January 21st, 2016
Dallas Park and Recreation Board Approves Two WRT-Developed Plans
WRT has announced that the Dallas Park and Recreation Board has approved two WRT-developed plans, the Dallas Park and Recreation Comprehensive Plan and Recreation Master Plan. The plan approvals codify the Department’s commitment to champion lifelong recreation and serve as responsible stewards of parks, trails, and open spaces that sustain, inspire, and invigorate the residents of Dallas. 
Dallas Parks

In 2002, the Dallas Park and Recreation Department completed its first long-range planning effort in more than 20 years with its Renaissance Plan. 

“Dallas’s population has grown considerably since the Renaissance Plan was adopted. Our new Comprehensive Plan speaks to Dallas’s continued growth and ensures the Department has goals that will benefit Dallas’s thriving community for years to come,” said Andrew Dobshinsky, AICP CUD, Associate, Planner and Urban Designer at WRT. 

The WRT Team conducted multiple public meetings, stakeholder interviews and assessments to determine the needs of current and future residents. The new comprehensive plan lays out a strategic plan for the continued improvement of parks and recreation over the next decade, which includes ensuring there is adequate parkland to accommodate future growth, continuing to implement the “trail circuit,” and promoting the synergy between parks and economic development.

With PROS Consulting, WRT also developed the Department’s first-ever Recreation Master Plan, which identifies core program areas such as recreation service gaps, key system wide issues and areas of improvement, and future recreation programs and services for residents. The Recreation Master Plan is the city’s first planning effort to focus specifically on indoor and outdoor recreation programming. The plan will serve as a guide to develop programming and facilities that are desirable to the community while ensuring that the recreation offerings are current and financially viable. 

The plans also provide a foundation for the Park and Recreation Department to seek accreditation by the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA), a demonstration that the Department intends to hold itself to the highest standards of excellence.