Page 129 - Grenada County, MS Build Better Together 2040 Plan

Grenada County Build Better Together 2040 Plan

Taken together, the one-mile service areas of all Community parks should encompass nearly all existing
neighborhoods and areas planned for future residential development. Neighborhood parks usually have more
targeted locations to serve particular residential developments and other population concentrations. However,
they should still have a relatively even distribution across the community to ensure that most all residents can
enjoy basic park amenities in fairly close proximity to home. In areas where population is more dispersed, a well-
located Community park also helps to fulfill the Neighborhood park function.

Findings from Service Area Evaluation

On the map of Local Public Parks in Grenada County above, the City's existing parks are numbered as 3 through
7, with associated service area buffers by park classification shown as green, purple and yellow dashed lines.
Service area buffers were also added around the pending Sports Complex and Hugh White State Park as these
facilities can also satisfy some basic recreation needs for nearby residents. Some observations based on the
service area evaluation include:
 The City of Grenada's six existing parks provide coverage primarily to residents in the central part of the
city, approximately from State Highway 332 on the north to Powell Street on the south. Residential areas
in the southern third of the city are not within the service areas of any existing parks.
 The three Community parks – Bledsoe Park and Flowers-Perry and North Area Parks – also provide
coverage mainly for central city and east side residents. Their service areas also overlap significantly to the
east of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard/Commerce Street, from downtown (Pearl Street) to Grenada
High School.
 The two Neighborhood parks – Rayford-Allen Pine Hill Community Park and Van Dorn Park –
provide nearby park access for central city neighborhoods on either side of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr
Boulevard/Commerce Street. However, much of the rest of the city's populated areas do not have
Neighborhood-scale parks, so residents must travel farther to Community parks.
 The Special Use park, Lee Tartt Nature Preserve, captures only a small amount of city residents in its
service area, primarily in the downtown vicinity and north of Bell Street. However, this unique recreational
asset motivates people to travel longer distances, including visitors from outside of Grenada County.

Future Recreation Potential

Shown on the Areas with Future Park Needs Map are potential locations for new development within the City
of Grenada, along with projected growth areas outside the city, where public parks may be needed in the
decades ahead. As described through the evaluation of existing conditions above, a growing population should
have an adequate quantity of parkland to enjoy, in terms of acreage, and within a convenient distance from
home depending on the park type and size. The existing local parks and service area buffers are included again
on this map, as are the Primarily Residential areas (in yellow) from the Housing and Development Opportunities
Map earlier in this plan. Taking these factors into account, the tree symbols on the map then indicate areas
where parks could be needed based on actual trends in residential development and population increase in the
coming years.

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