Monterey set to adopt a 20-year Parks and Rec plan.

There’s a dusty flat expanse in the hills of Ryan Ranch that the city of Monterey inherited from Fort Ord. With limited space to expand within the city limits, this could potentially be the site of a multi-sport complex. Stadium seating perhaps, or maybe an open green field to meet the growing demand on existing sports facilities. This is among the possibilities included in the city’s draft Park and Recreation Master Plan.

Monterey officials are putting finishing touches on a 20-year vision of city parks and rec programs. For the past year, members of the Park and Recreation Commission, as well as city staff, have reached out to more than 1,000 residents to survey their wishes and desires on how city parks could best function.

The result is the 2016 Parks and Recreation Master Plan, which will be presented to the City Council Sept. 6 for final approval. The last time Monterey updated the parks and rec master plan was 1986.

“The plan is really a visionary plan to best address the priorities of the community,” says Kim Bui-Burton, community services director for the city of Monterey. “We had a focus group with teens and they told us the youth center is too far from their schools. We heard from a lot of people in league play [like baseball, softball and soccer] who said there are not enough sports fields in the city.”

New projects outlined in the plan include a teen center, a sports complex, an ocean aquatic center and an outdoor, competitive-grade swimming pool. Specific locations for these new developments are not outlined in the plan, nor are their specific funding sources.

The new teen center would likely be located near the Monterey Public Library, walkable from both the high school and middle school, Bui-Burton says.

Funding for projects like the multi-sports complex could possibly come from the Neighborhood Improvement Program or grants, Bui-Burton says.

“Once we get the plan through council we will start working on the practical plans,” says Lucy Spangler, vice chair of the Parks and Recreation Commission. “We’re really eager to get this passed so we can move forward.”

There are 616 acres of city park property, and with a population just under 28,000 and more than 1.8 million tourists coming through the city annually, much of the plan focuses on preservation and restoration.

“Our Recreation Trail is crowded and many of our parks have been overloved,” says Bui-Burton.

With that in mind, the draft master plan looks to renovate and restore Dennis the Menace Park, which attracts roughly 800,000 people annually.

It also seeks to find ways to reduce congestion of the Recreation Trail, specifically widening the path through Cannery Row and separating pedestrians and cyclists. This could be achieved by creating bike lanes on the road throughout the area.

Other projects outlined are an aquatic park around Monterey Municipal Beach to allow for greater scuba and snorkeling access, as well as further developing other water sports including boating, kayaking and paddleboarding.