02
The Planning Process
The Plan’s recommendations are guided by the feedback from the extensive community engagement process. Community engagement is a crucial aspect of the planning process as it ensures that decisions and initiatives are rooted in the diverse perspectives and needs of the community. It promotes transparency, inclusivity, and effective problem-solving, leading to more sustainable and successful outcomes in planning for the future of Pleasant Ridge’s parks and recreation endeavors.
The Timeline
This Plan is built on a foundation of robust engagement and a thorough, multi-pronged effort to solicit input from a wide variety of stakeholders over several months in 2024. The timeline below outlines the outreach methods that were utilized for both the Master Plan and the Parks and Recreation Plan. The Strategic Visioning Workshop, Roundtables, Ice Cream Social, and Policy Workshop were all in-person events, while the Community Survey was an online outreach effort.
May 21, 2024
Strategic Visioning Workshop
A public workshop for all Pleasant Ridge residents was held on May 21, 2024 at the Pleasant Ridge Community Center to solicit feedback on residents’ vision for the future of the community and identify specific concerns and goals as the City conducts its 2024 Master Plan and Parks & Recreation Master Plan process. Residents were asked about inclusive and sustainable park considerations, as well as asked about park-specific improvements.
July 17, 2024
Ice Cream Field Day
A field day was held on July 17, 2024, in conjunction with the Pleasant Ridge Ice Cream Social. This event ran from 6:00 PM to 8:00PM and was open to all residents of Pleasant Ridge. Four self-guided boards were provided to refine the feedback gathered from the Community Survey and Strategic Visioning Workshop. Areas identified in previous engagement efforts include sustainability in parks and accessibility in parks.
October 16, 2024
Policy Workshop
On October 16, 2024, a public meeting was held to discuss draft goals and objectives and prioritize draft policy recommendations. This meeting was also live-streamed so residents could participate virtually. Attendees were invited to provide feedback on draft policy recommendations, which was shown in real-time during the presentation. Parks and Recreation goals and objectives focused on providing inclusive activities for all residents, maintaining existing facilities, and implementing low-impact improvements to parks.
June 24, 2024 - July 17, 2024
Roundtables
On June 24, 2024 and July 17, 2024, 5 roundtables were conducted with the following different community stakeholders.
- Aging in Place
- Community Groups
- Youth
- Parks and Recreation
- Housing & Neighborhoods
At the roundtable discussions, participants were asked a variety of questions related to their vision for Pleasant Ridge. The discussion was kept conversational to allow for new topics to be explored
May - June 2024
Online Engagement
From May to June, 2024, the community was able to offer input through a dedicated project website. Two primary communication outlets were offered, which mirrored the exercises conducted at the in-person Strategic Visioning Workshop: A Comment Map and a Community Survey
Comment Map
Pleasant Ridge residents were invited to interact with a virtual map of the community by marking places of interest. The Pleasant Ridge Comment Map was available online through Social Pinpoint and collected 23 responses. Popular comment locations included Gainsboro Park, Pleasant Ridge Dog Park, the intersection of S Main Street and 10 Mile Road, I-696, and the Woodward Corridor
Community Survey
Participants took a brief visioning survey that sought to capture qualitative information about what residents value about parks and recreation provisions, and their own experiences with Pleasant Ridge parks.
What We Heard
Several key themes and points of agreement emerged from the engagement conducted for this process.
Access to Neighborhood Parks
Pleasant Ridge residents greatly benefit from the abundance of parks and recreational facilities in their community and place high value on this accessibility.
Sustainability Initiatives
Many stakeholders appreciate the City’s visible efforts toward sustainability. This was especially evident in the positive feedback regarding naturalized areas and strategies like 'no-mow' zones and low-maintenance plantings.
Accessibility and Inclusivity Improvements:
The community expressed a strong desire for enhancements to parks, with common suggestions including additional seating, restrooms, accessible paths, bike infrastructure, and increased shade and tree canopy.
Opportunities at Hessel Park
Hessel Park was identified as the park most in need of improvements. Currently featuring a small path, a little free library, and some seating, residents commonly suggested adding pop-up games, native plantings, and a bocce court.
Sustainability Initiatives
Stakeholders emphasized the importance of continuing to offer recreational programs that cater to both youth and seniors, ensuring inclusivity for all age groups.
Accessibility and Inclusivity Improvements:
Maintenance discussions focused on keeping pathways clear during winter and addressing the age and condition of playground equipment and other park amenities.
What does it mean for Pleasant Ridge Parks to be accessible? Sustainable?
Tree Canopy
Residents conveyed that they strongly value Pleasant Ridge’s tree canopy and efforts should be made to preserve the existing canopy and encourage new tree plantings. It is also important to provide connectivity within the tree canopy.
On-going Maintenance
Residents expressed that ensuring pathways are maintained and clear in winter is important. Additionally, residents are generally satisfied with Pleasant Ridge’s recreation offerings, and want to focus on maintaining the high-quality of the parks system.
Native Plantings
One sustainability element that residents favored was native plantings. While Pleasant Ridge parks do have some native plantings currently, there is a desire to increase the plantings.
Park Specific Recommendations
Satisfaction with Existing Parks
Residents conveyed that they strongly value Pleasant Ridge’s tree canopy and efforts should be made to preserve the existing canopy and encourage new tree plantings. It is also important to provide connectivity within the tree canopy.
Pathways and Crossings
Residents expressed that ensuring pathways are maintained and clear in winter is important. Additionally, residents are generally satisfied with Pleasant Ridge’s recreation offerings, and want to focus on maintaining the high-quality of the parks system.
Community Programming
One sustainability element that residents favored was native plantings. While Pleasant Ridge parks do have some native plantings currently, there is a desire to increase the plantings.
Roundtable Takeaways
Programming
Several groups expressed interest Pleasant Ridge adding inclusive recreation programming for residents of all ages. Specifically, feedback was focused on providing recreation opportunities for adults and seniors, as well as children.
Walkability
The pedestrian network and ensuring that it is safe and well maintained was a concern of several roundtable groups. In particular, stakeholders want to improve the Woodward Avenue crossings and ensure that the sidewalks and pathways are well maintained, even in winter.
Sustainability
Stakeholders in four of the five roundtable groups identified various sustainability provisions that they feel the City should prioritize. These range from a sustainable programming, to public transit, to rain gardens, to pollinator gardens.
