Step 1	Public Workshops	Click to enlarge
	Step 2	Master Plan Approval and Environmental Review
	Step 3	Design Development
	Step 4	Citywide Plan Review
	Step 5	Bid and Award of Contract
	Step 6	Construction
	Step 7	Establishment
	Step 8	Project Dedication and Opening

Step 1	Public Workshops: The City takes pride in being able to work closely with the neighborhoods that will use the parks. The start of the design process begins with a public workshop to introduce the proposed park design and obtain input from residents.  After the plan is revised, a second workshop is held to present the master plan for review.  Final revisions are made based on the input gathered at the workshop.  The final master plan is then published and written comments to the final master plan are accepted during the public comment period.
Step 2	Master Plan Approval and Environmental Review: From here, the Parks and Recreation Commission reviews and hopefully approves the master plan. They then forward the plan to the City Council who reviews the master plan with an accompanying environmental document for final adoption. All construction projects, by law, require environmental clearance. This is to ensure that the surrounding environment is protected and potential impacts are identified and lessened. The timing between Commission approval and Council review can vary depending on the type of environmental clearance required for the park design. Both the Commission and City Council meetings are public meetings. Anyone is welcome to attend and provide comments.
Step 3	Design Development: Once the City Council has approved the master plan, design development plans are prepared. Depending on the complexity of site specific issues, the layout of the park and funding, this step can take up to 14 weeks.
Step 4	Citywide Plan Review: Before the park can be bid for construction, the Citywide plan review, approval and permits are required. This process takes approximately 8 weeks.
Step 5	Bid and Award of Contract: According to California law and the City charter, the City is required to bid all improvement projects over $15,000. The approved plans are bid. The review of the bids and award of the contract to the lowest responsible bidder is an action taken by the City Council.
Step 6	Construction: Upon City Council approval of the contract award, construction begins. Depending on the complexity of the design and the time of year, this construction period can take up to 20 weeks or more.
Step 7	Establishment: After construction is complete, the City requires a 30 to 60-calendar day establishment period. This is the most difficult time of the process. The grass is green, the play structure is completed and the fences are still up. The establishment period is a time when we are literally watching the grass grow. It takes time to "toughen up" the grass so that it can handle the heavy foot traffic we experience at our parks. Without this grow-in period, the maintenance of the new park would be extremely high. We start counting the establishment period days after the second mowing of the grass. This is required to ensure that we have a good healthy stand of grass before we begin the establishment period. We thank you for your patience during this time.
Step 8	Project Dedication and Opening: After the establishment period is complete, a dedication of the park occurs. This can be timed at the very end of the establishment period or a few months after the fences are taken down. The timing of the dedication is dependent upon whether the park is named after someone, their family members or other factors.