808 PROS-2 PARK AND RECREATIONAL FACILITIES

808.1 While the previous section of this element focused on park planning, this section focuses specifically on park facilities.

808.2 The District currently operates 76 recreation centers with a combined total of approximately one million square feet of floor space. It also operates over 50 aquatic facilities comprised of 11 indoor pools, 18 outdoor pools, four children's pools, and 20 splash pads. The range of facilities have grown to include 34 community gardens, five skate parks, and over a dozen dog parks. There are more than 340 fields and courts, accommodating field sports, tennis, basketball, and other athletic activities. These facilities are used to provide recreational services to residents in all parts of the District. DPR activities range from aquatics, quilting, and environmental education to martial arts, personalized weight training, and even poetry slams. Many of the programs are targeted toward specific age groups, such as older adults and teens. Others are designed for persons with disabilities or for families.

808.3 Demand for recreational programs—and the facilities to accommodate them—is expected to grow in the future as population grows. Demand will also be affected by cultural changes, new technology, sports and entertainment trends, and demographic shifts. The growth of the youth and older adult populations, in particular, will influence recreational needs in the District over the next 20 years. The text box, The District Speaks Out on Parks, provides an indication of current recreational habits and trends in Washington, DC, based on a 2013 resident survey.

808.3a Text Box: The District Speaks Out on Parks

The Parks Master Plan process conducted in 2013-2014 engaged the community in a discussion about park needs in Washington, DC. Public input was solicited through stakeholder interviews, an advisory committee, staff workshops, focus groups, an online engagement tool, a recreation center survey, and a statistically valid mail-in survey. Major findings of the survey included:

1. Seventy-one percent of the respondents had visited any DPR park in the last 12 months. Of this total, 77 percent rated the visited park as good or excellent. Another 20 percent rated the park as fair, and only 23 percent rated the park as poor.
2. Twenty-eight percent of the respondents indicated they visited an indoor recreation center at least once a week.
3. Eighteen percent of the respondents had participated in a DPR recreation program in the last 12 months. Of this total, 82 percent

rated the program as good or excellent.

1. The most frequently mentioned reasons for not using parks and recreation centers more often were lack of time (47 percent), lack of program awareness (32 percent), and absence of desired amenities (12 percent).
2. The facilities in greatest demand were trails (66 percent), small neighborhood parks (66 percent), indoor pools (59 percent), large community parks (57 percent), indoor exercise and fitness facilities (55 percent), picnic areas (54 percent), and outdoor pools (53 percent).
3. The programs in greatest demand were community special events (59 percent), adult fitness and wellness (52 percent), water fitness (40 percent), adult leisure learning (40 percent), and nature programs (40 percent).

808.4 The needs assessment during the 2013-2014 master planning process determined that:

1. The District's strengths include a relatively large number of recreation centers and amenities, including some with state-of-the-art spaces. However, some facilities are underused because they are outdated or not well maintained.
2. There is a major need to improve and maintain existing facilities. Deferred maintenance is a problem at many recreation centers. Improvements need to be addressed in a prioritized, equitable, and efficient method.
3. There is a perception of inequity in parks and recreation services. This is partially due to the gap between high-quality new or recently modernized facilities and those that are older. Some parts of the District have better access to facilities than others.
4. The existing neighborhood-based model of providing services may not be sustainable and requires too many facilities to be built, operated, and staffed. Although consolidation would result in a smaller number of facilities, it may translate into higher levels of service, since these facilities could reach larger populations and be operated more efficiently.

SOURCE: District of Columbia Comprehensive Plan Act of 1984, effective April 10, 1984 (D.C. Law 5-76; 31 DCR 1049 (March 9, 1984)); as amended by District of Columbia Comprehensive Plan Act of 1984 Land Use Element Amendment Act of 1984, effective March 16, 1985 (D.C. Law 5-187; 32 DCR 873 (February 15, 1985)); as

amended by District of Columbia Comprehensive Plan Amendments Act of 1989, effective May 23, 1990 (D.C. Law 8-129; 37 DCR 55 (January 5, 1990)); as amended by District of Columbia Comprehensive Plan Amendments Act of 1989 NCPC-Recommended Amendments, and Closing of Public Alleys in Square 669, S.O. 88-452, Act of 1990, effective May 23, 1990 (D.C. Law 8-132; 37 DCR 2213 (April 6, 1990)); as amended by District Government Land Use Temporary Amendment Act of 1994, effective October 1, 1994 (D.C. Law 10-190; 41 DCR 5360 (August 12, 1994)); as amended by Comprehensive Plan Amendments Act of 1994, effective October 6, 1994 (D.C. Law 10-193; 41 DCR 5536 (August 19, 1994)); as amended by District of Columbia Comprehensive Plan Act of 1984 Land Use Amendment Act of 1994, effective March 21, 1995 (D.C. Law 10-235; 42 DCR 30 (January 6, 1995)); as amended by Technical Amendments Act of 1996 effective April 18, 1996 (D.C. Law 11-110; 43 DCR 530 (February 9, 1996)); as amended by Second Technical Amendments Act of 1996 effective April 9, 1997 (D.C. Law 11-255; 44 DCR 1271 (March 7, 1997)); as amended by Comprehensive Plan Amendment Act of 1998, effective April 27, 1999 (D.C. Law 12-275; 46 DCR 1441 (February 19, 1999)); as amended by Technical Amendments Act of 1999, effective April 12, 2000 (D.C. Law 13-91; 47 DCR 520 (January 28, 2000)); as amended by Comprehensive Plan Amendment Act of 2006, effective March 8, 2007 (D.C. Law 16-300; 54 DCR 924 (February 2, 2007)); as amended by Technical Amendments Act of 2008, effective March 25, 2009 (D.C. Law 17-353; 56 DCR 1117 (February 6, 2009)); as amended by Comprehensive Plan Amendment Act of 2010, effective April 8, 2011 (D.C. Law 18-361; 58 DCR 908 (February 4, 2011)); as amended by Comprehensive Plan Amendment Act of 2021, effective August 21, 2021 (D.C. Law 24-20; 68 DCR 006918 (July 16, 2021)).