Affordable Housing2022-2042 Comprehensive PlanAffordable HousingClimate Action & EnvironmentTransportation & MobilityGreen Stormwater Infrastructure, Water, & EnergyEconomic SustainabilityRecreation, Parks, & Cultural ResourcesLand Use
Strategy Alignment ReportStrategy 1.1 Center equity in transportation planning processes.Strategy 1.1 Evaluate recreational programming through the adopted One Orange Racial Equity Framework to identify any gaps in activities for all interests, age groups, ability, and affordability levels.Strategy 1.2 Identify and promote opportunities for both passive and active recreation for young and old populations.Strategy 1.3: Continue to adapt and expand cultural resources and programming to align with community needs.Strategy 2.1 Strive for a park, play field, or other green space within walking distance (e.g. half-mile or 10-minute walk) and physically accessible to all residents in Carrboro.Strategy 2.2: Continue to maintain and pursue new opportunities for coordination and shared-use agreements with Orange County, Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, and other recreation providers to connect park and greenway systems.Strategy 2.3: Preserve, enhance, and promote access to additional parks and open spaces through partnerships with other agencies and organizations.Strategy 2.4: Focus on community outreach and education about parks and recreation opportunities, especially to those without access to the Internet or for whom English is a second language.Strategy 2.5: Encourage and support the development of greenways and trails for public use, creating a complete network of connected greenways connecting parks, open spaces and conservation areas for biking, walking, and wildlife corridors.Strategy 3.1: Implement Best Management Practices in maintenance and future upgrades to Carrboro’s park facilities.Strategy 3.2: Enhance public access to parks and natural areas while balancing environmental protection and locating active facilities away from ecologically sensitive sites.Strategy 4.1: Continue activation and flexible programming of public spaces in partnership with businesses or other private entities.Strategy 4.2: Continue to celebrate the diversity of the Town’s residents through events, festivals, and programming that honors the variety of cultural backgrounds and traditions in Carrboro.Strategy 4.3: Continue to support, fund, and install public artwork by local artists in strategic locations throughout Town to celebrate the history and story of Carrboro.Strategy 4.4: Encourage expanded compatible uses of the Town Commons to include year-round programming such as a crafts and artisan markets.Strategy 4.5: Support placemaking projects that promote the Carrboro story and brand.Strategy 1.1 Foster quality design of the public realm including public right-of-way, Town facilities, parking lots and other public spaces.
What We Will MeasureThe number of residents who live within a 10-minute walk of a park or programmed activitiesThe number of BIPOC participants in RPCR programmingThe number of all people participating in RPCR programmingThe number of BIPOC-led programsThe number of new programs and events in CarrboroThe number of new equitable and accessible recreational amenities (such as outdoor exercise equipment)
ProjectsC Install additional outdoor exercise amenities in more parks and along trails for affordable and easy access.D Develop a communications campaign that focuses on targeted outreach in communities not currently utilizing RPCR programs.E Enhance the promotion of the Financial Assistance Program (FAP) for families and individuals who wish to participate but cannot afford fees.F Provide activities and spaces geared towards teenagers with both passive and active gathering spaces and programs.A Periodically survey the public and conduct needs assessments on recreation services to identify new opportunities, changing priorities, and barriers.Conduct a feasibility study and/or needs assessment for an indoor recreation center/swimming pool in Town.G Continue, promote, and expand offerings for virtual recreational programming.A Dedicate funding and identify sites for a splash pad (or similar interactive water feature) that can serve all ages and ability levels.B Add at least one multigenerational wellness opportunity each year to an existing town-wide event.C Continue to encourage and expand neighbor-organized community gardens in public parks.D Improve park and trail accessibility for people with different abilities, aspiring to go beyond ADA standards.E Add programs that offer health education, physical training, and nutrition for all ages and ability levels.A Capitalize on the 203 Project and the new ArtsCenter to plan for arts and cultural programming that reaches underserved populations.B Identify partnerships and opportunities for cross-pollination with other organizations providing programming.A Prioritize access for Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC), immigrants, and other underserved communities in siting new park and recreation facilities or improving access to existing parks and facilities, including the number of entrances, access points, and safe pathways to existing facilities, allowing more residents to be able to walk to a park.B Pursue opportunities for new, expanded, or shared multi-purpose fields that can accommodate a range of activities and users.C Find ways that the Town of Carrboro can coordinate with and encourage Orange County to implement plans for Twin Creeks Park.D Explore partnerships with homeowners’ associations (HOAs) and other landowners for joint use agreements that increase public access to open space and recreation facilities.E Adopt siting and service criteria for evaluating potential land acquisition for recreation and park facilities in cooperation with other regional park providers and in relation to siting facilities in underserved areas and exploring sites for pocket parks (less than 2 acres) or button parks (1 acre or less).F Identify locations for a new dog park in a central location in Town to provide an amenity for dog owners and another opportunity for additional social and gathering spaces for residents.A Expand existing parks partnerships and identify the need for any new agreements that can improve access across different park systems.B Encourage and participate in a regional Parks and Recreation Facilities Master Plan to guide future parks planning and help leverage outside funding.A Continue to work with other agencies such as the County, UNC, OWASA, and the Town of Chapel Hill to maintain and expand opportunities in Carolina North Forest and University LakeB Identify new sites for recreational opportunities as part of future development in the Extra Territorial Jurisdiction (ETJ).Continue to promote and spread awareness of nearby park facilities, especially those that closely border Carrboro and provide amenities and programming that Carrboro lacks.A Connect with community ambassadors / neighborhood liaisons to help with translation and outreach.B Collaborate with school districts, community organizations, and businesses to promote park resources and programs.C Add multilingual park signage that also uses pictures and icons.D Engage new and existing parks users through events that serve multiple purposes (i.e. food distribution and programming for children).With efforts led by the Planning Department, continue to collaborate with Planning, RPCR, Public Works, other Town departments, government agencies, and Advisory Boards and Commissions (i.e. Greenways Commission) to implement planned greenway improvements strategically and efficiently in conjunction with planned park and neighborhood linkages.A Treat recreation and park facilities as functional and exemplary landscapes that can employ green stormwater infrastructure, include native vegetation, flood mitigation, and other resiliency measures.B Install educational components in park facilities to share information with the public about stormwater management, sustainable practices, and nature preservation.A Continue to explore options for “nature play” areas like the ones at Dr. MLK Jr. Park.B Encourage strategies for farming to be viable in Carrboro using open space in subdivisions or other underutilized land.A Increase opportunities for flexible events and informal activities that enhance the use of public spaces for things like exercise classes, music lessons, dining, outdoor meeting spaces and gatherings, pop-up events, etc. (also see Economic Sustainability)A Conduct outreach with different segments of the population to identify new opportunities for town wide events that honor and share a variety of cultural traditions.Seek ideas and funding for interactive and culturally representative public artwork to be installed in parks and along greenways.B Explore the development of an Arts Plan to be led by the Arts Committee. An Arts Plan could identify strategic locations in both public and private spaces— such as near parks, inside and around affordable housing, on buses and at bus stops, etc.—for additional artwork and arts initiatives around Carrboro.C Pursue more opportunities for people to organically express themselves and come together through art in the parks via temporary installations, using chalk art or portable paint boards.A Recruit new and emerging vendors and entrepreneurs selling a range of goods.A Pursue installations that promote Carrboro as a creative community to attract arts-related tourism and economic development.B Incorporate historical elements and context to share the Town storyC Continue the Truth Plaque Project. In 2017, the Carrboro Truth Plaque Community Task Force was established to recognize Carrboro’s history while uplifting the truth and acknowledging an unjust past.A Make improvements to public spaces and rights-of-way in the downtown to attract more residents and customers to support local businesses, entertainment, arts, and culture.B Continue to upgrade Town lands to incorporate native landscaping and Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI).
Not Defined
Strategy 2.3: Preserve, enhance, and promote access to additional parks and open spaces through partnerships with other agencies and organizations.
Recreation, Parks, & Cultural Resources

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A Continue to work with other agencies such as the County, UNC, OWASA, and the Town of Chapel Hill to maintain and expand opportunities in Carolina North Forest and University Lake
Recreation, Parks, & Cultural Resources | 8/22/25 - 9/22/25
Not Defined
B Identify new sites for recreational opportunities as part of future development in the Extra Territorial Jurisdiction (ETJ).
Recreation, Parks, & Cultural Resources | 8/22/25 - 9/22/25
Not Defined
Continue to promote and spread awareness of nearby park facilities, especially those that closely border Carrboro and provide amenities and programming that Carrboro lacks.
Recreation, Parks, & Cultural Resources | 8/22/25 - 8/21/26