Please view the latest Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan.

The City of Glendale is located in Milwaukee County just north of the City of Milwaukee along the Milwaukee River. Glendale is five miles north of the Milwaukee downtown and is part of the suburban development corridor that extends northerly through Milwaukee County and into adjacent Ozaukee County. The City is a combination of a medium density residential community, an industrial community and a commercial center providing goods and services to several adjacent suburbs in northern Milwaukee County. Glendale is a completely built out community and is in an urban portion of a metropolitan area which needs to manage open space, particularly if it is to provide a good quality urban environment.

The primary objectives of any city planning program are to provide for an attractive and desirable physical environment for residents of the community. Some determination needs to be made of the number of people who will live in the community at the end of the planning period, as a basis for preparing the outdoor recreation plan.

Glendale was incorporated in 1950 with a population of 3,150. Between 1950 and 1970 it grew rather steadily with a population of 9,537 in 1960, increasing to a population of 13,436 in 1970. Since 1970 the population of Glendale has remained fairly constant, with a population of 12,887 in 2014.

Since Glendale is a built out community and the population has remained fairly constant since the 1970s, the figure of 14,000 people would appear to be a reasonable estimate for future planning purposes.

The City of Glendale realizes that planning is a process and that the purpose of any planning is implementation. The City has the opportunity to use this plan to acquire and develop new trails to connect existing parks and playgrounds. Completion of this Outdoor Recreation Plan qualifies the community for cost sharing through State and Federal programs. Eligibility for these programs, however, does not guarantee adequate recreation space and facilities; in fact, implementation depends more upon the commitment by the community, service groups, and residents to adapt and carry out these recommendations. The plan and the funding opportunities are the framework within which the community can work.

As Glendale changes, the City should strive to provide diversity in function, location, size, development and service area of recreation facilities. This can best be accomplished if the City takes the lead in assuring that these objectives are met through land acquisition, development and improvement. It should be the responsibility of the City to guide recreation planning over the years.

This plan begins with a presentation of definitions and recreational planning methodology. A discussion of existing recreational facilities and recreation needs in the City follows. It concludes with the five-year action program and a brief discussion of long range goals and objectives and of implementation procedures.