The County of San Diego Parks Master Plan serves as a guidance document for the acquisition and development of future parks and recreation facilities in the unincorporated areas of San Diego County. The purpose of the Plan is to document the current conditions and analyze park shortages and distribution inequities in a way that is consistent with County and Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) approved plans, policies, and ordinances. The Plan is intended to assist in the development of projects and programs that will be supported by the community and lead to improvements within the County’s Park and Recreation system.

To accomplish these goals, the document includes the following processes:

• Inventorying existing park and recreation amenities and facilities available to County residents;

• Examining current and future park trends and comparing those trends to County demographics in order to determine the need for future park and recreation facilities and services;

• Calculating the existing and projected level of service of local and regional parks for County residents;

• Determining quantity of future parkland acquisition necessary to fulfill County standards and goals for the provision of parkland based on the General Plan;

• Identifying potential sites for future park facilities; and

• Identifying potential sources of funding for the acquisition and development of future parks and recreation facilities.

By serving as a supporting document to the County’s various planning efforts, the Parks Master Plan provides in-depth analysis of existing park level of service and trends while also identifying future park needs. The Plan provides assistance in the development of initiatives to enhance the existing parks and recreation system while fulfilling the needs of the community today and in the future.

As a result of this parks master plan effort, the County of San Diego received national CAPRA accreditation in 2016, making San Diego County one of only two agencies in California, and 13 agencies in the U.S. that have earned this honor. The evaluation by the Commission for the Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA) measures the agency’s facilities, management, and benefit to the public with 144 benchmarks of quality. The two-year accreditation process requires staff to conduct an extensive self- assessment and demonstrate best practices, with 151 indicators of success.