Milton Park System Comprehensive Plan

The Challenge

The City of Milton, Georgia, Parks and Recreation Department develops and maintains a system of parks and recreational resources to enhance the well-being of residents, welcome visitors, and promote the area as an attractive place to call home for both residents and businesses alike. In order to preserve this distinctive community's rural character and heritage while meeting the needs of a growing population, the City needed a Comprehensive Parks and Recreation Master Plan, which included master planning for Providence Park, an existing 42-acre passive recreation city park.

The Solution

Barge Design Solutions partnered with planners from PROS Consulting and the ETC Institute to develop the master plan. To ensure an accurate representation of the community’s needs for parks, trails, and green space, the team completed a demographic analysis, program assessments, and administrative and financial reviews. Furthermore, several public outreach opportunities were coordinated throughout the planning process, including surveys, interviews with stakeholders, and public input meetings.

The Result

The master plan provides a roadmap for the City of Milton to improve its parks and recreation system, including a vision and guiding principles for park land and trails, facility development, program and operational expansion, staffing, and partnerships with other organizations.

The planning process revealed a need for more programming around youth sports and active fitness, which led to a key component of this project. Through agreements with the Fulton County Schools, the City was permitted to use the school system's existing recreation facilities, expanding the City's access to necessary resources without an immediate need for the acquisition of additional land.