STAFF REPORT
Meeting Date:
June 9, 2026
BUSINESS
18 SUBJECT: VILLAGE GREEN PARK PLAYGROUND DESIGN
RECOMMENDATION: It is recommended that the City Council:
1. Receive a presentation on conceptual design alternatives for the Village Green Park Playground project;
2. Provide direction regarding the preferred design approach and level of improvement for the Village Green Park Playground; and
3. Find the recommended action consistent with government activities, which do not result in a direct or indirect physical change in the environment and therefore does not constitute a “Project” within the meaning of the California Environmental Quality Act.
SUMMARY OF THE MATTER
This report presents three conceptual alternatives for the Village Green Park Playground Project and requests City Council direction regarding the preferred approach for future design and implementation. The alternatives reflect varying levels of accessibility improvements, preservation of existing playground character, implementation of the Playground Master Plan (PMP), and project cost.
On June 10, 2025, the City Council adopted the PMP, which serves as a strategic guide for future planning and investment in City playgrounds. The PMP identified Village Green Park Playground (“Project”) as the highest-priority playground replacement project based on safety and accessibility considerations. Following the adoption of the PMP, staff hired a consultant to begin civil design efforts last year to incorporate the draft playground concept design included in the PMP. During conceptual design, staff identified significant grading and accessibility challenges associated with implementing the adopted concept while maintaining compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements. In addition, representatives of the South Laguna Civic Association expressed a preference for retaining the existing playground character and pursuing more limited improvements.
Three alternatives are presented for City Council consideration: (1) implementation of the PMP playground concept with extensive site grading and accessibility improvements; (2) implementation of the PMP playground concept with reduced grading and handrails; and (3) preservation of the existing playground character with targeted improvements to existing equipment and surfacing materials. Staff is not recommending a preferred alternative and seeks City Council direction regarding the desired project approach.
Approximately $495,237 is currently budgeted for the Project within the Capital Improvement Program.
Preliminary project costs are estimated at approximately $850,000 for Option 1, $760,000 for Option 2, and $100,000 for Option 3.
VILLAGE GREEN PARK PLAYGROUND DESIGN
June 9, 2026
DISCUSSION
Background
On June 10, 2025, the PMP was adopted by the City Council which included assessments of the City’s nine existing playgrounds to ensure they remain safe, accessible, and engaging for the community. Village Green Park Playground, which was last replaced in 2003, received the highest ranking for improvements based on overall safety and accessibility concerns of the existing playground, including the existing path of travel around the current playground equipment.
During development of the PMP, community input was gathered through surveys and community meetings.
As part of the PMP process, the survey results were shared with several playground vendors to draft playground concepts. Specifically for Village Green Park, the Recreation Committee selected the draft playground concept design developed by Innovative Playgrounds Company, included in the adopted PMP, to be the basis for design.
Project Timeline:
• June 10, 2025 – City Council adopts the Playground Master Plan. • Summer/Fall 2025 – Staff initiates conceptual civil engineering and design efforts. • November 6, 2025 – Staff meets with representatives of the South Laguna Civic Association regarding playground improvements.
• Winter/Spring 2026 – Accessibility and grading challenges are identified during conceptual design. • June 9, 2026 – City Council considers conceptual alternatives and provides project direction.
Alternative Evaluations:
During conceptual design, staff evaluated three potential approaches to the project. No preferred alternative is being recommended. Rather, the alternatives are presented to facilitate City Council discussion regarding project priorities, accessibility improvements, preservation of existing character, and project cost. During the course of conceptual civil design efforts, two options were considered to incorporate the draft playground concept into the Project. See Attachments 1 and 2.
OPTION 1 – IMPLEMENT PMP CONCEPT WITH FULL ADA GRADING
Due the existing elevation difference from the east side of the playground site to the west side – currently a six to seven-foot drop – the playground site would need to be graded flat to ensure all walkways and play areas meet ADA requirements. The slopes of all walkways would be 5% or less, which does not require any handrails.
Advantages:
- Incorporates draft playground concept design
- Does not require any handrails at walkways surrounding new playground area - Flattens the site to improve accessibility to playground Disadvantages:
- Requires retaining curbs or walls at both the east side and west side of the site
VILLAGE GREEN PARK PLAYGROUND DESIGN
June 9, 2026
- Potential impacts to existing trees and vegetation, particularly at the easterly side of the site - Significant cost to flatten the existing playground area OPTION 2 – IMPLEMENT PMP CONCEPT WITH REDUCING GRADING
Grade the playground site relatively flat, but not as flat as Option 1 to improve accessibility to and around the playground area. The slopes of all walkways would be less than 8% requiring handrails surrounding a majority of the playground area. Retaining curbs or walls would be needed only at the easterly side of the site.
Advantages:
- Incorporates draft playground concept design
- Flattens the site to improve accessibility to playground - Less site grading and retaining structures than Option 1 Disadvantages:
- Requires retaining curbs or walls at east side of the site. - Requires handrails at majority of walkways surrounding new playground area. - Potential impacts to existing trees and vegetation, particularly at the easterly side of the site - Significant cost to flatten the existing playground area OPTION 3 – PRESERVE EXISTING PLAYGROUND CHARACTER WITH TARGETED
IMPROVEMENTS
On November 6, 2025, City staff met with a group of approximately seven members representing SLCA to discuss the proposed improvements to the Village Green Park playground. SLCA members generally disapproved of the draft playground concept design adopted in the PMP, expressed a desire to retain the existing “Tree House” character of the playground with minimal or alternate improvements to the play equipment, inquired about alternate vendor choices, and raised concerns regarding the use of plastics and rubberized materials for the new playground.
City staff engaged with Columbia Cascade Company, the vendor who supplied the play equipment for the existing playground, to inquire about replacing pieces of the existing play equipment in-kind due to wear or other age-related conditions. This approach would retain the existing playground equipment and focus on other material improvements, such as replacing the existing sand in the lower tot lot playground area with mulch to be consistent with the upper playground. Additionally, this option would retain the existing walkways, not alter the existing playground site elevations, and have minimal impact to existing trees and vegetation.
Advantages:
- Minimal earthwork to alter site elevations
- Reduced project cost
- Minimal impacts to existing trees and vegetation
Disadvantages:
- Does not incorporate draft playground concept adopted in the PMP
VILLAGE GREEN PARK PLAYGROUND DESIGN
June 9, 2026
- Does not address accessibility concerns raised in PMP - No meaningful upgrade to playground equipment
Refined Playgound Concept
Staff concurrently worked with Innovative Playgrounds to explore modifications to the draft playground concept and maintain the existing character of the park by keeping the existing retaining wall located between the upper and lower play areas, protecting the existing dedicated tree stump/plaque within the playground, and incorporating natural (brown) color into the play surface. Both the original and refined draft concepts are shown in Attachment 3.
If the City Council’s direction is to proceed with new playground equipment, staff requests direction to proceed with the preferred design alternative. This direction will allow staff to incorporate a range of acceptable variations in playground amenities while maintaining alignment with community recommendations and project objectives.
FINANCIAL ANALYSIS
There is available budget of $495,237 for the Village Green Park Playground project as part of the Capital Improvement Budget. Cost for the playground equipment alone is quoted by Innovative Playgrounds at $457,803. Below is a breakdown of the rough estimated project costs, including soft costs and contingencies, for each option described above:
Description Expenditures
Option 1 (site grading/new playground/no handrails) $850,000 Option 2 (site grading/new playground/handrails) $760,000 Option 3 (no grading/minimal playground upgrades) $100,000 Neither Option 1 nor Option 2 is currently fully funded based on available project appropriations. Should the City Council direct staff to proceed with either alternative, staff would return following completion of design and construction bidding with updated cost estimates and any required funding recommendations.
ALIGNMENT WITH CITY GOALS
The Village Green Park Playground Project supports the City's ongoing commitment to maintaining and improving public recreational facilities, enhancing accessibility, and investing in community infrastructure.
The project also advances implementation of the Playground Master Plan adopted by the City Council in 2025.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS
The recommended actions consist of organizational or administrative activities of the City that will not result in a direct or indirect physical change in the environment and therefore does not constitute a “Project” within the meaning of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) (Public Resources Code Section 21065; 14 CCR Section 15378(b)(5)). City Council direction is for design services only and any future actual improvements will be subject to independent environmental review under CEQA at the time entitlements for those improvements are applied for.
VILLAGE GREEN PARK PLAYGROUND DESIGN
June 9, 2026
ATTACHMENTS
1. Options 1 and 2 Site Plans (Pgs. 6-7)
2. Options 1 and 2 Cross Sections (Pgs. 8-9)
3. Draft Playground Concept Designs (Pgs. 10-11)
Submitted By: Mark McAvoy Approved: Gavin Curran, for
Mark McAvoy, Director of Public
Works & Utilities
Dave Kiff, City Manager
Report Prepared By: Coordinated With:
Pierre Sawaya, Capital Program Manager Thomas Perez, City Engineer Alexis Braun, Acting Director of Transit and
Community Services