Page 143 - Littleton, CO Comprehensive Plan

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165% Percent growth in visitors to South Platte Park from 1994 to 2015.

As noted in the 2017 South Platte Park Management Plan, the 1994 visitor estimate of 219,168
visitors was for the entire park while the 2015 estimate of 580,000 visitors was for trail use
alone, not including fishing, river use, or program participation. Therefore, the actual 2015
total park visitor number is assuredly even higher. In 2016, trail counters recorded 530 visitors in one hour using the Mary
Carter Greenway Trail. As the Management Plan further details, increased visitation is due to numerous factors, including
the opening of the Greenway Trail, the RTD Mineral Light Rail Station, the Aspen Grove Lifestyle Center, residential
development in the area, and the Breckenridge Brewery.

Visitor management has been a major focus to prevent irreparable damage to the park’s natural character,
including loss of vegetation cover and wildlife diversity. Policies and strategies in the City’s Comprehensive Plan
might further reinforce this emphasis, building on the community value of protecting the integrity of natural
resources and Littleton’s open space endowment.

30.9 Park acres per 1,000 population in Littleton.

The 2016 Parks and Recreation Master Plan documented a total of 1,477 acres of parks and
open space within the City of Littleton, across a variety of park types. This quantity translated to
30.9 acres of parks space per 1,000 population. This exemplifies why Littleton stands out among
communities on this point as the national median for cities with a population between 20,000 and 49,999 is 9.6 acres per
1,000 residents as reported by the National Recreation and Parks Association (NRPA) in its 2018 Agency Performance
Review Park Metrics. The Colorado median is roughly the same at 9.2 acres per 1,000 population. Even setting aside the
927 acres within South Platte Park, Littleton would still exceed the U.S. and Colorado medians at 11.5 acres per 1,000
residents (based on 550 total acres).

All parks within Littleton are managed by the South Suburban Park and Recreation District. The Comprehensive Plan
can help clarify and reinforce the role and commitment of the City of Littleton relative to the District and other
public agencies and non-profit partners involved with parkland acquisition, enhancement, and ongoing
management.

Source: 2016 Parks and Recreation Master Plan and NRPA.

$66 million Estimated total spent locally by 270,000 visitors

who stayed in Littleton hotels during 2017.
Based on Colorado tourism and economic impact statistics,
139 local jobs in lodging support 115 jobs in other industries.
Although Littleton is only a small portion of Arapahoe County, the State of Colorado Tourism Office tracks the economic
impacts of tourism at the county level and reported an increase in travel spending dollars in Arapahoe County from
$606 million in 2002 to $1.03 billion in 2017. This illustrates the tourism potential already in the vicinity of Littleton.
Source: Arapahoe/Douglas Works (estimates extrapolated from statewide data) and State of Colorado Tourism Office.