Lucchesi Skatepark Project
Project Description
The City of Petaluma is excited to embark on the Lucchesi Skatepark Project, a vision to bring a state-of-the-art, 23,000 square foot skatepark to Lucchesi Park, located in the unprogrammed area near Novac Drive bounded by the baseball field, soccer field, Boys & Girls Club, and tennis courts.
The City has partnered with Grindline Skateparks, Inc., a world-class skatepark design and construction company, to engage the community and develop a skatepark design that is inclusive and fun for people of all ages and ability levels, whether they're on skateboards, scooters, rollerblades, or bikes. The City continues to engage the community, project stakeholders, neighbors and other Lucchesi Park users to incorporate input and deliver a project that enhances the Park’s safety, accessibility, and multi-generational recreational opportunities.
Project Updates
Hard at Work on Lucchesi Skatepark!
We are excited to share that progress continues on Lucchesi Skatepark! Our team has been hard at work conducting technical assessments of the proposed site (at Lucchesi Park across from the tennis courts) as we move forward with finalizing the park design.
Projects like this require a lot of steps to be taken prior to the start of construction. These steps help ensure we are being mindful of the environment and help us understand the best ways to work with specific elements of the site (like soil conditions, drainage, etc). Don’t forget to sign up to receive project updates while you’re here!
What We’ve Been Up To
Over the past few months our work has included:
- A biological assessment to better understand any environmental sensitivities in the area.
- A geological report to understand the underlying soil conditions and ensure the skatepark is constructed in a way that will keep its surface smooth for years to come.
- A topographic survey to accurately map the site and form the basis of our construction plans.
We have also reached out to Graton Rancheria, the indigenous tribe we are consulting with as part of our environmental process. This consultation is required by the State of California and helps to ensure we are proactively addressing cultural resources if any are found during construction. You can learn more about these requirements HERE.
Throughout these activities our team has continued to develop the design of the park itself, taking it from the rendering we shared with our community and developing it into plans we will use for construction.
What’s Next?
We’ll be circling back with the community in the spring to provide an update on the project, which will include a design and budget update, along with an anticipated construction schedule.
We look forward to inviting you all to a community workshop to discuss these items and will send the information via email, a post to our project webpage, and posts on City social media channels. Stay tuned!
The Lucchesi Skatepark project has truly been a collaboration with our community. Heartfelt thanks to all who provided input and help us bring this awesome project to reality. We look forward to our continued work together!
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PREVIOUS UPDATES
City Council Approves Concept Plan for Lucchesi Skatepark
On Monday, October 16, City Council unanimously adopted a Resolution 1) approving the concept plan for the Lucchesi Skatepark and 2) authorizing Grindline to proceed with the remaining work needed to make the project "shovel ready." The project team aims to break ground on the skatepark’s first phase in Summer 2024.
Materials:
Recreation, Music, & Parks Commission Unanimously Supports Concept Plan for Lucchesi Skatepark
September 20, 2023 - The project team presented to the Recreation, Music, & Parks Commission at its regular meeting, focusing primarily on the latest version of the concept plan. Commissioners unanimously adopted the plan and referred it to City Council for approval.
Note: The concept plan presented to the Commission was unchanged from the version shared on July 12, with the exception being the inclusion of the five to ten-foot deep Napoli Bowl, which was overwhelmingly voted as the preferred bowl shape in Grindline's follow-up survey.
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Community Workshop #4: Grindline Shares Revised Concept Plan for Lucchesi Skatepark
July 12, 2023 - Grindline returned with a significantly revised conceptual plan for the Lucchesi Skatepark based on feedback received at Community Workshop #2. Following the meeting, the project team released a poll seeking feedback on the preferred pool bowl shape, which was the focal point of community discussion at the meeting.
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City Council Adopts $1.5M Budget for Phase One of Lucchesi Skatepark
June 5, 2023 - City Council's adopted budget for fiscal year 2023-2024 includes $1,528,000 to support design of both phases of the proposed 23,000 square foot skatepark at Lucchesi Park, as well as construction of the project's first phase, currently planned at 13,000 square feet. The projected budget for fiscal year 2024-2025 anticipates a $275,000 shortfall to construct the remaining 10,000 square feet in the second phase, though cost estimates are subject to change as the project advances into detailed design and construction.
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Community Workshop #3: Grindline Presents First Concept Plan for Lucchesi Skatepark
May 23, 2023 - The project team hosted a Community Workshop to introduce and seek feedback on its first conceptual design for a proposed 23,000 square foot skatepark located in the unprogrammed area of Lucchesi Park bounded by baseball field, soccer field, Boys & Girls Club, and tennis courts.
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City Council Supports Lucchesi Park as Future Skatepark Site
April 3, 2023 - City staff provided a project update and sought feedback from City Council, with a focus on the site analyses for Kenilworth, Leghorn's, Lucchesi, and Wiseman Parks. Councilmembers unanimously voiced their support for the recommended site at Lucchesi Park and encouraged staff to pursue a two-phase buildout with a larger first phase than was originally proposed by staff due to funding constraints.
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Recreation, Music, & Parks Commission Echoes Skating Community's Preference for New Skatepark at Lucchesi Park
March 15, 2023 - City staff provided a project update and sought feedback from the Recreation, Music, & Parks Commission, with a focus on the site analyses for Kenilworth, Leghorn's, Lucchesi, and Wiseman Parks. Commissioners unanimously voiced their support for the project, including the community engagement process employed thus far, and pursuit of a new skatepark at Lucchesi Park.
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Community Workshop #2: Lucchesi Park Supported as Preferred Site for New Skatepark
February 21, 2023 - Grindline presented site analyses for four City parks identified as potential locations for a new skatepark: Kenilworth, Leghorn’s, Lucchesi, and Wiseman. After hearing about each site’s characteristics (including location, available footprint, accessibility, and existing amenities), attendees were asked to rank the parks in order of preference, then vote on their preference between the top two ranked parks. 65 percent of those in attendance voted for Lucchesi Park as their preferred location compared to 27 percent for Kenilworth.
Grindline has collected extensive input on preferred skating features to include in future plans and will begin developing two conceptual designs for the community’s review at our next workshop, which will likely be in May or June 2023.
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Community Workshop #1: Skating Community Asks City to Focus Efforts on Building New Skatepark
January 17, 2023 - Thank you to the 75+ members of our community who attended Community Workshop #1 and the 200+ who responded to Grindline's online survey! Throughout this first phase of community outreach, our primary focus was to ask the skating community if we should:
- Replace the existing skatepark, or
- Keep the existing skatepark and add a new skatepark (or multiple smaller skateparks).
An overwhelming majority of respondents expressed their desire to preserve the existing skatepark and focus investments on building a new skatepark elsewhere.
A significant portion of the project's current $463,000 budget (approved in the FY22-23 Operating and Capital Improvement Budget) will be needed for project development costs (community engagement, planning, design, permitting, etc.), meaning additional funding will be needed to support all construction phases. The project team will begin exploring a phased build-out—a large park that could be constructed in phases as funding becomes available, with the community invited to skate each as they are completed. We will share more information about phasing and possible funding opportunities/scenarios at future Community Workshops.
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PROJECT HISTORY
As the sport of skating continues to evolve, the Petaluma Skatepark lacks elements that would encourage participation and skills progression from a broader range of ages, ability levels, and user groups, as well as many standard park amenities including shade, seating, drinking fountains, restrooms, universal signage, lighting, and an accessible entrance. After going through an extensive community engagement and site analysis process in early-mid 2023 (known as the "Skatepark Design & Site Analysis Project") exploring where and how to best focus future investments in skating facilities, the vision for a new skatepark at Lucchesi Park gained overwhelming support among the skating community. Presentations on the site analysis process to the Recreation, Music, & Parks Commission in March 2023 and City Council in April 2023 received unanimous support from both bodies.
The Skatepark Design & Site Analysis Project was identified as a "high priority for future investment" after receiving feedback during several community workshops and public meetings, including:
- City Council Goals and Priorities Workshop
- Sonoma County Measure M – Parks for All discussions at the Recreation, Music, and Parks Commission
- Discussions on American Rescue Plan Act investments
It was included in the FY 2021-23 Council Goals and Priorities (#225) and adopted in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022/23 Capital Improvement Budget (#C14402215).
Project Manager
Bjorn Griepenburg, Project Manager
Timeline
- Site Analysis: March 2023 (Complete)
- Conceptual Design: October 2023 (Complete)
- Construction-Ready Design & Approvals: Summer 2024 (In Progress)
- Construction: Summer/Fall 2024 - Winter 2025
Funding
The Planning & Design phases are funded through Sonoma County Measure M - Parks for All and American Rescue Plan Act funds. Construction will be supported by the City's General Fund, Parkland Impact Fees, and undetermined funds.