City of Morgan Hill Bikeways, Trails, Parks and Recreation Master Plan

Chapter 2: Existing Conditions and Community Needs

PARKS

Parks: Key Findings

• Parks are important spaces to Morgan Hill community members for healthy activities including walking, running, sports, and fitness, as indicated by community engagement results. • Several of the City’s parks were developed as mini parks and thus are exceptionally small and offer limited activities. • Many residents use adjacent County Parks (Harvey Bear, Anderson Lake, Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve, and Coyote Creek Trail) as neighborhood or community parks for activities such as picnics, dog- walking, and passive recreation. • More shade and restrooms are needed to improve comfort and enable longer stays in high-use parks. Community members also expressed the need for more water fountains and filling stations. • More than half of Morgan Hill’s City-owned parkland is concentrated in the City’s two community parks and most of that acreage is within Community Park. • Parks and park amenities can be better distributed across the system . Morgan Hill’s northeast neighborhoods are outside of walkable City park service areas. The most popular parks, as well as key features such as indoor recreation and dog parks, are concentrated in the southern part of the City. As such, they are difficult for many residents to access, particularly without a car. • There is enthusiasm and demonstrated interest in additional park facilities Downtown for gathering, events and play, including the Downtown Parks currently in development and the Villa Mira Monte History Park. • Private parks in Morgan Hill provide tremendous benefit to the community . The City’s RDCS has helped to encourage the construction of private parks across the City. • Some neighborhood parks are located adjacent to or near public schools , but access to school facilities is limited or restricted.

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