Note: The following policies are specific to open space and recreational services, facilities and amenities in the City of Sunnyvale. Open space and recreational services, facilities and amenities are subject to additional policies that can be found in other City documents. In particular, no fiscal policies regarding open space and recreation are included below. Instead, fiscal policies for the entire City are found in the Fiscal Management Sub-Element. Similarly, no policies related to public input are included as part of the Open Space and Recreation Sub-Element. Those related City-wide policies can be found in the Community Participation Sub-Element.

GOAL 2.2A. OPEN SPACE    

The City strives to provide and maintain adequate and balanced open space and recreation facilities for the benefit of maintaining a healthy community based on community needs and the ability of the city to finance, construct, maintain, and operate these facilities now and in the future. It is the City’s policy, therefore, to:

Policy 2.2.A.1.  Follow management and preventive maintenance strategies to extend the usable life of open spaces and recreation facilities, such as planning for and implementing “non-use times” for open space and facilities in order to assure adequate maintenance and regeneration time.

Policy 2.2.A.2.  Adopt management, maintenance and development practices that minimize negative impacts to the natural environment, such as supporting and enforcing the Integrated Pest Management System; and landscaping in ways which minimize the need for water.

Policy 2.2.A.3.  Pursue the acquisition of appropriate federal lands currently located at the former Moffett Naval Air Station.

Policy 2.2.A.4.  Maintain existing park and open space tree inventory through the replacement of trees with an equal or greater number of trees when trees are removed due to disease, park development or other reasons.

Policy 2.2.A.5.  Maintain park and open space tree inventory on a system wide basis rather than a site-by-site basis with an understanding that there is no single optimum number of trees for a particular site.

Policy 2.2.A.6.  Maintain a working fruit orchard throughout the largest portion of  Orchard Heritage Park for as long as practical.

Policy 2.2.A.7.  Conduct a cost/benefit analysis to determine whether the general community would be well-served during non-school hours by capital improvements to school-owned open space and/or recreational facilities. The cost/benefit analysis should take into account ongoing maintenance costs and responsibilities. When it is determined that the community would be well served by the capital improvement, the City will consider funding a share of the costs of those improvements proportionate to the City’s use.  (See also Fiscal Management Sub-Element for fiscal policies.)

Policy 2.2.A.8.  Support the acquisition or joint use through agreements with partners of suitable sites to enhance Sunnyvale’s open spaces and recreation facilities based on community need and through such strategies as development of easements and right-of-ways for open space use, conversion of sites to open space from developed use of land, and landbanking.

Policy 2.2.A.9.  Refrain from engaging in the development of open space and/or recreational facilities without prior assurance that ongoing maintenance needs will be addressed.

Policy 2.2.A.10.  Facilitate and encourage pedestrian traffic in public recreational open spaces and utilize the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority’s Pedestrian Technical Design guidelines whenever appropriate and feasible.

Policy 2.2.A.11.  Support the acquisition of existing open space within the City limits as long as financially feasible.

GOAL 2.2.B. PROGRAMMING

The City strives to develop and implement passive and active recreation and enrichment programs that:

 It is the City’s policy, therefore, to:

Policy 2.2.B.1.  Design programs to meet the needs of residents, allowing for non-resident participation as long as it does not take away from opportunities or resources for residents (Exceptions are services that are intended to serve as profit centers, such as golf and tennis, which are addressed in the Fiscal Management Sub-Element).

Policy 2.2.B.2.  Provide school-aged youth-oriented recreation and enrichment programs and services during non-school hours.

Policy 2.2.B.3.  Provide recreation and enrichment programs and services for school-aged youth during school hours, such as during recess or lunch periods, only by special agreement approved by City Council.

Policy 2.2.B.4.  Use entrepreneurial strategies to identify and reach new markets for programs, services and revenue generation, and to strengthen relationships within existing markets.

Policy 2.2.B.5.  Develop and implement programs in order to meet the developmental and social needs of specific targeted populations (e.g., youth, teens, seniors, disabled).

Policy 2.2.B.6.  Leverage available resources by pursuing co-funded and/or cooperative agreements for provision and maintenance of programs, facilities, and services, in order to maximize benefits to the community. Partners may include, but are not limited to, school districts, non-profit groups, governmental agencies and businesses.

Policy 2.2.B.7.  Encourage the use of recreational and open space facilities and services for educational activities of schools that serve Sunnyvale students first, and secondarily the schools that serve students of surrounding communities.

Policy 2.2.B.8.  Provide reservation advantages to resident participants over non-resident participants in recreational programs and activities.

Policy 2.2.B.9.  Consider Sunnyvale employees as Sunnyvale residents for the purposes of determining eligibility for reservation advantages.

Policy 2.2.B.10.  Develop such fiscal practices as pricing, fee structures and cost recovery targets for open space and recreation programs and services consistent with the City’s Fiscal Management Sub-Element policies.

Policy 2.2.B.11.  Require all participants of designated City recreation programs and activities to sign liability waivers prior to participation.

Policy 2.2.B.12.  Require all participants of designated City recreation programs and activities to sign photo releases prior to participation, unless an exemption is granted by the Director of Parks and Recreation.

Policy 2.2.B.13.  Limit the display and distribution of printed material at recreational buildings and facilities to those programs and events that are sponsored by the City of Sunnyvale and have received prior approval by staff; and post compatible non-City materials as space is available as determined by staff.

GOAL 2.2.C. REGIONAL APPROACH

The City embraces a regional approach to providing and preserving open space and providing open space and recreational services, facilities and amenities for the broader community. It is the City’s policy, therefore, to:

Policy 2.2.C.1.  Support activities and legislation that will provide additional local, county, and regional park acquisition, development, and maintenance and recreational opportunities.

Policy 2.2.C.2.  Support public and private efforts in and around Sunnyvale to acquire, develop and maintain open space and recreation facilities and services for public use.

Policy 2.2.C.3.  Encourage School Districts to make available school sites in and around Sunnyvale for community open space and recreation programs.

Policy 2.2.C.4.  Support a regional trail system by coordinating with adjacent jurisdictions to facilitate trail connections wherever possible. (See also City of Sunnyvale Bicycle Plan.)

Policy 2.2.C.5.  Determine that a regional trail connection within the Stevens Creek corridor in Sunnyvale is not feasible and should not be constructed along the Stevens Creek corridor on the Sunnyvale side (within City limits). Coordinate with neighboring jurisdictions on determining potential surface street trail alignments between the City of Mountain View and the City of Cupertino to ensure a regional trail connection. (This does not preclude consideration of creating Sunnyvale access points to the Mountain View Stevens Creek Trail Segment 2, Reach 4, between Heatherstone and Fremont Avenues.)

GOAL 2.2.D. PRIORITIZATION

The City strives to ensure equal opportunities for participation and to provide for a range of structured and unstructured uses, and a variety of general and special interest uses in parks and facilities. The City also provides a wide range of program choices, open space, amenities and facility offerings to meet the recreational needs of a diverse and changing population, including identified subgroups and special populations. Policies related to acquiring and/or developing open space facilities and amenities are also included here. Competing interests and finite resources, however, require the City to set some priorities. All other things being equal, it is the City’s policy, therefore, to:

Policy 2.2.D.1.  Give priority to services, facilities and amenities that are not readily available through other providers within or near Sunnyvale.

Policy 2.2.D.2.  Give priority to services, facilities and amenities benefiting under-served populations as identified in the US Census and through community input.

Policy 2.2.D.3.  Give priority to services, facilities and amenities that fulfill a basic need or teach basic skills (e.g., non-competitive, developmental sports instruction such as learn to swim given priority over competitive sports programming).

Policy 2.2.D.4.  Give priority to services, facilities and amenities in which the community demonstrates interest.

Policy 2.2.D.5.  Give priority to services, facilities and amenities that benefit a greater number of residents.

Policy 2.2.D.6.  Give priority to governmental entities, schools and non-profits.

Policy 2.2.D.7.  Give priority to services, facilities and amenities that can be used by multiple users or serve multiple purposes.

Policy 2.2.D.8.  Give priority to acquiring/developing open space and recreational amenities and programs in areas which are heavily impacted by daytime or business use.

Policy 2.2.D.9.  Give priority to acquiring/developing open space and recreational amenities and programs where similar amenities and programs do not already exist.

Policy 2.2.D.10.  Give priority to acquiring/developing open space and recreational amenities where the current number of households within specified distances relying on the open space or recreational amenity is greater.

Policy 2.2.D.11.  Give priority to acquiring/developing open space and recreational amenities where the projected number of households within specified distances which will be relying on the open space or recreational amenity is greater.

Policy 2.2.D.12.  Give priority to acquiring/developing open space and recreational amenities and programs where the needs are greatest and/or which will meet the greatest needs.

Policy 2.2.D.13.  Give priority to acquiring/developing open space and recreation facilities at school sites that, if sold by the District for purposes other than open space, would represent a serious loss to the City’s ability to meet its open space and recreation goals.

Policy 2.2.D.14.  Give priority to safety first when performing maintenance on facilities and within the open space system, followed by usability and then by attractiveness, recognizing that attractiveness is often a factor in usability.

GOAL 2.2.E. ACCESS                    

The City strives to maximize access to all of its services, facilities and amenities. It is the City’s policy, therefore, to:

Policy 2.2.E.1.  Locate services at schools, parks and recreational facilities throughout the City and utilize strategies, such as the mobile recreation concept, to make programs geographically accessible.

Policy 2.2.E.2.  Comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and create an environment of inclusion in all recreation programs where reasonable.

Policy 2.2.E.3.  Provide recreation and enrichment programs, services, facilities and amenities to underserved areas and/or populations of the City. Underserved areas and/or populations could be due to factors such as: geography, gender, economics or ethnicity.

Policy 2.2.E.4.  Utilize the Senior Center for senior programming and services exclusively between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays unless special permission is granted by the Director of Parks and Recreation.

Policy 2.2.E.5.  Utilize the Senior Center Pavilion and Recreation Center Ballroom exclusively for rental use from 6 p.m. Fridays through 8 a.m. Mondays unless special permission is granted by the Director of Parks and Recreation.

Policy 2.2.E.6.  Require that all participants in Senior Center designated programs and services for seniors be at least 50 years of age, unless special permission is given by the Director of Parks and Recreation.

Policy 2.2.E.7.  Provide opportunities for non-reserved use of picnic tables at each site within the open space system that has reservable picnic sites.

Policy 2.2.E.8.  Allow opportunities for non-reserved, unstructured use of open space.

Policy 2.2.E.9.  Allow in-line skating, bicycles and skateboarding on hard-surface sidewalks and pathways throughout the park system, as long as the skateboarders, cyclists and in-line skaters do not pose a hazard to themselves or other forms of traffic such as pedestrians or joggers.

Policy 2.2.E.10.  Provide public access to Orchard Heritage Park to the greatest extent possible while meeting the goal of maintaining a working fruit orchard at the park.

Policy 2.2.E.11.  Allow exclusive use permits for open space sites as per Appendix V, Exclusive Use Permits Guidelines.

(Adopted by Resolution 201-06; RTC 06-032(1/24/2006))

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