UC Merced community plan does not have enough parks. Revisions are needed | Opinion

Michael Belluomini
·4 min read

The UC Community Plan approved by the City Council in February does not have enough neighborhood parks and includes substandard parks.

The plan covers 654 acres with 3,857 dwellings occupied by 11,100 residents on the south side of UC Merced. The plan shows two parks when seven are needed, according to Merced’s General Plan standards. It should plan for 38.5 acres of neighborhood parks, instead it plans only 12.5 acres split between two neighborhood parks. One of these neighborhood parks is a members only park/club house exclusively for area residents.

The General Plan states that 3.5 acres should be provided in the form of neighborhood parks for each 1,000 residents with the optimum park size established as five acres. Five additional neighborhood parks totaling 26 acres are needed to continue the legacy of outstanding parks for recreation in Merced.

No neighborhood parks are planned in the first three phases of community development, which means 1,500 dwellings with 4,000 residents will be built, yet no neighborhood parks will be developed until 2031 or later. The city plan documents state “The construction of a neighborhood park should occur when the area it will serve reaches about 75% developed.”

The UC Community Plan provides other park open space not in neighborhood parks. A linear park runs along the Fairfield Canal, a primary school has play fields, and a regional sports park is planned with soccer and baseball fields. These do not serve the function/purpose of a neighborhood park, which is 1) to be centrally located in the neighborhood so it is easily accessible to residents,; 2) to include children’s playgrounds; 3) to have tables with a picnic area/facilities; 4) to have basketball/pickleball court; and 5) to have open level play areas for practice football, baseball, soccer etc., all in a well landscaped setting with shade.

These play fields and facilities require adequate space, which is why five acres is recommended. For reference, Bob Carpenter Park is six acres on Parsons Avenue near Yosemite Avenue. The neighborhood park is a gathering place for people who live nearby to recreate and become acquainted, thereby building neighborhood safety and community.

Instead of more neighborhood parks, the UC Community Plan substitutes 39 mini-parks averaging less than half an acre each. These will be expensive to maintain due to the travel time between them and the equipment unloading/loading time for landscape maintenance crews. They will be difficult for police to keep clear of unhoused people sleeping and camping, or from being tagged with graffiti. Some such small parks exist in the city today and the city plan documents state that due to their size, maintenance cost, and limited recreational value, public mini -parks should be discouraged.

These issues with parks in the UC Community Plan were presented by me at the Nov. 15, 2021 City Council hearing on the pre-annexation application, on Aug. 22, 2023 at the Merced County Board of Supervisors hearing on the plan, in meetings with the developer on Dec. 19, 2023 and with the city manager and Recreation Department director on Jan. 10.

At the City Council meeting on Feb. 5 the city manager stated that the plan was going through a “specific plan” process which allowed the development to not conform to city standards, such as for neighborhood parks. He stated that the developer is providing low-cost housing, and in exchange parks may not meet city standards.

One council member supported this exchange. Another council member said it was too late in the process to change the plan for parks.

Revising the plan would take a few months, while the plan will result in substandard neighborhood parks for many years/decades.

Another council member stated there is much park open space on the UC campus and at Lake Yosemite so residents could go there for park recreation, seemingly not understanding the difference between those areas and a neighborhood park purpose/function.

The council approved the plan with the minimum required four votes with two council members absent and council member Fue Xiong voting “no,” stating affordable housing is important but he did not support reducing park facilities in exchange for affordable housing.

Leaders can make changes to the plan if they want it and city staff can find a way to make it happen if directed to do so by the council. The approved plan has a section on how to amend it. Please urge your council members to continue and improve the legacy of many outstanding public parks for Merced by increasing the number of neighborhood parks planned for the UC Community.

Michael Belluomini is a Merced resident and former City Council member.

Michael Belluomini, former Merced City Council member.
Michael Belluomini, former Merced City Council member.
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest Stories

  • Dangerous feral hogs that destroy lawns and eat plastic are growing across the US, and states can't kill them fast enough

    The US has long struggled with its feral pig problem, which causes billions of dollars in damage. They're difficult to control for a slew of reasons.

  • Fusion power could transform how we get our energy — and worsen problems it’s intended to solve

    Some processes that support fusion energy fuel climate change and may harm the environment.

  • To save spotted owls, US officials plan to kill hundreds of thousands of another owl species

    To save the imperiled spotted owl from potential extinction, U.S. wildlife officials are embracing a contentious plan to deploy trained shooters into dense West Coast forests to kill almost a half-million barred owls that are crowding out their cousins.

  • Orphan B.C. orca calf unseen since May 10 despite family sightings: researchers

    VICTORIA — A whale research group that was involved in efforts to rescue an orphaned orca calf from a Vancouver Island lagoon says she has not been seen since May 10, despite multiple recent sightings of her family members.

  • Ontario rules out charging deposit on non-alcoholic cans, bottles

    The Ford government will not bring in a deposit and return system on non-alcoholic drink containers such as pop cans and bottled water, CBC News has learned.Ontario was considering such a system – similar to what the province has in place for beer cans and wine and liquor bottles – to try to boost the recycling rates of drink containers.The system would have seen customers receive a refund for returning used beverage containers to promote recycling and reduce litter. But a senior government offi

  • Zebras adjusting to life in Moncton zoo after being seized in Saskatchewan

    A pair of zebras have found a permanent home in New Brunswick after a wild year that saw them smuggled across the Canadian border, seized by officials in Saskatchewan and eventually transported across the country to Moncton.Koffee, a young male, and LeeLoo, a young female, were part of a group of five zebras illegally brought into Canada in June of 2023. All five were initially moved into a zoo in Saskatoon. But with two males in the herd, it wasn't an ideal situation.In the wild, herds of plain

  • An iconic wildlife park has banned koala cuddles. Will others follow?

    Advocates say the practice is "cruel" to koalas and are pushing for it to be outlawed nation-wide.

  • Single shark injures 4 different people on the same day

    South Padre Island, Texas was the scene of four shark-related injuries on July 4. Officials think the same shark caused all the injuries.

  • Watch: Large, Argentina-native rodent on the loose in Colorado park

    Wildlife officials in Colorado are attempting to track down a long-legged South American rodent seen wandering loose in Lakewood's Bear Creek Lake Park.

  • Warm water again forces closure of Miramichi River salmon pools to fishing

    Salmon pools on the Miramichi River system are closed to anglers for the second time this summer.The closure, announced by Fisheries and Oceans Canada, covers 32 salmon pools and went into effect Thursday. The restrictions will remain in effect until conditions approve, the DFO release said.Under the agency's warm water temperature protocol, pool fishing is closed when temperatures reach a certain threshold. Salmon pools are deep parts of the river where salmon take refuge in colder water during

  • Foes of California's electric car targets take their case to US Supreme Court

    Opponents of California's ambitious targets for electric car adoption to lower greenhouse gas emissions took their case to the U.S. Supreme Court this week, the latest salvo against the state's campaign to fight climate change. Energy companies, corn growers and industry associations have long opposed strong environmental rules in California, for decades the only state with power to request a waiver from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to set its own vehicle emissions regulations that are more stringent than the federal standard.

  • City warning beach crowds to keep distance from sea lions

    Thousands of people are expected to head to the coast this weekend to beat the heat. Some are already getting too close to the sea lions that call the shore line home.

  • State of local emergency lifted for Calgary's water supply, but city cautions situation not yet normal

    In the city's final daily update on its water supply crisis, officials said the state of local emergency that was enacted on June 15 expired on Thursday and will not be renewed. However, Stage 4 outdoor water restrictions and a citywide fire ban remain in place as crews determine how the system will respond to the easing of indoor conservation measures."I want to stress that the lifting of the state of local emergency does not mean things have gone back to normal," said Sue Henry, chief of the C

  • Sask. producers can now get bigger rebate on guard dogs to protect livestock

    The provincial government is increasing guard dog rebates for Saskatchewan ranchers.On Wednesday, the province announced changes to the Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation's guardian dog rebate program, following consultation with the Saskatchewan Sheep Development Board.The rebate is being increased from $100 to $400 per guard dog, or the full amount of the dog if the cost is less than $400.Gord Schroeder, the development board's executive director, said the industry organization asked for

  • Mi'kmaw protocols aim to steer development in archaeologically sensitive areas

    A Mi'kmaw organization in Nova Scotia has released new protocols it hopes will guide development in archaeologically sensitive areas and make conversations with federal and provincial regulators easier.The Mi'kmaw Archaeological Protocols, finalized after five years of consultation with Mi'kmaw communities around the province, would apply in situations where someone stumbled upon artifacts on a construction site — anything from pottery to items like hunting or woodworking tools, to cases like No

  • A study finds Indonesia's deforested land is often left idle. But some see potential in that

    JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Years after being felled, vast swathes of Indonesia's old-growth forests are left sitting idle. And when the land is finally put to use, it's most often for new palm oil plantations, according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

  • Company fined $60K for blocking fish movement in B.C.

    A natural gas producer has been fined $60,000 for failing to ensure that its road stream crossing in B.C.'s Peace Region doesn't prevent fish movement. The B.C. Energy Regulator (BCER) issued the fine late last month under the Energy Resource Activities Act, which has been used in 50 other administrative penalties since 2017, according to a provincial database. The $60,000 levied in this case tops this list in terms of the penalty amount. The fine was given to Pacific Canbriam Energy Limited (PC

  • Olympics-Seine water quality improving, Paris authorities say

    Water pollution levels in Paris' Rive Seine have improved, data showed on Thursday, three weeks before the Olympics in which the French capital’s landmark waterway is meant to be one of the swimming venues. Data published by the city and regional authorities showed the concentrations of enterococci and E.coli bacteria were below legal thresholds six out of nine days between June 24-July 2. The pollution levels had improved enough for bathing last week, the authorities said.

  • Wildlife, SC, official says take precaution this July 4th while grilling in parks

    Wildlife, SC, official says take precaution this July 4th while grilling in parks

  • The AI boom will push America's shaky power grid to its limit

    "The cost of that Gen AI architecture is freaking out of control," Baird strategist Ted Mortonson told Business Insider.