Page 128 - Grenada County, MS Build Better Together 2040 Plan

Grenada County Build Better Together 2040 Plan

The benchmark park acreage quantities in the first row, which are based on the 2020 population of 21,629,
range from 108 to 260 acres depending on the acres-per-1,000-residents standard chosen. The midpoint of this
range is 184 acres. This means the City of Grenada's current parkland inventory of 332.9 acres is well above the
midpoint, and even well above the 260-acre benchmark at the highest standard of 12 acres per 1,000
residents. However, as noted earlier, only 12 percent of the City's current inventory (39.1 acres) is found in more
typical Neighborhood and Community parks scattered across the community. The Lee Tartt Nature Preserve is a
unique and valued asset, but without its 293.8 acres, the City's parkland inventory would fall well below the
benchmark acreage standards.

Looking ahead to 2040 and the midpoint population
projection of just over 30,000 residents, the existing
parkland quantity of 332.9 acres would continue to
serve that increased population up to the 10-acres-
per-1,000 resident metric (301 acres). The middle of
the 2040 target acreage range is 256
acres. To achieve the highest standard of 12 acres
per 1,000 residents, another 28 acres of public
parkland would need to be added to the local
inventory to reach 361 total acres. While the same
caveat applies regarding the significance of the
Nature Preserve acreage, Phase 1 of the new Sports
Complex will add another 175 acres of new
recreational space to the area inventory.
Furthermore, into the future as today, the City’s Nature Preserve draws both residents and visitors.
own public park offerings will continue to be
supplemented by nearby state and federally owned and operated facilities such as Hugh White State Park and
Grenada Lake, both of which draw visitors from the region and even statewide and nationally. Local school
campuses and their outdoor fields and playgrounds offer additional recreational amenities, which local residents
are able to enjoy outside of school hours. The Grenada Golf and Racquet Club, located between Jackson Avenue
and Country Club Road in south Grenada, also serves its membership.

Geographic Coverage of Existing Public Parks

Along with the parkland acreage considerations above, a geographic evaluation is also essential to determine
how well the existing and future park system will serve area residents. Park sites should be distributed across
the community and located strategically so they are conveniently accessible to all populated areas. While a
community’s park inventory may have plenty of land from an acreage standpoint, a service area evaluation
illustrates whether there is sufficient geographic coverage and where new or enlarged parks are needed to
address any under-served areas.

The service area evaluation involves drawing a service area buffer around each Neighborhood park, Community
park and Special Use park as shown on the map of Local Public Parks in Grenada County above. The larger the
park, the larger the associated service area. Each Neighborhood park has a 1/4-mile primary service area and
each Community park a one-mile primary service area. Special Use parks have a 1/2-mile service area.

Grenada County, MS 24