Park Planning

NIRCC
Planning
Community Development
Current: Park Planning

A Five-Year Master Park Plan is vital to creating a useful and vibrant town park system as well as improving the quality of place for local residents. Park planning involves examining what you have today and asking what the public wants, so you know what to do tomorrow. Master planning is a helpful tool in that it allows a community to review its present recreation situation with an eye towards future recreation opportunities. In addition, park planning helps to prioritize the public’s needs and wants to ensure that funds are spent where they will provide the most impact, and to show potential funders that you have a clear strategy in place for your park system: A 5-Year Park Master Plan is a requirement by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) to be eligible for state and federal grant programs such as the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and the Recreational Trails Program (RTP) grants - Both funding opportunities that are provided through the DNR Division of Outdoor Recreation.

Park Map

Timeframe for Planning

Park Plans are an important tool to ensure that a community’s recreational spaces meet the needs of the community, prioritize park improvements, and provide guidance on how to make desired changes. To ensure a Park Plan is up-to-date and still relevant to the community, it should be updated every five years. Additionally, to receive funding through the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Park Master Plans must be updated and submitted to the State for approval every five years at a minimum.
Depending on the size of your community, the master planning process may take a year or longer to complete. Typically, a minimum of six months will be needed. If your community is interested in NIRCC’s park planning services, we request contacting the NIRCC Community Development team by February or early March to initiate the process and be eligible for funding the following year. However, a community with a larger park system should contact page us earlier.