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CITY OF FITCHBURG PARKLAND DEDICATION STAN DARDS In its Land Division Ordinances, the City of Fitchburg requires 2,900 square feet ofland be dedicated for each proposed residential dwelling unit. This neighborhood plan considers the City of Fitchburg's parkland dedication requirements because while only a portion of the Southdale Neighborhood is now within the City of Fitchburg, eventually the entire neighborhood wi~ be annexed into the City. In the area currently within the City of Fitchburg - that is, the residential and rural residential area fronting and south of i\Ialoney Drive - there are approximately 30 dwelling units. If this existing neighborhood were developed under the current parkland dedication standards, 2.0 acres of parks, playgrounds, recreation and open spaces would be required. The only existing public park - the Clausen Road Mini-Park - is 0.3 acres, a difference of 1.7 acres. In the entire Southdale Neighborhood, including the portion within the City of Fitchburg, there are 681 dwelling units. If this existing neighborhood were developed under the City of Fitchburg's parkland dedicated standards, 45.3 acres of parkland would be required. There are 5.7 acres of public parks within the Southdale Neighborhood. As noted, another 17.5 acres of parkland are within walking distance outside the neighborhood, and another 112.2 acres plus the Nine Springs E-Way are within biking distance of the neighborhood. Parkland dedication standards are best utilized for master-planned residential developments on large tracts of undeveloped land. Parkland dedication standards are difficult to administer in parcel-by-parcel redevelopment projects. At worst, parkland dedication requirements discourage higher-density housing and encourage low-density sprawl. Fitchburg's dedication requirement makes exceptions for any dedication that requires over one-third of a development site. Ten dwelling units/acre, the minimum intended density in this neighborhood plan, requires that more than one-third of a development be dedicated. The direct application of City of Fitchburg parkland dedication requirements for redevelopment in the Southdale Neighborhood is not consistent with the desired urban and higher-density character of redevelopment described in this redevelopment plan. Attempting to apply the parkland dedication standard within the existing neighborhood fabric of the Southdale Neighborhood will further discourage parcel redevelopment within the neighborhood. Rather, as redevelopment occurs in the City of Fitchburg portions of the neighborhood, this neighborhood plan recommends that the City seek to ensure open space is accessible to all residents within walking and biking distance, while balancing the goals for transit-oriented, higher-density redevelopment. The City should require redevelopment projects improve existing parkland within the neighborhood, and require mini-parks and plazas to be located within one-eighth of a mile walking distance of every residence. South dale Park Mini-Park on Clausen Street _ JULY 2008 II-