SITE SELECTION FOR AN INCLUSIVE PUBLIC PLAY AREA CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA

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1 SITE SELECTION FOR AN INCLUSIVE PUBLIC PLAY AREA CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA Evaluation Report October 21, 2015 Prepared by - Withers & Ravenel Inc. Project Team Town of Chapel Hill Parks & Recreation Department (Client) William Webster, Planning and Development Manager, Parks & Recreation Department Marian Kaslovsky, Coordinator, Adapted Recreation & Inclusion Program Withers & Ravenel Inc. (Consultant) Mary Henderson, Technical Advisor/ Public Meeting Facilitation Kurt Pfeifer, Project Manager, Landscape Architect Shweta Nanekar, Lead Designer 1

2 Introduction The Town of Chapel Hill selected Withers and Ravenel, Inc. in November 2014 to assess four preselected sites for the location of a new accessible playground to be designed for children with all abilities. The goal of this evaluation report is to document the comparative analysis of the four sites and their development potential based on existing conditions, environmental impact and specific criteria identified during the process. This report does not take into account any specific type of manufactured play equipment or design program elements. The team believes that any successful playground can be created in multiple ways that engages the child, provides active and at-will sensory rich experiences, and creates opportunities for social, cultural and multi-generational inclusion. Concept of Inclusive Design The Department of Justice published the revised Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and created accessibility standards called the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design. These standards provide requirements for removing architectural barriers that may prevent newly constructed play areas from being accessible by wheelchair, walkers or users with mobility impairments ( Specifically for a public playground, the regulations affect architectural elements including rest rooms, shelters, parking, accessible routes to ground level play components and elevated play components. In addition, guidelines for accessible play areas developed by the Access Board ( provide minimum requirements regarding installation of a type of play component (ground or elevated) and the type of activity it affords. Inclusive Design, however, goes beyond the accessibility standards and focuses on addressing the needs of children with all abilities. This includes typically developing children and children with social-emotional disabilities like Autism Spectrum Disorder, perceptual-intellectual difficulties like hearing and visual impairments, and learning disabilities, as well as wide range of physical disabilities. It takes into consideration much needed social interaction in the play space. For this evaluation report, the accessible play area would hereafter be mentioned as Inclusive play area. 2

3 Demographic Overview of Disabilities in Chapel Hill (Orange County) Following diagrams illustrate range of disabilities in Orange County, North Carolina based on 2014 US Census Bureau information. Out of total 6,102 children under the age of five, hearing and vision difficulties were reported for estimated fifteen children (n=15). Out of total 21,209 children between the ages of 5 through 17 years, 895 children have some type of disability. For this age group cognitive difficulties (n=806) and self-care difficulty (n=209) have been reported at a high percentage and smaller percentages of hearing (n=33), vision (n=65) and ambulatory difficulties (n=80). Disability Type(under 5 years) Orange County, NC Hearing Difficulty Vision Difficulty Disability Type(5-17 years) Orange County, NC Hearing Difficulty Vision Difficulty Cognitive Ambulatory Self-Care 3

4 Sites under consideration The four sites pre-selected by the Department of Parks and Recreation for assessment and feasibility of Inclusive play area are: Site 1. Erwin Road Property (35.35 ac) Site 2. Homestead Road Property (HOPE Gardens) (13.27 ac) Site 3. Cedar Falls Park (66.26 ac) Site 4. Southern Community Park (68.63 ac) Site Visits Initial site visits were conducted by the consultant team with the Town staff in December 2014 to observe and analyze existing site conditions, existing site amenities and space available for potential Inclusive play area. A comparative data on site observations is available in appendices. After the initial review, the sites were classified into two categories based on existing conditions- sites with updated restroom and parking and sites without restrooms and parking area. Sites without restrooms and parking Site 1. Erwin Road Property Site 2. Homestead Road Property (HOPE Gardens) Sites with restrooms and parking Site 3. Cedar Falls Park Site 4. Southern Community Park Site Observations and SWOT Analysis Site 1. Erwin Road Property Erwin Road property is located at 405 MLK Jr Blvd at the Southwest corner of Erwin Road and Interstate 40. This site is approximately 35 acres of undeveloped town owned property. Part of the property along eastern side is FEMA floodplain and an electrical and sewer easement runs along the boundary. North eastern boundary of the site adjoins the Interstate 40 (I-40) whereas low to Power easement and floodplain area 4

5 medium density residential development is located along Southwestern boundary. There is an existing greenway trail that connects to Cedar Falls Park. SWOT Analysis Strengths Accessibility to Schools, Greenways, Bike Route, Bus Stop, I-40: The site is accessible from Homestead Road for Chapel Hill residents as well as surrounding community via I-40. Topography: Since the topography of the site is gently sloping, large site area could Site view from Homestead Road Bridge and I 40 underpass be considered for development of a new park facility. Existing Vegetation: The site has piedmont successional forest with some logging activity documented in the early 1990s. Feasible for Miracle League: Because of large parcel size, feasibility of adding special needs sports facility can be investigated. Weaknesses Accessibility from Chapel Hill area: Presence of I-40 has added an impermeable edge or access barrier along Northeastern side. Large portion of site is in floodplain Noise from I-40: Presence of adjoining highway has been a major deterrent in site development in the past because of high noise levels. Noise levels will have to be further investigated for appropriate acoustic barriers if this site is chosen. Opportunities Open slate for flexible design program Nature Play: Formal and Non-formal programs can be created for special needs population. Create a unique park as a regional destination: In order to maximize future opportunities for the site, a park master plan should be developed. It could potentially be a unique park with multiple play and learning facilities for special needs children. Threats More development costs for infrastructure development 5

6 Site 2. Homestead Road Property (HOPE Gardens) Homestead Road property is a acres of town owned land located on 2200 Homestead Road. Southern Railroad track Right of Way runs along the western boundary of the site. The property contains an abandoned (formerly a gymnastics facility) building approximately 6,000± SF in size, a gravel parking field approximately 12,000 SF in size and a community garden managed by Campus Y student volunteers. The site is also a free food distribution site. There is an existing stream and a pond located on-site. SWOT Analysis Abandoned building (former gymnastics) on site Strengths Accessibility from Town, K-12 Schools, Greenway, Bike Route, Bus Stop Existing amenities- community garden Existing Vegetation and pond Parking area available Close to residential/ educational area Weaknesses Topography and grading: Part of the site has slopes greater than 5% which will need grading and potential retaining walls. Limited visibility from street: The site has restricted frontage from Homestead Road which gives a feeling of isolation from the surrounding context. Not feasible for future expansion and Miracle League field Existing Community Gardens (HOPE Gardens) Costs for pond safety: The edge treatment of the pond would be crucial for safety of play area as well as for creating interesting water feature on site. The possibility of leveling the depth of pond along edges will have to be investigated too. Site clearance on western side 6

7 Play area will need to be fenced off from pond for safety reasons. Demolition or renovation existing building should be taken into consideration. Play area could impact current Hope Gardens and/or possible future expansion of the gardens. Opportunities Threats Nature Play Formal and Non-formal programs Existing vegetation and pond could offer unique aesthetic character and recreation settings. Create a sustainable agriculture theme park or create educational program in partnership with Campus Y volunteers at the existing community gardens Upfront high costs for site improvements- construct parking and restrooms, and pond improvements with appropriate safety measures. Existing building, either demolished, or renovated, has implications for the inclusive play area. 7

8 Site 3. Cedar Falls Park Cedar Falls Park is an existing 66 acre Community Park located on 501 Weaver Dairy Road across from E Chapel Hill High school. The existing park amenities include newly constructed restroom building with picnic shelter, existing artificial turf soccer fields, three baseball fields, six tennis courts, manufactured play equipment and a two mile nature trail that meanders through the site. A large portion of the site is still undeveloped with mature pine forest. SWOT Analysis Strengths Existing parking needs renovation, resurfacing Accessibility from Town, High School, Greenway, Bike Route, Bus Stop, I-40 Existing amenities- nature trail, baseball field, tennis court, restrooms, parking Existing Vegetation Less development costs due to existing infrastructure Close to residential/ commercial/ educational area Weaknesses New restrooms and small shelter Challenges in topography and grading for creating accessible routes through the play settings. Possibility of rock crops and/ or bed rock Parking lot needs major renovation Limited visibility from street Limited feasibility for Miracle League or additional program elements. Potential for existing baseball field to be redesigned for Miracle League. Opportunities View of woods available for play area Use topography to advantage using ramps, retaining walls, and terraces. 8

9 Nature Play Formal and Non-formal programs possibility Create a signature park with diverse activities Threats Possibility of large area being not developable because of site topography High grading costs 9

10 Site 4. Southern Community Park The fourth site is located on the 68 acre Southern Community Park in Southern Village along highway This site has been recently developed in 2009 and has existing playground equipment, restrooms, small and large picnic shelters, accessible parking lot, and sports fields. There is approximately 0.5 acre area adjacent to existing play area that the town staff has identified for potential inclusive play. The land is clear with some topographic challenge for ADA routes. There is additional 0.6 acres piece of undeveloped land on eastern side of large picnic shelter that could be used for inclusive program. However, it is disconnected from the existing play area. View of site available for play area SWOT Analysis Strengths Accessibility from Town, K-12 Schools, Greenway, Bike Route, Bus Stop Existing amenities- nature trail, multiple sports, restrooms, parking, shelter Less development costs due to existing infrastructure Existing playground and picnic shelter Close to residential/ commercial/ educational Weaknesses Challenges in topography and grading Limited available area for development Existing investment in playground may be redundant Limited parking is already an issue Opportunities Make existing site features accessible/ inclusive and supplement additional features Existing restroom building 10

11 Threats Limitations in design program: Because the Southern Community Park is already developed to a large extent, the scope for adding inclusive play area is very limited. Site Evaluation Matrix A weighted site evaluation matrix was used as one of the methods for site evaluation. There are certain site elements that are mandatory for developing an inclusive playground, for example, gentle site slopes, restroom facilities and accessible parking. Each site selection element was assigned a weight number based on feedback from town staff as described below: 1 Not very important 2 Somewhat important 3 Important 4 Very important 5 Essential Similarly, each site element was ranked on a score of one to four. The description of each site element ranking is attached in appendices. The results were tabulated and analyzed using site evaluation matrix. Total score for each site was calculated by multiplying score number with weighing factor number and adding all elements scores. Based on the evaluation matrix, the highest score would indicate the most suitable site for an inclusion playground. However, the site evaluation matrix is used here as one of the options and there are other subjective site selection criteria that may guide the site selection rather than choosing the site solely based on highest score. Comparative Cost Analysis The four selected sites were analyzed based on good faith estimate for site development. The comparison chart is attached in the appendices. Based on team s previous experience with similar projects, the cost criteria were subdivided into two broad categories- Site development cost and play area cost. Site Development Costs The site development costs were based on individual site assessments for grading, utility connections, parking lot renovations, and accessible restroom facility. The four sites show relative difference in costs based on the amenities present on site. Play Area Costs The two primary components of designing Inclusive play area are selection of appropriate site and then the design program that would be accommodated efficiently on the chosen site. It is not realistic to assume a typical design program for all sites because each site is unique with its positive and negative attributes. Based on final site selection, a specific design program will be identified by staff, stakeholders, and public input process. 11

12 For park amenities costs, prices for all items have been kept consistent except the safety surface areas. The safety surface area is larger for two undeveloped sites and comparatively smaller for the developed sites. The actual number will vary based on design program elements, layout and type of play settings on site. Assumptions regarding design program elements have been made based on previous experience with similar projects and precedent example of Kids Together Playground. Precedent Example For the purposes of this review, the consultant chose Kids Together Playground at Marla Dorrell Park in Town of Cary, NC as a precedent model environment for play area. Kids Together Playground is an Inclusive Playground that showcases unique age appropriate play settings connected with a wide looping accessible path set in a lush native landscape. Manufactured play equipment is a part of the landscape rather than a standalone feature. View of Kids Together Playground Public Meeting The initial findings and analysis were presented in a public meeting on June 4, 2015 and comments from public were gathered. The meeting was attended by ten people, town staff and consultant team. After a short presentation on concept of Inclusive Design and preliminary analysis of four short listed sites, people were asked to provide comments on each site and rank them in order of their preference. Because of the low public attendance, the votes for sites ranking are not statistically accountable. The comments are noted as below. ERWIN ROAD PROPERTY COMMENTS Public Meeting 1. HOW DO WE ACCESS THE PLAYGROUND? 2. ERWIN GIVES US A CHANCE TO PLAN WHAT WE NEED AND NOT BE IN A VERY BUSY, CONGESTED AREA. HOMESTEAD ROAD PROPERTY COMMENTS 1. I (HEART) CONTRA DANCING. 2. A BUILDING IN COMBO WITH THE PLAYGROUND EXTENDS/ ENRICHES THE OPTIONS FOR THOSE USING THE PLAYGROUND. BATHROOMS COULD BE BUILT TO BE USED BY BOTH GROUPS (AND HOPE GARDENS TOO.) 3. WOULD BE A WONDERFUL WAY TO PROMOTE HEALTHY EATING AND EXERCISE. 4. A GREAT SPACE FOR LOWER INCOME FAMILIES IN THE AREA (I.E. HOMESTART FAMILIES) 12

13 5. PERFECT SYNERGY WITH THE HOPE GARDENS MISSION (TO CREATE A COMMUNITY SPACE THAT FOSTERS RELATIONSHIPS, EDUCATES THE COMMUNITY, AND ADDRESSES BARRIERS TO FOOD ACCESS THROUGH SHARED EFFORTS IN SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE. 6. WOULD HELP EXPAND THE FAMILY SPACE FEEL FOR THE FAMILIES AT HOPE GARDENS. 7. ENTHUSIASTIC PARTNER WITH HOMESTEAD PROPERTY 8. GREAT CHANCE TO PARNER WITH HOPE GARDENS- PLAYGROUND FOR THE CHILDREN AT THE WOMEN S SHELTER- PROVIDES ADDITIONAL PARK FOR CHAPEL HILL. NO SPECIFIC COMMENTS FOR CEDAR FALLS PARK AND SOUTHERN COMMUNITY PARK GENERAL COMMENTS 1. IS THERE A PLAN TO COLLABORATE WITH UNC AND/ OR DUKE TO INVOLVE UNDERGRAD AND GRAD STUDENTS IN PLAY AREA ACTIVITIES? - PLANNING - SUPERVISING - SERVICES, ETC. 2. EASY ACCESS TO PUBLIC TRASNPORT SEEMS CRITICAL. 3. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE PLAYGROUND NEAR AN EXISTING ONE. 13