City of Gastonia Parks & Recreation Master Plan

The City of Gastonia has seen tremendous growth as new development continues to expand west from the Charlotte metropolitan region, placing heavy pressure on the City’s aging parks and recreation facilities. The previous master plan was over a decade old, and the City needed facility development, upgrades, expansions, and new programming. In order to accommodate this rapidly growing population, Benesch led the development of a new parks and recreation master plan.

The first step included working with the citizens and a master plan committee through focus groups, public workshops and a city-managed community-wide survey in order to establish the recreation and facility needs of the City. The plan required a recreation needs assessment, the establishment of action plan items and implementation strategies. Ultimately, the plan provided recommendations on park and recreation facility development based on those needs, including potential land acquisition opportunities in underserved areas of the City.