Saline Parks and Recreation Master Plan
The City of Saline parks and recreation system includes eleven parks, a recreation center, and a senior center comprising over 191 acres of parkland. The complete plan can be found in the downloads section to the right.
Purpose of the Plan
Recreation plays a major role in the lives of the residents of Saline. Since 1991, when the Parks and Recreation Department was formed, concerted efforts have been made to ensure that the recreational needs of the community are being met. In return, participation has been outstanding and the department continually receives a great deal of community support.
The most recent Parks and Recreation Master Plan was adopted in 1999. It included both short- and long-term goals, most of which were accomplished in the following years. Some of the most significant accomplishments which were achieved in the last five years include improvements to Curtiss Park, progress toward a City-wide linear park, upgrading of several pieces of playground equipment, and implementation of successful programs such as rec-on-the-go.
The purpose of the current Saline Parks and Recreation Master Plan is to guide recreation planning and development efforts of the Parks and Recreation Department over the next five-year planning period, through 2010. The revised and updated Plan is intended to meet State standards for community recreation planning that are necessary to gain eligibility for grant programs.
Overview
Saline is located in south-central Washtenaw County. Its main thoroughfare is U.S.-12, the historic Chicago-to-Detroit road. It is supported by a wide variety of business and industry, a large automobile plant, and its proximity to the greater Ann Arbor area.
Saline was first settled in 1824 by Orange Risdon, a military surveyor who purchased a 160 acre parcel. It was officially platted in 1832 and named for the salt springs found in the area. The town was incorporated as a village in 1866 and later as a city in 1931.
- Saline offers a unique mix of land uses, including the following:
- Historic residential neighborhoods and newer residential developments.
- A traditional downtown centered at the junction of Ann Arbor Street and Michigan Avenue.
- A large industrial district located on the east of town.
The City’s transportation network provides direct connections to its outlying communities. The east-west U.S.-12 provides access to Ypsilanti and Detroit, while the north-south Ann Arbor Road connects the City to Ann Arbor and Milan. These routes also link to Michigan’s major highways such as I-94 and U.S.-23, which provide access to Jackson, Flint, Detroit, Toledo and all points beyond.
The Saline Parks and Recreation Department serves not only the recreation needs of the City’s residents, but also the needs of residents in some of the adjacent townships. Therefore the service area considered throughout this document extends beyond the City of Saline to include the adjacent Townships of Lodi, Pittsfield, Saline, and York.
In planning for the future recreational needs of the community, it is essential to understand the community being planned for – both the community of people to be served and the recreation resources which the community has to offer. The needs of the residents of Saline define what types of recreational opportunities are appropriate, while the recreational resources identify where and how these opportunities are to be provided. The purpose of the first few chapters of the Master Plan is to provide an overview of the human and recreational resources of Saline, with the goal of understanding the unique features and opportunities the community has to offer.
