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Agenda Report
I
October 13, 2026
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM: Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department SUBJECT: SURFACE TYPE SELECTION FOR VILLA PARKE AND ROBINSON
PARK ATHLETIC FIELDS
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the City Council:
1. Find that the proposed project is categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines Section 15301 (Class 1, Existing Facilities) and 15302 (Replacement or Reconstruction), and thereare no features that distinguish the project from others in the exempt classes, and therefore, there are no unusual circumstances and no other exception to the exemption applies; and
2. Approve the replacement of existing artificial turf fields at Villa Parke and Robinson Park with enhanced artificial turf systems that are recyclable, that both remove PFAS from manufacturing and use natural infill materials, while directing staff to continue to evaluate natural grass for future renovation projects.
BACKGROUND:
The Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department (PRCS) manages 22 dedicated athletic fields that support youth and adult sports, school athletics, recreationalprogramming, and community events throughout Pasadena. The Villa Parke soccer field is an artificial turf field installed between 2009 and 2011 and replaced under warranty in 2018. It is approaching the end of its useful service life and was approved for replacement as part of the FY 2026-27 Capital Improvement Program (CIP). The Robinson Park multipurpose field is also approaching the end of its useful service life but is not currently funded for replacement and is included in this analysis for comparison and future planning purposes.
On May 4, 2026, City Council adopted the FY 2026-27 CIP, funding the replacement ofthe Villa Parke athletic field surface, and directed staff to further evaluate field surface options. During its March 24 and June 23, 2026 meetings the Municipal ServicesCommittee (MSC) requested additional analysis of natural grass, hybrid/reinforced natural MEETING OF 10/13/207ft AGENDA ITEM NO. 11
Surface Type Selection for Villa Parke and Robinson Park October 13, 2026
grass, and artificial turf. Areas of focus included field capacity, maintenance, lifecyclecosts, water use, heat mitigation, environmental and health considerations, microfiberconcerns, replacement timing, and potential alternative field availability throughcoordination with the Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) and the Rose Bowl. Prior MSC reports are included as Exhibits A and B for reference.
This report responds to those requests by providing a side-by-side evaluation of naturalgrass, hybrid reinforced natural grass and enhanced artificial turf using consistentevaluation criteria to assist in the selection of surface type.
Evaluation Framework and Hybrid/Natural Grass Options
Staff evaluated natural grass, hybrid/reinforced natural grass, and next-generation artificial turf based upon benefits and operational tradeoffs, lifecycle costs, cost per playable hours, and environmental, regulatory, and heat considerations.Staff also reviewed recent examples of hybrid systems in use. Hybrid/reinforced naturalgrass combines natural grass with synthetic fibers to improve durability and stability under intensive use. The Rose Bowl used a reinforced hybrid natural-grass system for the 2025Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) Club World Cup soccer tournament, which included six games. The hybrid turf was installed by a contractor on behalf of FIFA. Synthetic fibers were stitched into a mesh mat with natural grass to createa smooth playing surface. The hybrid field was removed after the tournament. Thisexample shows that hybrid systems can support frequent use, but their use in municipal fields remains uncommon.To further evaluate natural grass for future athletic field renovation projects, PROS will conduct a test plot using four varieties of seed at the multi-purpose field at Villa Parke.The proposed test area is approximately 25,000 square feet and is in an open, highly utilized area. Work will include removing existing grass, soil preparation, grading, seedingand using fertilizer. Over a two-year period, the trial will compare establishment,maintenance needs, staff time, wear, recovery, and overall turf condition. Each variety will receive the same irrigation, mowing, fertilization, and maintenance. Results will provide site-specific information for future natural grass field planning.
Benefits and Operational Tradeoffs
The three surface options provide different approaches to balancing program capacity, player experience, environmental considerations, maintenance requirements, fieldavailability, and long-term costs. The table below provides a brief definition of each option, followed by its primary benefits and operational tradeoffs.
Surface Type Selection for Villa Parke and Robinson Park October 13, 2026
EvaluationCategory
Natural Grass Hybrid (Reinforced
Natural Grass)
Enhanced ArtificialTurf
Definition Living grass
maintained throughirrigation, mowing,fertilization, androutinemaintenance Natural grass
reinforced withsynthetic materials toimprove durability andplayability Fully synthetic consisting
of artificial turf fibers andorganic infill designed toreplicate natural grass PlayerExperience /Safety
Cooler surface,natural traction;Safety concernswith compaction,gopher activities,holes and unevenwear Retains most naturalgrass characteristicswhile improvingdurability.
Consistent surface;organic infill reducesheat compared withcrumb rubber butwarmer than naturalgrass in extreme heat Water Use Highest of the three
options
Similar to natural grass Minimal water use;
significant water savings
Maintenance High - mowing,
edging, irrigation,fertilization, and
pest control
Similar to naturalgrass, with additionalgrooming and periodic renovation to maintainthe syntheticreinforcement
Low - routinemaintenance burden; nomowing or irrigation Initial Cost $1.10M $2.20M preliminary
estimate
$971,000
Initial FieldClosure
4 - 6 months forinitial installation
N/A* 2 - 3 months for
installation andreplacement
FieldRenovationClosure
3 months for seed,shorter for sod - yethigher cost
Site specific - notestablished
No shutdown withregular groomingschedule
Impacts toPrograms
High due toseasonalmaintenance
Similar to naturalgrass; requiresperiodic recovery andrenovation closures No displacement
*Hybrid initial closure is site-specific and has not been established for Villa Parke.
These tradeoffs are also reflected in how other cities have evaluated athletic field surfaceoptions. The City of Palo Alto provides a recent example of a similar evaluation process for El Camino Park. Palo Alto's City Council directed staff to conduct additional analysis before replacing the existing synthetic turf. The study compared natural grass, hybrid, and synthetic turf based on field capacity. Following the study, the City Council directed staffto replace the existing synthetic turf with improved synthetic turf using organic infill and to implement risk management measures including stormwater filtration and enhancedmaintenance.
Surface Type Selection for Villa Parke and Robinson Park October 13, 2026
A recent inquiry of public agencies in California shows cities using synthetic turf selectively where they seek heavy use capacity for soccer/football, reduced irrigation,weather resilience, or predictable field availability, while natural grass remains part of many municipal inventories for athletic use.Lifecycle Cost Comparison The cost comparison table below shows the tradeoff between lower lifecycle and lower operating costs. Natural grass has the lowest modeled 10-year cost but requires moreroutine maintenance, annual renovations, and ongoing irrigation. Artificial turf has a higherlong-term cost, primarily due to the anticipated Year 10 replacement, but requires less routine maintenance and water. The hybrid costs are preliminary estimates and included for comparison.
Category Natural Grass
* Hybrid
(ReinforcedNatural Grass)**
Artificial Turf*
Base annual maintenancecost (Year 1)
$27,937 $58,580 $5,738
Base annual renovationcost (Year 1)
$9,848 N/A $10,908
Annual escalation rate 3% 3°/c'0 3%
10-year cumulativemaintenance total
$320,266 $671,554 $65,780
10-year cumulativerenovation total
$112,896 N/A $125,048
Initial capital / conversioncost
$1,100,000 $2,197,128 $970,810
Surface replacement -Year 10 (3% escalation)
N/A $1,266,687
10-year total cost $1,533,162 $2,428,325
*Site-specific estimate for Villa Parke.
**Hybhd/Reinforced Natural Grass: Planning-level estimate based on the City of Palo Alto's Hybrid w/Perched Water Table system. A perched water table system helps retain moisture within the field whileallowing excess water to drain. Palo Alto estimated construction costs of $2,437,901 and annual maintenance of $65,000 for an 80,000-square-foot field. These costs were scaled to the 72,099-square-foot Villa Parke field. Pasadena-specific hybrid renovation and replacement costs have not been established due to lack of information.
Surface Type Selection for Villa Parke and Robinson Park October 13, 2026
Cost Per Playable Hour
To further illustrate the relationship between operating and maintenance costs and field availability, the table below compares the estimated annual operating and maintenancecost per playable hour for each surface option. Natural grass fields with lights areestimated to provide approximately 2,340 prime-time available hours annually, comparedwith approximately 3,120 hours for artificial turf. The calculation includes recurring maintenance and renovation costs and excludes initial capital costs and future surfacereplacement costs.
Surface Annual Maintenance Annual Renovation Total Annual O&M Prime- Time Available Hours Cost per Prime-Time Hour* Natural Grass I $27,937 $9,848 $37,785 2,340 $16.15
Hybrid
(ReinforcedNatural Grass)
$58,580 N/A N/A 2,340 $20.03
Artificial Turf | $5,738 $10,908 $16,646 3,120 $5.34
Cost for Hybrid (Reinforced Natural Grass) is based solely on annual maintenance costs, as annualrenovation costs have not been established.
Environmental, Regulatory, and Heat Considerations
Each surface presents different environmental, regulatory, and heat-relatedconsiderations. At the request of the PRCS Department, Pasadena Public Health Department is developing guidelines for outdoor youth recreation activity during extreme heat. The guidelines will apply to both natural grass and artificial turf athletic fields and arealigned with California Interscholastic Federation (GIF) policies. The guidelines includerecommendations to replace the current practice of using standard ambient temperatureestimates with Wet-Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) monitoring at the recreation location to comprehensively measure temperature, humidity, wind, sunlight, and solar radiation on the playing surface.
By establishing proactive and data-driven thresholds for outdoor youth activities, the guidelines eliminate the need for guesswork by city staff and permitted league administrators. The guidelines will include further recommendations for hydrationintervals, practice duration, equipment use, and cancellation or postponement ofrecreation activity during periods of extreme heat. The table summarizes primaryconsiderations and mitigation measures for each surface type.
Surface Type Selection for Villa Parke and Robinson Park October 13, 2026
Consideration Natural Grass Hybrid/Reinforced
Natural Grass
Artificial Turf
Water &Maintenance
Irrigation,fertilization,mowing, pestcontrol
Irrigation, grassmaintenance andsynthetic-fibermanagement Minimal water, quarterlygrooming, no mowing orirrigation Materials &End-of-Life
Natural materials,no synthetic infill
Syntheticreinforcement removedand properly disposed
Non-tire-derived infill(e.g., cork, coconutfiber); recycled ordisposed of at end of life PFAS/
Regulatory
No synthetic turf
components orinfill
Synthetic
reinforcement shouldbe evaluated formaterial composition Manufacturer must
provide material andPFAS information andcomply with applicablelaws Heat Generally coolest
playing surfacewhen healthy andadequatelyirrigated
Similar to naturalgrass; generally coolerthan artificial turf whenadequately irrigated Higher surfacetemperatures than grassin direct sun
Heat Mitigation Adequate irrigation
and hyd rationbreaks
Adequate irrigationand hydration breaks
Cooling measures,hydration breaks, andschedule adjustments during extreme heat
Field Capacity, Scheduling, and PartnershipThe following section summarizes staff's current operational assessment and the factors that inform the field surface recommendation. It addresses existing maintenance capacity, scheduling options, field-specific constraints, and coordination with PUSD and the Rose Bowl. These factors help compare operational trade-offs of each surface type.
Surface Type Selection for Villa Parke and Robinson Park October 13, 2026Page 7 of 9
Section SummaryCurrent OperationalCapacity
One dedicated three-person sports field maintenancecrew. Natural grass requires more staff time andequipment for routine maintenance and renovation. Hybridrequires simitar maintenance, plus monitoring and repairsto the synthetic reinforcement. Artificial turf requires lessroutine maintenance, including grooming, inspections, andspot repairs. Any change in surface type would requireassessment of staffing and equipment needs.
Scheduling andDisplacement
Potential schedule adjustments include weekday/Sundayplay, shorter seasons, and additional games per week to limit impact, yet will result in reduced participation.
Field Constraints Existing seasonal and league commitments limit scheduling flexibility. Recovery and renovation needs varyby sport and surface type.
Partner Coordination(PUSD & Rose Bowl)
PUSD and the Rose Bowl have limited availability toaccommodate displaced programs due to existing school,athletic, and event schedules.
Conclusion and Department Recommendation
The report evaluated natural grass, hybrid reinforced natural grass, and next-generation artificial turf based on field capacity, player experience, safety, water use, maintenance,lifecycle cost, field closure, heat, and environmental considerations. Each surface typehas different benefits, limitations and operational and financial tradeoffs.
Natural grass offers a cooler playing surface, lower modeled long-term lifecycle cost, and avoids synthetic turf materials, but requires substantially more water and routinemaintenance and has longer recovery and renovation periods.
Hybrid/reinforced natural grass may provide increased durability while retaining the characteristics of natural grass. The comparison provided shows a higher initial capital cost and higher estimated annual maintenance cost compared to natural grass andartificial turf. However, the estimate provided is based on a Palo Alto study and a Pasadena site specific costs for renovation, replacement and field capacity, water use and field closure periods have not been established.
Next-generation artificial turf provides the greatest scheduling capacity, lowest routine maintenance and water requirements, shortest closure periods, while requiring the highest long-term capital costs, and resulting in environmental concerns related to heat, syntheticmaterials, microplastics, PFAS, stormwater, and end-of-life management.
After considering field capacity, player experience and safety, water use, maintenance, life cycle cost, closure period, environmental considerations, community demand, and thespace constraints of other potential field locations, the Department recommends retainingartificial turf at Villa Parke and Robinson Park.
Surface Type Selection for Villa Parke and Robinson Park October 13, 2026
COUNCIL POLICY CONSIDERATION:
The action is consistent with the City Council's goals to improve, maintain, and enhance public facilities and infrastructure.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
This project has been determined to be exempt from environmental review pursuant to theguidelines of the California Environmental Quality Act (Public Resources Code §21080(b)(9); Administrative Code, Title 14, Chapter 3, §15301, Class 1, Existing Facilities and §15302, Class 2, Existing Facilities) and there are no features that distinguish this project from others in the exempt class, therefore, there are no unusual circumstances and no other exceptions to the exemption applies. Section 15301 exemptsrepair and maintenance of existing facilities involving negligible or no expansion of existing or former use. Section 15302 consists of replacement or reconstruction of existingfacilities where the new structure will be located on the same site as the structure replaced and will have substantially the same purpose and capacity as the structurereplaced. The proposed project entails the replacement of existing artificial sports turf fields. The project would be in the same existing location, not result in more programming/scheduling of the fields, and will have the same purpose and capacity.
Surface Type Selection for Villa Parke and Robinson Park October 13, 2026
FISCAL IMPACT:
The City Manager's Recommended FY 2027 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) includes an appropriation of $975,000 for the replacement of the artificial turf field at VillaParke. No additional appropriation is required for the proposed artificial turf replacement, and there is no General Fund impact as a result of this action. If Council selects naturalgrass or hybrid/reinforced natural grass, additional funding would be requested. pectfully submitted,
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KOKO PANOSSIAN
)iTector oTPari-cs, Recreation and
Community Services
Prepared by:
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Selassie
Management Analyst
Approved by:
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MATTKEW B( HAWKESWORTH
Interim City Manager
Exhibit A - March 24, 2026, Municipal Services Committee Report Exhibit B - June 23, 2026, Municipal Services Committee Report