B. Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Concept
The Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Element supports the continued provision of accessible and well-maintained facilities and services for current and future residents. Levels of service are established for facilities. Policies are established for coordination with other service providers to ensure efficiencies in utilization of park and recreational facilities and services. The City will promote environmental conservation and education for publicly owned natural open space areas.
Level of Service for Kirkland’s Parks, Recreation, and Open Space System
In 2015, the City adopted a new standard for determining the level of service for its park system. Known as “Investment per Person,” this standard ensures that each person receives access to a constant amount of parks and recreational facilities as the community grows. The City provides this value by capital investment in parks and recreational facilities that are most appropriate for each site and which respond to changing needs and priorities as the City grows and the demographics and needs of the population changes. This standard allows the City flexibility in determining the precise mix of facilities that the City builds to meet the needs of its current and future residents.
In determining Kirkland’s park “Investment per Person,” the following formula is used:
|
Replacement Value of Parks and Recreation Inventory |
/ |
Population |
= |
Capital Investment per Person |
|
Replacement Value of Inventory |
Population |
Investment per Person |
|
$338,118,273 |
82,590 |
$4,093.94 |
(Note: the Investment per Person Standard will change over time to reflect the change in the impact fee rate.)