The Office of Park Planning provides design and planning services for the Leisure Services Department. Park Planning leads the development of Park Master Plans, develops standards for park facilities and amenities, provides services to other divisions within the Leisure Services Department, and provides oversight of construction projects for the Leisure Services Department. Planning focuses on managing community change in both the short and the long term with regard to land use, transportation, historic preservation, urban design and overall development of Athens-Clarke County.

A Park Master Plan serves as a long-range vision for future development and programming of the park and its resources. The time-frame on a Master Plan is typically 10 to 20 years. The plan is conceptual in nature and not intended to address detailed issues related to engineered site design or park operations. Typical items addressed in a Park Master Plan include planning park elements, natural and cultural resources, and general design concerns.

Athens' parks and recreation needs are growing. Park Master Plans provide the public a way to help determine the best uses of a site and help Leisure Services Department staff optimize management of the park's resources. Park planners use public input combined with analyses of current trends and future needs identified in the Park Plan to create a blueprint for use of a park site over the next 10 to 20 years. By creating Park Master Plans, we can develop the future vision of our parks here in Athens-Clarke County.

For general feedback and questions, you can contact us directly. If you want to provide public input for any of our projects, contact us to find out when we will be holding public input sessions or surveys. Many of our surveys are published online, and we announce these through our Leisure Services Facebook page and through general media as well. Additionally, you can contact your commissioner and have them voice your concerns or wishes to us.