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What's YOUR VISION for Happy Valley's PARKS, RECREATION, & OPEN SPACE?

We’re developing a Parks Plan for your community! Learn about the planning process and provide your input on the parks projects and recreational opportunities you want to see in Happy Valley. This site is no longer accepting comments, but you can provide feedback through the project website.

Video: 1 min 40 sec

Project Information

Stations

Go directly to a station using the buttons below, or click "Get Started" above to move through the information in order.

1
Learn about the Parks Master Plan and why we need one. 
2
Learn about existing plans and community feedback that has affected this process. 
3
Give us feedback on what new facilities we should build. 
4
What kinds of amenities and activities do you want to see in your parks? 
5
Find out what happens next, and how to stay involved. 

= Page includes questions or opportunities for comment.

Plan Overview

The Parks Plan will establish a path forward for providing high quality, community-driven park facilities and recreation opportunities for Happy Valley residents.The Plan will set goals and priorities for the City and recommend specific improvements for the next 5-10 years, and will guide decisions about planning, acquiring, developing or implementing parks, recreation programs or recreational facilities. The previous Plan was prepared in 2003.

What are the primary goals of the Parks Plan?

  • Engage the community: Engage local residents to inform the plan and identify priorities.
  • Learn about what we have: Conduct conditions assessment of existing parks, amenities & trails; examine levels of service and ongoing maintenance needs.
  • Plan for the future: Strategize for future citywide improvements and upgrades.

What will the Parks Plan do?

  • Identify new parks and facilities, building on previous planning efforts.
  • Provide an understanding of what our current parks provide, and learn what the needs are system-wide.
  • Update the fees that developers pay (called Parks System Development Charges) and ensure fees are used to build new parks.
  • Have clear direction on the shortand long-term priorities, in order to build the parks and provide the recreation services the community has asked for.

Parks Plan 101

Long Term Plan

Parks Master Plan

A Parks Master Plan is the main guidebook used to plan our city’s Parks and Recreation for the next 10+ years. The Master Plan is based on goals for the city as a whole and includes a list of actions that need to be taken to reach these goals.

Short Term Plan

Capital Improvements Plan (CIP)

As a supplement to the long-term Master Plan, a Capital Improvements Plan identifies more short-term parks projects and ranked by priority. It’s a tool used to actually finance and build these projects and improvements, usually over a 4-6 year period.

Funding

Parks Tax Levy

To establish funding for Parks and Recreation program and maintenance efforts, the City will propose a 5-year local option levy on the May 2018 ballot. The City anticipates the rate will be similar or lower than NCPRD’s current rate of $0.54 per $1,000 of assessed value. For the median home value, this equals approximately $200/ year. This will allow the City to keep taxes at their current levels and will ensure the funds for parks are spent right here in our community.

Facilities Today

Click and drag to explore the map, click lines, shapes, and icons to read about parks in the area. Turn layers on and off and browse the list of projects by clicking the Google Maps Layers button in the upper left of the map window. (You may need to turn off layers with large map objects to select other objects beneath.)

Happy Valley
Parks Facts

313%

How much Happy Valley has grown since 2000 (from 4,519 to 18,680).

106 acres

Parks and open space owned and maintained by the City of Happy Valley.

353 acres

Parks and open spaces owned by Metro that Happy Valley residents have access to.

74 acres

Parks and open spaces owned by North Clackamas Parks & Recreation District that Happy Valley residents have access to.

290 acres

Open space set-asides contributed by the Homeowners Association toward the City’s green infrastructure


Questions: Your vision for parks...

Think about Happy Valley twenty years from now...

What are five words or short phrases that describe your vision for parks and natural areas in the area?

Think about your favorite park...

What makes a park great?

characters remaining.

Your answer to this question will be posted on this page for others to read. For the purpose of this exercise, you are limited to 144 characters. By leaving a comment, you are agreeing to our comment policy.

Read other comments...

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What We Know

The Parks Plan is built on what we’ve heard through previous community outreach and planning processes.

What we heard from you so far...

What we Heard

A survey was conducted in September 2012 about parks and recreation facilities. 798 people completed the survey:

84% said the availability of local parks and recreation opportunities were important or extremely important.

Among households who used facilities once or more per year, the top four most frequently used park and recreation facilities include:

  1. Neighborhood parks (81% of households)
  2. Large community parks (70% of households)
  3. Trails within parks (70% of households)
  4. Natural areas (62% of households)

The survey also provided feedback on the relative importance of existing recreation facilities, and the need for certain amenities.

Building from Past Plans

Past community plans have laid the foundation for developing this new Parks Plan, including:

  • Comprehensive Plan
  • Transportation System Plan (2016)
  • North Clackamas Park and Recreation District Master Plan (2015)
  • Happy Valley Town Center Plan (2011)
  • Pedestrian System and Trail Master Plan (2009)
  • Trail Development Handbook (2009)
  • Happy Valley Parks Master Plan (2003)

Policy statements from the Comprehensive Plan

The process is guided by principles such as:

"Provide an integrated system of open space, parks and natural areas throughout the community, using them as an organizing principle for land uses."

"Public or private parks, with usable open space, should be within walking distance of all homes."

Park Priorities

In the past, residents have said the following are their four top priorities for parks and facilities that should be built in the near-term future.

Possible Priorities

...

Community Park

Large parks (10 to 50 acres) contain many facilities and appeal to a more diverse group of users. They serve residents within a 2-mile drive, walk or bike ride from the site. They are designed for organized or intensive recreational activities and sports, and may include passive components such as pathways, picnic areas and natural areas.

...

Trail Connections

Trails can be developed to accommodate multiple or shared uses, such as pedestrians and bicyclists, or a single use, such as hiking or mountain biking. Recreation trails emphasize a strong relationship with the natural environment, and trails within parks and between parks connect to recreation amenities or other community destinations.

...

Multi-Purpose Turf Fields

Turf fields can accommodate multiple, different sport field configurations on the same turf. This may include design options for soccer/lacrosse field overlays with baseball. "Turf" means all-weather synthetic material that can accommodate play in all seasons.

...

Community Center

A multi-purpose building for community and recreational use. Typically include classrooms, common areas, fitness areas, gymnasiums and other programmable space. They may include aquatic facilities or other civic functions, such as a library desk or local government services.


Questions

Your priorities...

In past outreach processes, participants identified five top priorities for the area:

  • a new community center,
  • new community park,
  • multi-purpose turf fields, and
  • better trail connections.

Do these still seem like the most important priorities to you?

(Check one.)

How would you prioritize possible investments?

You have 10 points to assign. Use the sliders to assign points to each goal.

Community Park Community Park

0

Trail Connections Trail Connections

0

Multi-Purpose Turf Fields Multi-purpose turf fields

0

Community Center Community Center

0

Total Spent: 0/10

Amenities and Activities

What kinds of amenities and activities do you want to see in your parks? This is your opportunity to think about services and experiences offered by Happy Valley’s parks and facilities.

Questions

Neighborhood and Community Parks

The Parks Plan will identify amenities and features to build in our parks. How important is it to add more of the following park features?

Playgrounds

(Check one.)

Accessible playgrounds

(Check one.)

Sports fields

(Check one.)

Walking trails

(Check one.)

Aquatic facilities

(Check one.)

Natural play areas

(Check one.)

Skate park

(Check one.)

Fitness area

(Check one.)

Community garden

(Check one.)

Dog-friendly park

(Check one.)

Gathering spaces

(Check one.)

Public art

(Check one.)

Community Center and Recreational Programs

We've heard from many residents that they would like to see a Community Center in Happy Valley. How important are the following potential amenities to include in a new community center?

Basketball

(Check one.)

Volleyball court

(Check one.)

Tennis/pickleball court

(Check one.)

Racquetball

(Check one.)

Rock climbing walls

(Check one.)

Gymnastic studios

(Check one.)

Swimming pool

(Check one.)

Teen center

(Check one.)

Child care

(Check one.)

Meeting space

(Check one.)

Fitness/training room

(Check one.)

Party rooms

(Check one.)

Classrooms

(Check one.)

Walking/running track

(Check one.)

North Clackamas Parks and Recreation District provides a number of recreational programs. Which of the following current programs do you use?

(Check all that apply.)

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Next Steps

Thanks for participating! This is YOUR Parks and Recreation Plan! Your input is crucial to make sure goals and priorities are consistent with community needs and interests. We want to make sure we’re creating a plan that the community can support and benefit from for many years to come.

Next Steps

Over the next several months, the project team will be gathering more feedback from the public, stakeholder groups, and the Parks Advisory Committee. The feedback will be used to inform the development of the Draft Master Plan and Capital Improvements Plan.

Contact information

Chris Randall, Public Works Director
City of Happy Valley
503-782-3842

Learn more about the project and upcoming events at:

  • Website: HAPPYVALLEYOR.GOV/PARKS
  • Facebook: HAPPYVALLEYPARKSANDREC
  • Twitter: CITYOFHV

Final Questions

Getting to Your Park

How far away is your nearest park? (Check one.)
Do you feel safe walking or biking to your neighborhood park? (Check one.)

How would you rate bicycle and pedestrian access to the following locations?

City Hall

(Check one.)

Happy Valley's Community Policing Center to include Rebstock Park

(Check one.)

Happy Valley Library to include Village Green Park

(Check one.)

Happy Valley Park

(Check one.)

Southern Lites Park

(Check one.)

Ashley Meadows Park

(Check one.)

Ella V. Osterman Park

(Check one.)

Happy Valley Nature Park

(Check one.)

Scouters Mt. Nature Park

(Check one.)

Mt. Talbert Nature Park

(Check one.)

Tell us About Yourself

I am a... (Check all that apply.)
On average, how often do you visit parks in the Happy Valley area? (Check one.)
On average, how often do you use recreational facilities not provided by the City of Happy Valley, such as North Clackamas Aquatic Park, East Side Athletic Club, Mt. Scott Community Center, and school gyms and sports fields? (Check one.)
How do you currently use parks? (Check all that apply.)
What are the best ways to communicate with you? (Check all that apply.)
How did you hear about this online open house? (Check all that apply.)

Optional Demographic Questions

(This information helps us know if we are reaching a representative cross-section of our community.)

What is your age? (Check one.)
What is your gender? (Check one.)
How do you describe your race/ethnicity? (Check all that apply.)
How many children under age 18 live in your home? (Check one.)
Does your home have a yard or access to a shared greenspace? (Check one.)
Do you rent or own your home? (Check one.)
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