MASTER PLAN UPDATE

Did you know that Estrella Mountain Regional Park became the first regional park in Maricopa County’s Regional Park System in 1954? The first parcel of property for the park was purchased in September 1953. Estrella Mountain Regional Park initially contained 828 acres, which was a combination of purchased property and leased land. Additional lands were acquired over the decades and today the park totals 19,840 acres.

Estrella Mountain Regional Park is located in the southwest Valley, adjacent to the cities of Goodyear and Avondale. Located near where the Gila and Agua Fria Rivers converge, the park includes a large wetland or riparian area. The majority of the park is natural desert with the exception of the developed section on the northern boundary.

Park Visitation and Visitor Use Trends

“Park visitation, and consequently park revenue, has declined significantly over the last five to ten years. In 2008, close to 139,000 people visited the park; last year, the park had just over 71,000 visitors. Our most recent ASU Visitor Use Survey also reflects that park visitor usage is shifting and activities that were once prevalent in the park are no longer as popular,” said R.J. Cardin, Maricopa County Parks and Recreation Director.

Funds needed to operate and maintain the County’s regional park system come mainly from park user fees (i.e., day-use entry fees, annual passes, facility rentals, and camping), concessionaire fees, grants and donations with less than ten percent of the budget coming from the County’s general fund.

In other words, the Parks Department relies on revenue generated at the park level to support its budget. Declining visitation translates into a declining budget. The Parks Department is then tasked with finding alternative sources of revenue, such as public-private or non-profit partnerships, that support the overall vision and mission of the Department.

Current Park Master Plan

The park is currently operating under its 1988 Master Plan, which was approved by the Board of Supervisors. This is a phased development plan so that park enhancements are made in steps and over time. By its third and final phase, the park would have had:

• Camping: primitive and developed (group & family)
• Picnic: group and individual sites
• Education/Conference Center in south-central area with no public roads to get there, must hike or horseback ride in
• Lookouts/vista points
• Ranger station with a residence for fill-time, on-site manager
• New maintenance and operational complex
• 2 exit points to provide ease of exit and used as entrances for special occasions
• Convenience store
• Model airplane site
• Shooting range for MCSO and public
• Expanded golf course to 18-hole
• Swimming facility
• “Lake” within the river bed for an urban fishing program
• 50-acre sports complex: softball, football/soccer, volleyball, tennis, basketball, racquetball, playgrounds, concession stand, restrooms (operated by concessionaire or city)
• Restored river shoreline project
• And more.

While certain elements of the 1988 Park Master Plan have been completed; other elements are no longer relevant as recreation trends and park uses have changed over time.

Other adopted plans are helping to inform this Park Master Plan update. In 2009, the Parks Department completed its Strategic System Master Plan and recommended development opportunities should be explored that will support Estella Mountain Regional Park as a destination point. In 2011, the Parks Department Marketing Plan recommended a riparian theme to highlight the park’s proximity to the Gila River.

The ultimate purpose of developing a Park Master Plan is to outline the long-range vision for the park as well as to guide development priorities that will provide for both the public's enjoyment and the protection of the park's resources over the next 20 years. As such, the Parks Department initiated an update to Estrella’s existing Park Master Plan.

Park Master Plan Update - Enlivened by Public Input

The Park Master Plan revision process began in Spring 2014 with staff meetings, stakeholder meetings, youth outreach, site visits, and other background research. The Department was awarded planning assistance through the National Park Service’s River, Trails, and Conservation Areas competitive grant program.

The Parks Department continued its information gathering period by hosting its first public open house meeting on April 30, 2015. “Around 40 people attended the initial public meeting and provided a variety of comments and good conversation. We’re off to a good start; however, it’s important that we continue to receive feedback from the community and keep the dialogue flowing between staff and park users,” said Leigh Johnson, Park Planner.

Comments received to date include increased trail options and trailhead development, additional trail and interpretive signage, RV and tent camping areas; comments also show a mixed level of support for the proposed sports fields and horse rentals – and more. For those wanting to provide additional comments, or unable to attend the meeting, comments will be accepted online until May 30, 2015. The Department will then consider all of the comments received from the public, stakeholders, and staff over the last year to develop a draft Park Master Plan.

A second public meeting will be held in the Fall 2015 to present draft alternatives for consideration in the Park Master Plan. The Department will again gather feedback and will include an additional thirty-day comment period. The entire project is expected to take about 18 months, and should be complete by the end of 2015.

Feedback from the public is needed to help understand desired public uses, shape the future direction, and to help determine amenities needed in the park for the next 20 years. This also assists park managers with decisions on where to focus limited budget funds.

Although the Parks Department has not made any decisions to date, there were three partner proposals presented at the initial public meeting to gauge feedback:

• a sports field complex, an effort from a community-based non-profit youth sports provider;
• a brine wetlands project in cooperation with the City of Goodyear and the Bureau of Reclamation to treat brine water before returning it to the Gila River; and
• the El Rio Watercourse Master Plan, a multi-agency effort to address flood control, development, recreation, and wildlife habitat preservation for a 17.5-mile stretch of the Gila River.

Although the Parks Department is not expecting any net loss to available picnicking areas, the Park Master Plan update will focus on accommodating emerging and prominent recreation trends, among other concepts, for the park. The Department is considering these partner proposals, along with public input, from the perspective of responding to projected recreational needs and demands, exploring options to create important new revenue streams such as public-private partnership, and maintaining relevance and sustainability on overall park management.

The Purpose of a Park Master Plan The Park Master Plan outlines the long-range vision for the park as well as development priorities that will provide for both the public’s enjoyment and the protection of the park’s resources. The Park Master Plan also:

• Serves as a guide and policy document for current and future park staff, partnering agencies, elected officials, and interested members of the public;
• Guides management of natural, cultural, and recreational resources;
• Considers a range of issues such as staffing, funding, encroachment, wildlife corridors, public needs, and more;
• Considers staff, stakeholder, and public recommendations;
• Identifies park enhancement opportunities including possible upgrades to park facilities, recreation infrastructure, restoration opportunities, etc.

The park master plan sets the stage for but does not dictate operational issues or define programs.

The Planning Process

A typical park master plan may take twelve to eighteen months to develop. It takes this amount of time to perform research, consult with neighboring government entities and stakeholders, consult the public, and develop and write the plan itself.

The park master plan may include a range of draft alternatives for staff, the Parks and Recreation Commission, stakeholders, and the public to consider. The final alternative is not selected by a popularity contest or vote; but rather the Department carefully selects the final alternative(s) that best support existing plans and goals, the public’s need, protects its natural and cultural resources, and provides a recreational amenity to the public while producing revenue for sustainable park management.

The final version of the draft plan is then presented to the Parks Commission to gain its recommendation for approval; this is followed by another presentation to the County Board of Supervisors for final approval for and adoption of the plan. At that point, the plan becomes final.

How to get involved:

The Department will continue gathering information until the public comment period for this phase that concludes on May 30, 2015. For more information, refer to these links:

To view the display boards from the April 30 public meeting: http://www.maricopa.gov/parks/estrella/emproject.aspx

To provide comments by May 30, 2015: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/EMRPMasterPlan

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q. How big is the park?
• A. The park is about 19,840 acres or approximately 7 miles north to south and 5.5 miles east to west, at its widest points.
• Q. What famous golf professional designed the golf course?
• A. Robert “Red” Lawrence (1893-1976) is well known for building courses that utilize the natural terrain of the area and include original characteristics of the region into the design. This traditional par 71-championship parkland style golf course first opened in 1962 and was totally renovated in 1998. The clubhouse also received upgrades in 2010.

Fun Facts

The park’s nature center uses a garden roof system that contains native plant species and enables the facility to visually integrate into its surroundings. The desert roof adds a significant isolative value, retains rainwater, and reduces storm water runoff on the site. The building’s rooftop is one of many green features that make it LEED certified.

Contact Information

For park master plan update information, contact the Department’s Park Planner by email at: leighjohnson@mail.maricopa.gov.

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Estrella Mountain Regional Park
14805 W. Vineyard Avenue • Goodyear, AZ 85338 • (623) 932-3811
www.maricopa.gov/parks/estrella