Agenda Item
City Council
Item #: 6.1. 9/13/2022 File #: 22-0447
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THRU: Rob Houston, City Manager
FROM: Leslie Hardy, Community Services Director
1. SUBJECT
Grijalva Park Master Plan Update.
2. SUMMARY
An update regarding the status of the Grijalva Park Master Plan to include current status updates from the various community groups.
3. RECOMMENDED ACTION
Receive and file.
4. FISCAL IMPACT
None.
5. STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS
Goal 3: Enhance and promote quality of life in the community a: Renovate, maintain, develop, and/or expand public use places and spaces. b: Deliver high quality and safe recreational, social, environmental, educational, and cultural services.
6. DISCUSSION AND BACKGROUND
Introduction
The City owns 42 acres of land known as Grijalva Park at Santiago Creek. The land is located in the northwest corner of the intersection of Prospect Street and Spring Street with the Santiago Creek forming the western edge of the property. The first 15 acres were developed into a park with lighted soccer fields in 2002. A conceptual Master Plan was finalized in 2005 for the western 27 acres, commonly referred to as the “Grijalva Park Extension.” This includes 10 acres of undevelopable property in the creek. The Sports Center at Grijalva Park, home to a gymnasium, dance and exercise room, and classroom opened in 2011, with the development of eight acres. The remaining nine acres of the extension property is undeveloped.
Development of the property must consider these factors:
· Former Union Pacific Railroad landfill post-closure monitoring & maintenance plan · The Kinder Morgan Pipeline, which runs through the north section of the property and along City of Orange Printed on 9/8/2022Page 1 of 3
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Item #: 6.1. 9/13/2022 File #: 22-0447
the current access road
· Residential housing west of the creek and adjacent to the northeast portion of the property · Ability to provide adequate parking and circulation
2005 Grijalva Park at Santiago Creek Master Plan
Through a public input process and reference to the City’s1999 Master Plan For Park Facilities, Recreation and Community Services (1999 Master Plan), the 2005 Grijalva Park at Santiago Creek extension property Master Plan was created (Attachment 1). At the time of the 2005 Master Plan, the City had a population of almost 135,000 with no indoor recreational athletic facility. The 1999 Master Plan identified a gymnasium as the third highest priority for the community, right behind practice and lighted sports fields. A community center was the fourth highest priority. In addition, the 1999 Master Plan identifies that the city has a deficit of swimming pools, skate parks, picnic tables and tot lots.
Based on input and priorities, the following features were included in the 2005 Master Plan:
· 25,200 square foot gymnasium and sports center
· 47,300 square foot aquatic center
· 10,800 square foot community center
· 10,000 square foot skate park
· Tot lot
· Group picnic area
· Outdoor amphitheater
· Standalone restroom to support outdoor active elements on the southwest portion of the park Construction of Phase I of the plan was completed in 2011 and included:
· Capping the former landfill and stabilizing the adjacent Santiago Creek slopes · Mass grading of the entire extension property and bringing utilities to the site · Construction of the sports center
· Access and internal circulation
· Construction of the southern parking lot to support the sports center · Landscaping to support the sports center
Any further development of the Grijalva Park Extension has been on hold pending available funding for both development and operations of additional park amenities.
Updated Grijalva Park Master Plan
In 2018/early 2019, the City received formal requests from four community groups interested in exploring partnerships for the undeveloped property. Marc Conner, owner of the local skate shop Contenders Boardshop on Tustin Street, asked to raise money to build the skate park. Additionally, Greater Orange Community Arts Theater (GOCAT) sent a letter to City Council asking to investigate the possibility of building and operating a community arts theater at Grijalva Park. The City Council City of Orange Printed on 9/8/2022Page 2 of 3
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Item #: 6.1. 9/13/2022 File #: 22-0447
the possibility of building and operating a community arts theater at Grijalva Park. The City Council received a letter from Orange Regional Competitive Aquatics (ORCA), a current city partner in providing swim lessons at local high school pools, requesting to explore a joint partnership to build and operate a community pool at Grijalva Park. Additionally, the City Manager received a letter of request from the Orange Public Library Board of Trustees, expressing interest in exploring opportunities for a library facility. In addition to these four requests, there has been community discussion of potentially utilizing the property for a senior center, as Orange Elderly Services continues its efforts of long-term strategic planning.
In an effort to evaluate these requests, staff engaged the services of MIG Landscape Architects (MIG), formerly Purkiss-Rose-RSI who created the 2005 Master Plan, to help evaluate options. MIG presented staff with a potential updated Master Plan (Attachment 2). The City Council reviewed the status of the Master Plan and in February 2019, issued support letters to Contenders Boardshop, the GOCAT Foundation, Orange Public Library Foundation, and ORCA to raise funds to build their respective facilities.
In 2020, ORCA notified the City that it no longer is pursing fundraising efforts to build an aquatics center at Grijalva Park. This change presented the City with the opportunity to re-evaluate the updated 2019 plan to maximize use of the property which includes reconfiguring the placement of the Library/Senior Center to provide better connectivity to the existing Sports Center and relocate the skate park to the aquatic center site. Staff engaged MIG again in 2022 and the consultant provided another option for the Grijalva Park Master Plan (Attachment 3).
Considerations and Fiscal Impact
Development of the site should consider the factors previously discussed. In addition, planning for the site should consider existing programing at the site, which currently includes field and facility rentals, open gym, special events, and general park use. Future fiscal impacts for both development of facilities and associated amenities (utilities, parking, hardscape, landscape, etc.), as well as operations and maintenance will be determined based on City Council input and direction.
7. ATTACHMENTS
· Attachment 1- 2005 Grijalva Park at Santiago Creek Site Plan · Attachment 2- 2019 Grijalva Park Master Plan Update
· Attachment 3- 2022 Grijalva Park Master Plan Update
City of Orange Printed on 9/8/2022Page 3 of 3
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