1. Open space intended to fulfill these open space requirements shall be calculated upon the net acres of the subdivision whether residential, commercial, or industrial. Net acres for a residential project are defined as: total acres exclusive of the area required for arterial or collector street right-of-way dedications, reserved school sites, multifamily parcels, and all commercial and/or industrial acreage. Net acres for nonresidential projects are defined as: total acres exclusive of the area required for arterial or collector street right-of-way dedications. Required open space for all types of subdivisions shall be as prescribed in MCC Title 18, Zoning, following Table 2 or per the council-approved MPD or PAD.

2. For Planned Area Development (PAD) open space requirements, every PAD shall provide 20 percent open space in accordance with Table 18.60.060(A) and/or as approved by the city of Maricopa through the PAD review process. The design of the open space shall be integrated throughout the development and to adjacent developments and the community in general.

3. The development, through the Master Plan Development (MPD) process as described in MCC Title 18, Zoning, shall provide open space in accordance with Table 18.60.060(A) and/or as approved by the city of Maricopa through the MPD review process. The design of the open space shall be integrated throughout the development and connect the development to adjacent developments and the community in general.

4. Residential developments, excluding multifamily residential developments, shall be responsible for developing seven acres of neighborhood/subdivision parks per 325 lots. These parks will be calculated as part of the required open space and shall be maintained by the homeowners association (HOA) as designated by the applicant during the final plat approval, except when the parks have been accepted into the city park system for maintenance responsibilities, by the city of Maricopa.

5. Public parks shall be designated as a separate tract and should not be combined with general tracts of a subdivision. Each public park parcel shall have an individual assessor’s parcel number for addressing purposes and a name.

6. Those portions of the Maricopa trail system, as identified in the Parks, Trails and Open Space Master Plan, that are adjacent to, or within, the area proposed for development shall be incorporated by that development. Construction of those portions of the trail corridors shall be the responsibility of the applicant and shall be part of the subdivision improvements. Certain portions of the Maricopa trail system, more specifically the Santa Rosa Wash and the Santa Cruz Wash, shall be dedicated to the public upon completion of the improvements or as agreed upon by the city. Public access easements shall be required to provide access to the Maricopa trail system from public parks and open spaces and from the private parks within the residential developments when adjacent to the Maricopa trail system as directed by the zoning administrator.

1. Neighborhood parks and those portions of an individual development’s open space system should be developed adjacent to the Maricopa trail system, whenever possible, to provide linkages to the greater community. Construction of the development’s neighborhood parks and/or the open space areas shall be the responsibility of the applicant and shall be part of the subdivision improvements. The open space areas within an individual development shall be part of a tract and maintained by a homeowners/property owners association as designated by the applicant during the final plat approval unless otherwise approved by the city of Maricopa.

2. The open space areas shall be designed in such a manner as to be easily accessible to all lots or units. Accessibility is encouraged so that there is no more than one-sixth of a mile or 880 feet of pedestrian travel between any one lot or unit and an entrance area allowing wildlife corridors, people, bikes or equestrians to enter into the open space area or view the open space area.

3. Retention or detention basins, which are required in accordance with the subdivision drainage report, shall qualify as open space only if they are landscaped, multi-tiered and designed to be used as an active multi-use area. Retention basins with a bottom area in excess of one-half acre, shall be designed, turfed and equipped to accommodate a play/sport field rather than being landscaped with decomposed granite.

4. All recreational facilities, tot lots, play equipment, and amenities within the basin shall be located at least one foot above the 50-year, two-hour storm level. The exception to this standard is for commercial and industrial developments, which shall be permitted to calculate the landscaped retention or detention area as part of the required open space area.

5. Terracing, berming and contouring may be required to naturalize and enhance the aesthetics of the basin. Basin slopes shall not exceed a four to one (4:1) slope.

6. All retention basins shall be designed to drain within 36 hours of a major storm event.

7. Existing watercourses or drainage ways shall qualify as open space if they are incorporated into the design of the subdivision in their historic (unaltered) location, given a natural character (not ditch-like in design), constructed with/of natural materials, such as grass, gravel, and other similar landscaping, and incorporated into the larger open space design.

8. If the applicant chooses to provide a detached sidewalk with a tree-lined street cross section, as the local street cross section, the landscape strip area shall be a minimum of 15 feet in order to be calculated as part of the required open space. Note that the landscape strip is inclusive of that portion of the public right-of-way starting from the back of curb and including any easement specifically granted for landscaping or pedestrian purposes.

1. New developments shall incorporate, at a minimum, and where appropriate, multi-use trails as an integral component of the required open space of the developments. These trails must be located and designed to assure complete separation from vehicular traffic. Trails shall have an average minimum separation of five feet from the back of curb to where the trail is when adjacent to and parallel with a street.

2. Multi-use trails shall be used to interconnect the various parks and tot lots of a development, the various neighborhoods of a larger development to each other, neighborhoods to commercial areas, and the overall development to the Maricopa trail system. Particular care should be given to linkages with adjacent subdivisions within a larger development to promote internal pedestrian and bicycle traffic without crossing arterial or collector streets as much as possible. Signs, crossings, vegetation, rest and staging areas, and surface materials shall be developed, designed, and installed in conjunction with the development and in a manner appropriate to the specific users intended.

3. Pedestrian, bicycle and equestrian trails within and through a development shall connect to and be a part of the open space system of the neighborhoods and the city. These trails should be landscaped and minimally furnished to provide shade and rest areas in order to encourage their extensive use as a secondary mode of transportation, recreation, and access throughout the neighborhoods and the city.

4. Utilizing crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED), natural access control should limit opportunities for criminal activity by incorporating design entrances, exists, fencing, lighting and landscape which are strategically placed to limit access or control flow of persons into, out of, and through a development or trail system

5. Multi-use trails shall have a total right-of-way or easement width of not less than 20 feet to accommodate landscaping, seatwalls, and furnishings as well as a 13-foot wide path that is a combination of a 10-foot hard surface constructed of either concrete or an all-weather surface such as rubberized asphalt, or similar material and four feet of decomposed granite (see Figure 2). If the multi-use trails include an equestrian trail the total right-of-way or easement width should be not less than 25 feet with the additional 12-foot portion devoted to equestrians constructed of a softer surface treatment consisting of finely ground gravel or other compatible dense, yet soft material; but not cinders.

6. When approved, unpaved trails shall be designated for limited and specific uses rather than for general use. The design and construction of these unpaved trails shall be in accordance with, and appropriate to, the specific uses allowed. Unpaved trails may also be within or over local utility easements/corridors in order to allow utility access while achieving neighborhood connectivity.

7. Those portions of the Santa Rosa Wash and the Santa Cruz Wash that are required, per the FEMA plan, to be retained as nonbuildable for floodplain purposes shall be dedicated to the public by the adjacent development and constructed in accordance with the city approved open space and recreation plans for the public. Trails within the Maricopa trail system associated with the Santa Rosa Wash and the Santa Cruz Wash shall be constructed in conjunction with the adjacent developments and credited towards the open space requirements (see Figure 3).

1. All tot lots incorporated into open space must be covered with a shade structure over the play equipment. All tot lots and play structures shall be designed to be located at least one foot above the 100-year, two-hour storm level if located within a retention or detention area.

2. Recreational courts and fields to facilitate basketball, soccer, volleyball and other sports shall be designed to be located at least one foot above the 50-year storm level if located within a retention or detention area.

3. Tot lot playground surfaces must consist of a rubberized material, commonly referred to as “tot turf,” or other resilient surface, in the designated fall zones as designated in or by the playground equipment manufacturer’s specifications.

4. Sand shall not be a permitted material for use within the tot lot area.

5. All grass installed in a development for general landscape use and for open space must be hypo-allergenic (midiron) sod or stolon. Seed can be utilized if grass is established prior to certificate of occupancy (C of O).

6. Outdoor lighting, in conformance with the standards outlined in Chapter 18.95 MCC, shall be required at both the tot lot and the ramada area, as approved by the zoning administrator.

7. A ramada provided within the open space areas must be constructed with stone columns or other durable material of equal quality, as approved by the zoning administrator, and a solid roof structure, such as but not limited to, standing seam metal, corrugated metal, concrete tile, clay tile or similar roof material. If associated with a recreational feature or a tot lot, the ramada must also include a BBQ grill, a minimum of two tables, two trash cans, and one bike rack.

8. The location of neighborhood parks, mini parks, tot lots and similar recreation areas should wherever possible be internalized to the neighborhood and not adjacent to an arterial street or a body of water. If, however, a tot lot is placed adjacent to an arterial street or a body of water, it must be buffered with a wall constructed of stone or other durable material of equal quality, as approved by the zoning administrator, that is set back at least 10 feet from the sidewalk and 20 feet from a body of water.

9. Recreational features can include elements such as, but not limited to: basketball, baseball, bocce ball, pickle ball, soccer, badminton, tennis, and fitness stations. Each element is designed for inclusivity and participation from residents of all ages.

10. Restroom facility shall be required if a neighborhood park of five acres or more has two recreational activities (i.e., basketball court, soccer field, etc.), unless associated with a community center or school. [Ord. 20-11 §2(14-6-4); Res. 20-31.]