The City of Solvang is asking residents to weigh in on the future of its parks, trails and open spaces as the city works to update its Parks Master Plan.
The Recreation and Parks Department will host a second public meeting on Wednesday, September 16, at 6 p.m. at Solvang City Hall to gather community input on proposed improvements.
According to the citys 2026 Parks Master Plan Draft, Solvang has about 19 acres of developed parkland, or roughly 3.32 acres per 1,000 residents. That falls below the average of 8.8 acres per 1,000 residents in cities of comparable size.
Rather than focusing solely on creating new parks, Parks and Recreation Director Jenny McClurg says the city wants to improve the parks and amenities already in place.
We have aging infrastructure, so we need to take care of those issues,” McClurg said. “Our walking and biking paths need upgrades, pickleball courts need upgrades, and then just overall, friendly accessibility to get to our parks, and ADA compliancy too.
One of the parks being considered for improvements is Hans Christian Andersen Park, one of Solvangs most popular recreation areas.
Solvang resident Jason Daniel says the park draws visitors from outside the community because of the amenities it offers.
This is kind of a destination for people if youre into certain things, especially the skate park,” Daniel said. “Kids come from Santa Maria and lots of other places that are around to come hit this park and use the amenities.
McClurg says Hans Christian Andersen Park is the citys largest park, with about 36 acres of undeveloped land.
The master plan identifies accessibility as an area that could be improved. The park received a low ADA accessibility score in the plan.
For some residents, making the park more accessible is a priority.
Solvang resident Shauna Peterson says she would like to see more accessible equipment for children.
I think it would be great to have some more ADA possibilities for these kids here. They have one swing, Peterson said.
While some residents support improvements, others have raised concerns about changing the character of Solvangs parks.
In the public meeting, a lot of people were talking about a Disneyland theme, and thats not the goal at all,” McClurg said.
The city is continuing to gather community feedback before the Parks and Recreation Committee reviews the input and presents its recommendations to the Solvang City Council, expected in late October.
The proposed improvements could cost about $18 million across the citys parks and open spaces.