Fountain Valley develops master plans for future of its parks system

After nearly three years of efforts that included significant public outreach, Fountain Valley leaders this month unanimously approved a master plan that promises to shape the future of its parks.

The City Council first requested the preparation of a parks and community services master plan in November 2023, when the city was updating its general plan.

Mayor Jim Cunneen was keen on making the plan widely available in the community, making a request for multiple hard copies to be placed in key areas around the city.

“That’s where we play and we have fun,” Cunneen said at the council’s Aug. 18 meeting. “So much more is coming our way.”

Fountain Valley Sports Park headlines the park system, which also includes approximately 20 neighborhood parks.

Outreach to community members included two public input meetings, multiple focus groups, and surveys, yielding a project priority list informed by residents and users of the facilities.

The parks and community services master plan identified approximately $45 million in potential improvements, about $2.3 million of which have already been completed or funded. Community Services Director Rob Frizzelle said the bulk of the completed projects thus far came in the form of the universally accessible playground at the Fountain Valley Sports Park.

Through an amended and restated lease with the county of Orange in February 2025, the city reached an agreement for a 16-acre expansion of Fountain Valley Sports Park. There are an estimated $17 million in improvements planned for the additional acreage.

RHA, the city’s consulting landscape architect, presented the plans, which include athletic facility upgrades, among them a pickleball complex, new sports fields, a skate park and pump track, and a tennis building. The plans also mention a community garden, dog park, an event venue and added parking.

The 16-acre expansion will likely be a top priority for the city, Frizzelle said, and added that some larger neighborhood parks could be reimagined into community parks with public restrooms.

Frizzelle said approval of the master plan does not commit the city to implementing any of its action items, but it is a living document that provides a framework for future projects.

“It does create a nexus between the city’s general plan, allowing future park fees to be used in accordance with this approved plan,” Frizzelle said. “Those park fees, are governed by [the] Fountain Valley Municipal Code … are typically charged to developers at the time of occupancy for the building.”

Fountain Valley was tasked with planning to build 4,839 residential units in its Regional Housing Needs Assessment in its sixth cycle housing element, which runs through 2029. The parks master plan identified development and impact fees as a key source of funding. City staff project each additional unit will bring in between $8,000 and $10,000 through park and mitigation fees.

The county has its own set of improvements planned for Mile Square Regional Park. A 93-acre expansion, including an amphitheater, the Great Meadow and a children’s play area, is expected to be completed next spring.

Councilman Ted Bui suggested city staff work with the county to remove fencing separating Fountain Valley Sports Park from those incoming amenities, saying, “It makes sense to be able to flow both sides.”

“For our residents that are coming to the park, they really shouldn’t know whether they’re in a county park or a city park,” Frizzelle said. “They’re out there to recreate and use the location. One thing that has held us back in the past is [the county] charge[s] for parking, and we don’t, and so they didn’t want people parking in our lot, or conversely, we didn’t want people parking in our lot and going to their facility.

“The opportunity to look at a long-term revenue source through parking, and also connect with the county and match fees, so that we can be more interconnected, is a great idea.”