Project Overview
Access and circulation improvements are planned for 2024.
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Plan
2023
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Design
2024
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Build
2024
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Complete
2024
Current Phase
Plan
Project Background
Pleasant View Fields Sports Complex provides multiple fields that can be used for a variety of games, tournaments and camps.
The site has grown in popularity over the years and the existing parking facilities have not been sufficient for the demand. The current site configuration for Pleasant View is based off a 1993 Master Plan and is due for a review and updating.
The parking lot’s current configuration has resulted in:
- safety issues,
- overflow parking into adjacent neighborhoods,
- impacts to quality of life for those living nearby, and
- complaints from event organizers, participants, and spectators.
As a first step, the city contracted with Fox Tuttle Transportation Group (FTTG) to better understand the problems. They reviewed existing conditions, collected and studied transportation data, analyzed public reviews of the facility on Google Maps, and identified the following issues to address:
- Large flows of pedestrians and bicycles in the parking lot before and after games lead to safety issues, frustration, and conflicts with drivers maneuvering for a parking space.
- Four motor vehicle crashes were reported in the parking lot between 2017 and 2022, including one that resulted in series injuries to a cyclist.
- Parking supply is often inadequate on weekends, primarily on Saturdays, and especially during tournaments.
- Parking at the nearby Calvary Bible Church was at 30% capacity on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022 and at 50% on Sunday, Oct. 16. The lot can hold 380 vehicles.
- Illegal parking occurs along Kalmia Avenue and nearby businesses.
- While the number of accessible parking spaces meets federal requirements, the current configuration does not allow for rear-loading vehicles, nor does it discourage standard vehicles from parking there when the lot is full.
- Having only one access point on the east side for all modes of transportation discourages bicycle and pedestrian access from neighborhoods to the west.
- The site’s current configuration requires bikes to go through the existing parking lot, exacerbating safety issues.
- The city’s Low Stress Walk and Bike Network Plan calls for bicycle facilities on Kalmia Avenue, but they are not currently funded or scheduled for construction.
City staff also worked with FTTG and the Sanitas Group to consider potential options for addressing the issues. City staff are now reviewing those options to prepare for community engagement in early 2024. Public input will inform final decisions on which improvements should be prioritized for implementation in 2024.
Updates
We have allocated $1,200,000 in the 2024 Capital Improvement Program to improve safe access and circulation to and through Pleasant View Sports Complex. Improvements will also promote alternate modes of transportation.
Staff are working on a final design to inform construction in 2024. This includes hosting a round of engagement to inform neighbors and stakeholders about existing conditions and gather input regarding physical and operational improvements to the site. Public input will inform decisions on which improvements should be prioritized in 2024.
In early 2024, staff will share the results of engagement with the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board (PRAB), as well as final designs that incorporate community feedback. While we have dollars allocated for on-site improvements, funding for options such as significant improvements to multiuse paths are not funded and will be pursued in partnership with the Transportation and Mobility Department.
As the facility has grown in popularity, participation has grown across user groups, and as the configurations have adjusted to allow for more usage (e.g. smaller 8v8 youth fields), vehicle parking has proved insufficient for the use. This has resulted in facility users and event spectators frequently overwhelming parking in adjacent neighborhoods throughout the spring, summer, and fall seasons.
In 2022, an Access, Parking, and Improvements Study was completed for the Pleasant View complex. The study identified strategies to creatively address the parking and access challenges through physical improvements and access management. The department will be working with the consultant team, Fox Tuttle Transportation Group and The Sanitas Group, to complete the study.
Major scope items for the project include:
- On-site data gathering during peak events: August or September 2022
- Alternatives for improvements and management strategies
- Process and timeframe for implementing proposed improvements and strategies
- High level cost estimating for alternatives and improvements
The project is expected to be complete by the end of 2024.