Chart Our Future City of Lake Forest Parks & Recreation Master Plan | Page 70

Legend
Mini Park Distribution
Analysis
City of Lake Forest
Planning Areas
0.25-Mile Service Area
City of Lake Forest Park
Park by Others
Mini Parks meet the need for a walkable, drop-in recreation experience. Appropriate elements
Cemetery
in these parks typically include playgrounds, picnic areas, and seating opportunities.
Lake Forest Open Lands
Forest Preserve/Natural Areas
The purpose of the Mini Park Distribution Analysis is to determine which planning areas are underserved by the
Department’s existing Mini Park land holdings. Currently, the Department has three Mini Parks that range from 0.4 acres
to 7.7 acres in size.
The map to the right illustrates the quarter-mile (0.25-mile) service area reach for Mini, Neighborhood, and Community
Parks shown in orange. Quarter-mile service areas are also shown for Neighborhood and Community Parks, as these parks
serve the function of a Mini Park for those residents within a quarter-mile distance from the park.
Golf Course
School
j
k
0
Additional Pedestrian Access
Feet
5,000
2,500
¯
The map illustrates where Mini Park service is concentrated within the City. The majority of Lake Forest residents do not
have access to active recreation within a 0.25-mile walk of their homes. Planning Areas 1 and 6 do not have any City
parks but also have the lowest populations of residents. Some residents in Area 1 may actually have access to Townline
Community Park via the pedestrian bridge crossing Townline Road. While the Department does provide active recreation
in the other seven Planning Areas, the service areas only cover a small portion of the planning area and all have
populations of over 1,000 residents with most in the 2,000s leaving a large number of residents underserved.
Although the Parks and Recreation Department is not providing Mini Park service to most of the population, other open
space recreation providers may be meeting resident needs. Public schools, located in Planning Areas 1, 3, 4, 6, and 7,
typically provide some active recreation amenities and Forest Park Beach in Planning Area 4 also provides some active
recreation amenities despite its classification as a special use park. Additionally, there are public passive recreation
providers such as forest preserve, Open Lands, and other Department properties in nearly every Planning Area. While
these properties do not serve the same function as Mini Parks, residents may use them instead of a Mini Park.
When considering all of the public open space in Lake Forest, Planning Area 8 and sections of Planning Area 4 are the
most likely to have a need for more Mini Park service based on available open space and population.
Park Key - Mini Parks
9, Franklin Park
11, Meadowood Park
17, Triangle Park
70
CITY OF LAKE FOREST PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT COMPREHENSIVE MASTER PLAN
CHAPTER 3