Parks, Recreation, Trails & Open Space Master Plan

Shaping the Future of Recreation in Buena Vista

The Town of Buena Vista has launched a major planning effort to develop a Parks, Recreation, Trails, and Open Space Master Plan—a long-term roadmap that will guide the Town’s recreation priorities, investments, and improvements for the next 10–20 years.

This project will help ensure our parks, trails, recreation programs, and open spaces continue to support a growing community and a high quality of life.

Project Overview

Why This Plan Is Needed

Buena Vista’s last Recreation Plan (2016) lacked in depth community engagement and no longer reflects today’s needs. Since 2020, the Town has experienced:

• Significant growth in year-round residents and visitors
  
  
• Higher participation in recreation programs
  
  
• Increased demand on trails, parks, and open spaces
  
  
• A doubling of Parks & Recreation staff to keep up
  
  

A new, community-driven Master Plan will help Buena Vista balance maintenance needs, programming demand, future facilities, and long-term sustainability.

Budget:

• The total project budget is $100,000, including a $25,000 DOLA Administrative Grant.

Project Goals:

This plan will:

• Update the Town’s 2015 Trails Master Plan and 2016 Recreation Plan
  
  
• Assess the need, feasibility, and funding approach for new facilities
  
  
• Identify and recommend potential dedicated funding source to support Parks and Recreation going into the future.
  
  
• Define updated Level of Service (LOS) standards for facilities, programs, staffing, and maintenance
  
  
• Provide guidance for sustainable tourism management in parks and recreation spaces
  
  
• Propose new trails and new connections coordinated with the Transportation Plan update

Scope of Work

• Phase 1: Kickoff & Project Management
• Phase 2: Background Review & Community Vision
• Phase 3: System Inventory & Facility Assessment
• Phase 4: Community Engagement
• Phase 5: Level of Service, Benchmarking & Needs Analysis
• Phase 6: Implementation Strategy

Draft Deliverables

• Concept plans for park and trail improvements
  
  
• Budget-level cost estimates
  
  
• Prioritized project list
  
  
• Staffing, maintenance, and programming recommendations
  
  
• Potential funding mechanisms

This strategy will guide Town decisions for years to come.

Stay Involved

Community participation will shape this plan. Upcoming meetings, surveys, workshops, and project documents will be shared here as they become available.