Bike track at Blackie’s, rec center by McKegney?

Three design concepts (top to bottom) for Blackie’s Pasture, the old Richardson Bay Sanitary District settlement ponds by McKegney Green and at South of the Knoll Park (left to right) offer natural, passive and active recreation options to improve Tiburon’s Richardson Bay Lineal Park system as part of a larger master plan that includes other parks, open spaces, trails and existing town facilities. (WRT Planning and Design)

Tai chi pads and an outdoor classroom at Blackie’s Pasture, a rec center with gym, pool, pickleball and a drop-off parking lot near McKegney Green, and a bike track with sand volleyball and dog play at South of the Knoll Park are all among the ideas for an ambitious plan to improve the town’s recreational options over the next 15 years.

Nearly two dozen residents perused and commented on a variety of proposed improvements at a Feb. 6 open house at Town Hall, with some ideas, such as upgraded playground facilities and additional restrooms, winning strong support, while others drew greater skepticism.

“Please don’t add pickleball to an area that doesn’t have courts or noisy use already,” a resident wrote on one of 14 posterboards illustrating the townwide proposals.

Tiburon has been working with consultant WRT Planning and Design, which helped create the town’s new 2040 general plan, to develop a strategic master plan for parks and recreation. The guide will include open spaces and trails, improving existing facilities and accessibility, and creating more community events and teen spaces. The Town Council ordered it in August 2022 after an array of proposals were forwarded from the Parks, Open Space and Trails Commission.

The presented ideas drew from the general plan and initial work by the commission, which launched a pop-up at the Friday Nights on Main festival last July, followed by community workshops and a walking tour in September. Local committees were updated and provided more feedback at public meetings in November, while the Feb. 6 workshop was one of three planned for this month. Online workshops on Feb. 7 and 15 focused on the Richardson Bay Lineal Park system and downtown, and then on the town’s small parks, open spaces and trails, respectively.

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