Citywide Parks and Recreation Master Plan

We have a lot to celebrate in San Rafael with great places to play, a beautiful setting with natural open space resources, and classes that enrich our community. However, we realize that there is opportunity to improve.

By creating a master plan, we will have a guide to further develop our parks and recreational programs, create and maintain funding and set priorities for the future. The City of San Rafael is invested in providing a thriving system for all ages, abilities, and activities.

As we look at existing conditions of the San Rafael park and recreation network, we'll identify what's missing and ways in which we can make improvements. This includes how we can maintain the parks, update facilities, increase ways for people to access and connect to parks, and how we can strengthen programs, classes, and activities within the City.

Below, you will find additional information about the Master Plan process, including draft documents and summaries of community outreach, surveys, and meetings completed to date. If you have thoughts or suggestions you would like to share about the Park and Recreation Master Plan, you can contact us by sending an e-mail to: recreation@cityofsanrafael.org. Thank you for participating in this process!

Master Plan updates

On January 18^th and 19^th, 2023, staff and consultants presented the Parks & Recreation Master Plan draft goals, objectives, and recommendations to the Park & Recreation Master Plan Steering Committee and the Park & Recreation Commission. The meetings were well attended, and we received some great feedback from the public as well as the members of the Committee and Commission. This was the final series of meetings on the Master Plan for the Steering Committee and the Park & Recreation Commission. The presentation slides from those meetings can be viewed by clicking on the link below.  The Master Plan team will now be preparing an update for City Council before drafting the final plan, which is on target to be ready for review in the Spring of 2023.

Park Inventory and Document Review

As part of the process to develop the final Master Plan, consultants developed a draft park inventory and assessment, and reviewed the City’s previous planning efforts relevant to parks and recreation. These resources largely pertain to the assessment of the City's existing recreation system, and past planning documents that may inform the development of the new Park and Recreation Master Plan. You can review the draft documents by clicking the links below.

Community Outreach

Surveys and Questionnaires

To assess community needs and interests in San Rafael’s recreation services, a statistically valid survey was conducted from March 7-10, 2022, and an online questionnaire was initiated on March 30, 2022. The Statistically Valid survey, conducted by Godbe Research, collected 575 responses from City residents reflecting the City’s demographic profile. The Parks and Recreation Questionnaire, conducted by RHAA through Survey Monkey, collected 1,131 responses between March 30^th and May 31^st, 2022.  Thank you very much to all of those who provided feedback on what recreation amenities and programs are important to our community!

A summary of responses to the survey and the questionnaire can be viewed by clicking the link below:

Community Workshops

City staff and consultants hosted a series of community workshops between March and May 2022 to collect feedback and input from community members about the Master Plan. More than 100 community members participated in the meetings, which introduced the planning process, shared information about the community questionnaire, and captured feedback and input from community participants.  The first round of meetings were held at San Rafael Community Center (March 30, 2022), the Terra Linda Community Center (April 28, 2022), online via Zoom (May 5, 2022), and at the Albert J. Boro Community Center (May 11, 2022). During the first round of meetings, we introduced the planning process, shared information about the community questionnaire, and sought community input on what they value in our parks and recreation system.

At the second-round community meeting on September 8, 2022, we presented the results of the community outreach and the inventory analysis, as well as presented and received feedback on draft criteria for prioritizing recommendations in the master plan.

Meetings & Presentations

The City's Master Plan Consultants have shared several updates on the progress of the plan at Park and Recreation Master Plan Steering Committee Meetings and Park and Recreation Commission meetings.

Presentation slides from those meetings can be found here: