City seeks input on park master plan

Highland Village residents have until August 1 to let the city know what amenities they would like at the Doubletree Ranch Park site.

The city hired Schrickel, Rollins & Associates, a landscape architecture, engineering and planning firm, as a consultant to develop a park master plan for Doubletree Ranch, located at 310 Highland Village Road.

Soccer fields and trails are already in the plans, but city staff, park planners, and engineers are gathering public input from residents to determine additional amenities for the 36-acre property.

On July 16, a public workshop was held where residents were given a golf cart tour of the property and asked to fill out a questionnaire to vote for which elements they would like to see in the park.

Options included basketball courts, nature areas, sand volleyball courts, playgrounds, a fishing pier, amphitheater, splash pad, pavilions and bird watching area.

Citizens who attended the event favored more passive park elements such as pavilions, nature areas, fishing piers, and bird watching, according to city officials. More active elements that were favored included a small amphitheater and a splash pad.

Residents that could not attend the event can access the questionnaire on-line at www.hvparks.com.

“This property already has a prominent role in the history of Highland Village, and we have the opportunity to turn it into a principal jewel of the city’s parks system to benefit future generations,” said Parks board chair Tom Moore. “Of course, the development must be sensitive to the needs and desires of the surrounding neighbors.” 

The consultants will prepare two or three master plan options that will be presented for public feedback at a second event to be held on August 11 at The Robert & Lee Duvall Center, 948 Highland Village Rd.

The meeting will be informal, and residents can arrive anytime between 6:00 and 8:00 pm to review the master plan at their own pace. The design team will be available to answer questions and receive feedback.

Based on comments gathered at the August event, a final master plan will be produced and presented to the parks and recreation advisory board for review and recommendation to the City Council.