25-51 - Five Year Parks Recreation and Open Space Plan 2027 - 2031

The City of Ann Arbor Parks and Recreation Services Area (AAPR) is seeking proposals from qualified consultants to provide professional services to develop a comprehensive and strategic plan for Ann Arbor’s park system. The City is seeking a Consultant with professional competencies and organizational capacity to re-envision the process and deliverables for City’s Parks and Recreation Open Space Plan (PROS Plan) in a user-friendly, visually compelling format. This revamped PROS Plan, which will be less of a reporting document, and more of a forward thinking and useful tool to inform our decision making processes.

The firm hired will provide consulting services to lead an inclusive community engagement process to identify community values related to the City’s Parks & Recreation Services, which include recreation facilities management, park and natural area operations and maintenance, assets and programs. The plan shall balance community desires and current needs, while envisioning future offerings and managing aging infrastructure. The plan shall incorporate all current plans including but not limited to Parks ADA Transition Plan, Asset Management plan (currently in development), the Strategic Plan for Natural Areas Preservation, and most recent PROS plan, thus providing framework for short- and long-term priorities for the department.

The City is seeking these services for an estimated period of 24 months, likely starting in January 2026 with submission of Council approved plan by December 2027. This consultant will coordinate work with the AAPR staff team, the Parks Advisory Commission, and any established support committees for this project. The Parks and Recreation Services Manager and Capital Project Managers will oversee the directionand quality of work of this consultant.