Brief HISTORY

Since the City’s incorporation in 2003, City leadership has envisioned world-class parks with many amenities that would be multi-generational, multi-purpose and multi-seasonal. Recognizing that the City would grow overtime, the City is working proactively to help provide additional parks, facilities, and amenities to meet the needs of both current and future residents.  A key goal is for all residents of the city to be within walking distance of a “walk-to” (or neighborhood park,) that meets the recreational needs of residents of all ages, interests and capabilities.

PARKS SYSTEM MASTER PLAN

The park system master planning process completed in 2017 validated that Doral has a proven reputation for providing high-quality parks, amenities, and experiences, however, struggles to meet the demands of a rapidly growing population in a landlocked geography. As noted in both the 2010 and 2017 Doral Parks System Master Plans, the City is perpetually playing “catch up,” resulting in parks which can become over-used, over-programmed, and inflexible.

It is important to note that the City is currently “underparked,” based on state and national benchmarks as well as comparisons to similar cities. While the City’s comprehensive plan establishes a level-of-service goal of 4.5 acres of parkland per 1,000 population, the actual LOS is 2.24 acres per thousand. If no additional parkland is acquired, the LOS will decline to approximately 1.5 acres /1,000 by the year 2020 when the City’s population is estimated to exceed 80,000 residents.  When a park systems level of service decreases, so does the city’s quality of life.

DORAL QUALITY

The City of Doral has a proven history of providing high-quality parks and public spaces, which when combined with Doral’s active and social population, result in high levels of usage.  While positive, this increased level of consistent activation also results in an increased level of wear and tear on the equipment and facilities at existing park sites. 

SAFETY + ACCESSIBILITY + USABILITY

With Doral’s population projected to continue increasing into the foreseeable future, strategic improvements to existing parks and facilities will be necessary to main quality of experience that Doral residents have come to expect. Many of these improvements will be focused on increasing the usability, accessibility, and most importantly, the safety, of Doral’s existing park sites. 

DORAL PARKS FOR TOMORROW BOND REFERENDUM

On November 6, 2018, the General Obligation Parks Bond for $150 million was passed by the voters. Thank you to the Doral community for your participation in this process and helping us bring this vision to life. This bond will help fund the construction of high-priority park projects.