Parks & Recreation Comprehensive Master Plan

We’re currently in the analysis and assessment phase of the master planning process.

We've created an update that includes an overview of the Master Plan process, summary points from the community engagement, early findings, and key takeaways to share with Council and the community. Here are some early findings:

• Because of both staffing levels and space constraints, we have limited capacity for program expansion.
• There’s strong demand for more aquatics spaces and programs, including lessons, lap swim, and therapeutic classes.
• There are many opportunities to better serve teens through strategic partnerships and programs.
• There’s strong interest in more multicultural programs and events, including multilingual outreach/engagement.
• With a greater emphasis on data collection, we can better guide resource allocation and key operational and program decisions.
• Our ability to innovate and grow is severely constrained by our facilities and storage capacity.

Here are some key takeaways:

• We have a high-performing department with high usage, strong community satisfaction, and diverse facilities and programs.
• We have a strong foundation for the master plan, rooted in equitable community engagement.
• There’s clear demand for expanded programs, improved amenities, and more equitable access.
• To meet community desires, we’ll need to address staffing shortages, below benchmark funding, and internal inefficiencies

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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/

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 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