Lancaster County Parks and Recreation Master Plan

Lancaster County, South Carolina (County), is requesting qualifications from qualified firms to prepare a Parks, Recreation and Open Space Master Plan for the County’s Parks and Recreation Department.

The Master Plan will provide strategic direction to County staff, the Parks and Recreation Commission, and County Council regarding policy and decision-making related to investment priorities, program offerings, facility maintenance, facility construction, facility planning and management, capital improvements, park amenities, parkland development, strategic land acquisition, staffing levels and workloads, and budget and financing strategies. The County seeks to develop a long-term vision for parks and recreation that responds to population growth, community needs, and changing recreational trends.

The selected consultant will prepare a comprehensive inventory and assessment of existing assets and conduct analyses of future needs, market trends, and service gaps across the County’s parks and recreation system.

The consultant will collect and analyze data to develop goals, objectives, policies, standards, and implementation strategies for the County’s park system, open space, recreation and sports facilities, and recreation programming. Recommendations must be practical, phased, and financially feasible. Specific tasks and deliverables are defined in the Scope of Work, and the contract will be awarded to the most qualified firm as determined by the evaluation criteria contained herein.

The Master Plan must also incorporate and/or give consideration to other approved plans on related matters for the County, such as the county Comprehensive Plan, County Strategic Plan and County development Ordinances. The Master plan will require the approval of County Council.

Lancaster County is located in the north central area of South Carolina and lies just south of the Charlotte/Mecklenburg metropolitan area and 60 miles north of Columbia, SC. With a population of close to 105,000 (2024 estimate) residents and expanding suburban development, particularly in the Panhandle region, the county faces increasing demands on public infrastructure and services. This growth has placed pressure on transportation, public safety, parks, and schools. The county includes both rural communities and rapidly developing suburban areas, creating varied recreational needs.

The 2040 Lancaster County Comprehensive Plan divided the County by three sub-regions:

1. The Panhandle is the northern arm of the county and includes Indian Land and Van Wyck. In the past 20 years, the majority of the county’s growth has occurred here, where much of the land is subdivided into moderately dense neighborhoods, with commercial primarily concentrated along US-521.

1. Greater Lancaster is the central portion of the County, including the City of Lancaster and the Buford area. This area has seen some growth around the City, but some areas have also experienced population loss, resulting in a relatively low population growth trend.

1. Southern Lancaster includes the towns of Heath Springs and Kershaw. It is the most rural portion of the County and has had relatively stagnant population in recent years.

Public Facilities include the Lancaster County Parks and Recreation buildings in Indian Land, Kershaw, Buford, and the City of Lancaster. The 27 schools are dispersed throughout the County, 23 of which are public schools belonging to the Lancaster County School District. There are two privately owned Christian schools, one adult education center, and The University of South Carolina at Lancaster.

Lancaster County is an active participant in the Carolina Thread Trail (CTT) regional trail network, a comprehensive system planned to connect communities through a series of greenways, trails, and blueways across the Catawba region. The Carolina Thread Trail Master Plan identifies approximately 110.1 miles of multi-use trails located along stream and river corridors, road rights-of-way, abandoned rail lines, undeveloped land, and existing dirt roads throughout the county. In addition, 34.3 miles of blueways have been designated along the Catawba River and Cane Creek between downtown Lancaster and the Catawba River.

A key component of this system is the Twelve Mile Creek Trail at Walnut Creek Park. The trail is approximately 3.7 miles in length and follows Twelve Mile Creek through the Walnut Creek Planned Development District. The trail consists of a sustainable natural surface approximately three to four feet wide with a two-foot cleared shoulder on each side.