One of the reasons careful planning is needed at Jefferson Park is because, despite the wealth of land in the city's sixth-biggest park, space is tight. There are a number of constraints on the site, including the presence of huge, underground water pipes hooked to the reservoirs. Because no structures can be built over the pipes, planners will be hobbled when choosing a configuration for the new gymnasium. Parking, too, will become a serious issue. Because the gym is expected to draw many more patrons to Jefferson Community Center, more parking may be needed.
Parking already is tight when events are held.
The new gym is expected to be designed to accommodate performing-arts shows, which may draw far more cars than the existing lots can hold. It's going to be a big challenge. We hate to give up green space for asphalt. By creating the project advisory team, and holding events at which the public can comment, the parks department hopes to work through the problems and disagreements that are likely to arise and achieve consensus on the upcoming improvements. In a nod to the neighborhood's much-heralded flair for rhetorical brawling, Bullard said city planners are not likely to be influenced by how many people are saying the same things or how loud they're talking but by the merits of their ideas and information.