Moorland Park Planning Begins with September 3, 2015 Workshop

Sonoma County Regional Parks is organizing a participatory design process to involve the Moorland neighborhood in each step of planning for a new 4-acre park. A neighborhood steering committee will guide a design process built upon a series of community workshops beginning Thursday, September 3, at the Moorland Avenue park site in southwest Santa Rosa.

Comprised predominately of residents and other stakeholders, the steering committee will meet before and after each public workshop to develop agendas and distill results. Their actions will directly influence a proposed master plan expected to go to the Board of Supervisors for approval in early 2016.

Each bilingual workshop will focus on a particular design phase to maximize community involvement in decisions that will define the park. The planning process will be clearly outlined and important factors, such as budget and site constraints, described. Whenever possible, participants will work from a blank page, instead of preconceived proposals, so the group can hear all ideas, insights and concerns. When project limitations exist, participants will be engaged in considering trade-offs and a variety of communication techniques will be used to ensure all voices are heard.

“The Moorland neighborhood is very close to creating its first park. This exciting project has been over 20 years in the making,” said Fifth District Supervisor Efren Carrillo, who represents the area and worked to acquire the park land. “Regional Parks and I have committed to an inclusive process that will engage the community to meet the needs of current residents and future generations who will live, play, and socialize in their neighborhood park.”

Community Design Workshop #1

Subsequent workshops (All start at 6:30 p.m. Locations to be announced.)

Anticipated project timeline