8.1. SR 12-01-2014 - Laserfiche WebLink

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PEER COMMUNITIES ASSESSMENT As part of the evaluation process, Elk River's parks system was compared with parks systems in Cottage Grove, Red Wing, Rosemount, Inver Grove Heights, South St. Paul, Andover, and Shakopee. These peer communities were chosen for their similarities to Elk River including: Urban/Rural mix Riverfront • Population (Current and Projected) • Geographic Size • Environmental Assets Peer Community Findings When compared with other communities, Elk River fares well in terms of the per capita number of total parks, the number of neighborhood parks, and the amount of acreage devoted to parks per capita. The City also offers unique facilities for activities such as Mountain Biking, Biathlon, and high quality Cross Country Skiing that are not found in most of its peer cities. Conversely, Elk River's trail system is smaller than the trail system in many of its peer communities. Elk River also relies much more on the school system for athletic facilities than peer communities. In particular, the City of Elk River relies on the school system for athletic fields and courts. A chart of the data can be found in Appendix A, Page 71. NEIGHBORHOOD PARK ACCESS The majority of neighborhood residences within Elk River's urban service area in are within a half -mile of either a neighborhood park or a community park with neighborhood park features (like a playground). The most significant area lacking access to neighborhood park facilities is between the railroad tracks and the Elk River /Lake Orono. This area is already developed, and there is no available land for a neighborhood park in the area. Access to the neighborhood park facilities in Meadowvale Heights Park and Orono Park could be improved if connectivity across the railroad tracks and across Highway 10 could be improved. See the Neighborhood Park Access Map on the following page for more detail. Draft 11.25.1 4 Chapter 3: The System Today 14 C 0