HomeMy WebLinkAbout3/4/2026 Item 4b, Mills
Gayle Mills <gegamills@gmail.com>
Sent:Sunday,
To:E-mail Council Website
Subject:Emerson Park – Equity in Practice, Not Just in Words
Parks and Recreation Commissioners and City Council Members,
As you await clarification from State Parks regarding the Emerson Park grant, it is important to consider
who Emerson Park actually serves and how the character of its immediate neighborhood should inform
decisions about its future.
Emerson Park sits directly across from the Transitions Mental Health Association (TMHA) Wellness
Center on Pismo Street and within short walking distance of multiple Housing Authority of San Luis
Obispo (HASLO) affordable housing apartment complexes in the Old Town area. TMHA also operates
residential programs serving at-risk youth in close proximity to the park.
This is not incidental geography. It represents a concentrated service area defined by higher-density
affordable and supportive housing.
Reducing flexible field space in this particular service area would disproportionately affect residents who
have the fewest alternatives. For many youth and teens in this neighborhood, the open turf is not
supplemental. This is their primary walkable opportunity for informal recreation.
The proximity of this field to affordable and supportive housing matters. Flexible, general-use space
allows for informal play, mentoring, supervised youth engagement, and positive social interaction
without barriers to entry. When private yards, transportation access, and alternative facilities are limited,
preserving accessible open space becomes an equity issue in practice - not theory.
The City’s commitment to equal access in recreation needs to reflect Emerson Park’s neighborhood by
protecting the existing, open field.
Sincerely,
Gayle Mills
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