5.0. PRSR 07-16-1997 - Laserfiche WebLink

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• REPORT TO THE ELK RIVERS PARKS AND RECREATION O ISSION OF HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 1997 AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIATION I attended the American Planning Association's National Planning Conference last April in San Diego as one of the more than 2500 Park Commissioners, Planning Commissioners and other Citizen Planners who took part. During my four days I attended three mobile workshops which dealt specifically with park issues, six other educational sessions on various topics, an opening reception, an awards luncheon plus another reception for planning commissioners. I came in contact with a number of people involved with planning and felt that the conference as a whole was very enlightening. I am appreciative that the City of Elk River paid my conference registration. The following summarizes some of the highlights of the Conference. Balboa Park: A 4 hr. bus/walking tour of a 1400 acre cultural/educational/recreational city park established in 1868. The park is located just outside of downtown San Diego and is the home of the San Diego Zoo, Botanical Building, Old Globe Theater, a number of museums, and an international village, to name but a few of the attractions located on the Park's Central Mesa. In addition the park includes countless recreational and other amenities/facilities, including an 18 hole golf course, picnic grounds, a rose garden, plus a former landfill area which has not yet been reclaimed. Balboa enjoys high use and serves the needs of many different people. Key issues which were emphasized included difficulties of designing plazas and other pedestrian spaces which are car-free; difficulties of bringing multiple and sometimes conflicting interests into • master-planning process; facility restoration and/or new construction; the failure to protect scenic views from new construction by the San Diego Naval Hospital; re-forestation issues, and noise pollution(from both auto and flight traffic). Mission Bay Park: A 3 hr bus/boat tour of 4000 acre city park which includes aquatic resorts, recreational facilities, picnic areas, residential areas, camp grounds, beaches, a bike trail loop, a wild-life sanctuary, wetlands, a huge mobile home park and the municipal sludge drying site(soon to be phased out). The Park includes Sea World and at least 4 major hotel/marina complexes. It is also the site of major boat races. The park configuration is Mission Bay plus the shoreline surrounding it. Residential areas blend into SeaWorld and the resorts, which in turn blend into recreational areas and beaches, and so on and so on. Key issues which were emphasized were wetland protection and expansion(the sole remaining wetland area will be doubled when the mobile home park is removed and the land returned to wetland); water purity and the health of the Bay; the need to involve all players in the recently completed Park Comprehensive Plan; home owner/walking-bike trail conflicts; conflict resolution; and adaptation of the sludge drying facility land area to new uses(land will be added to the wildlife sanctuary, the campground area, plus residential development(I think). Mission Trails Park: A 3 1/2 hour bus/walking tour of 5700 acre regional open space park located 8 miles from downtown San Diego. Although largely surrounded by residential development, the Park includes mountains, two lakes, a major river, wildlife habitat, archeological sites, a visitor center, spectacular views which depict San Diego much as it was before its