. Participants took part in engagement activities, sharing what types of programs and facilities/amenities they want to see more of in Chapel Hill. Participants shared that they really appreciated being included in this process! Engagement for the Master Plan will wrap up next month.
Provide Feedback at Festifall on October 18th

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Come out and see us at the Festifall Arts Market for Carolina Day! We’ll have a table from noon-5pm at 140 West Franklin Street Plaza. Share your thoughts on parks, facilities, and open spaces.
Come out and see us at the Festifall Arts Market for Carolina Day! We’ll have a table from noon-5pm at 140 West Franklin Street Plaza. Share your thoughts on parks, facilities, and open spaces.
Take the Parks & Recreaton Needs Assessment Survey

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Help guide the future of our services, facilities, programs, and operations. This survey takes about 10 minutes to complete, and your responses will be confidential.
Take the survey: https://chapelhillsurvey.org/
Help guide the future of our services, facilities, programs, and operations. This survey takes about 10 minutes to complete, and your responses will be confidential.
Take the survey: https://chapelhillsurvey.org/
Virtual Community Engagement Meeting

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Share your thoughts on parks, facilities, and open spaces!
Join our zoom listening session on 9/23 from 6-7:30pm.
Go to https://zoom.us/join and type in meeting ID: 990 0005 4399
Share your thoughts on parks, facilities, and open spaces!
Join our zoom listening session on 9/23 from 6-7:30pm.
Go to https://zoom.us/join and type in meeting ID: 990 0005 4399
September Engagement Opportunities

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September 5 – UNC “The Pit”
11:00am – 2:00pm Cyclicious
September 23 – “Virtual Meeting”
6:00 – 7:30pm Community/Public Listening Session
September 25 - Hargraves Park
5:30 – 8:00pm Good Neighbor Initiative Cookout
September 5 – UNC “The Pit”
11:00am – 2:00pm Cyclicious
September 23 – “Virtual Meeting”
6:00 – 7:30pm Community/Public Listening Session
September 25 - Hargraves Park
5:30 – 8:00pm Good Neighbor Initiative Cookout
Roll & Stroll Community Feedback

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The Second Annual Roll & Stroll was a huge success! Look at all those dots!

The Second Annual Roll & Stroll was a huge success! Look at all those dots!