Projects / Parks & Recreation

City of Melissa

Parks, Recreation & Open Space Master Plan

CLIENT

City of Melissa, Texas

LOCATION

Melissa, Texas

COMPLETED

May 2026

INITIATIVE

Melissa in Motion

park rendering

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Community inputs collected

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Resident surveys completed

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Projected parkland deficit identified

GALLERY

Engagement events · workshops · maps · renderings

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Rendering

ON THIS PAGE

SERVICES PROVIDED

Landscape Architecture

Urban Planning

Parks & Recreation Master Planning

Community Engagement

Public Outreach

Stakeholder Facilitation

Visioning & Strategic Planning

GIS & Park System Analysis

OVERVIEW

As one of the fastest-growing communities in North Texas, Melissa reached a defining moment. Growth was no longer a question of if, but how.

City leaders recognized that decisions about parks, trails, and public spaces would shape the community for decades to come. Rather than creating a traditional master plan, Melissa set out to create something more meaningful: a shared vision for the future, built alongside the people who call the city home.

Melissa in Motion became more than a planning initiative. It became the City’s first large-scale community conversation about what it wanted to become.

RESULTS

Melissa now has a community-supported master plan that provides a clear framework for future decision-making, investment, and growth. The completed plan:

  • Establishes a long-term vision for parks, recreation, trails, and open space
  • Prioritizes capital improvements and future parkland acquisition
  • Supports future grant funding through Texas Parks & Wildlife Department compliance
  • Provides City leadership with a phased implementation strategy
  • Creates lasting community ownership by demonstrating how resident input directly influenced recommendations

THE OPPORTUNITY

Melissa needed a long-term roadmap that could keep pace with rapid growth while preserving the character residents already loved. The City sought a plan that would:

01

Guide future parkland acquisition and investment

02

Prioritize parks, trails, recreation facilities, and open spaces

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Support future grant funding opportunities

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Create a practical implementation strategy

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Reflect the priorities and aspirations of the community

OUR APPROACH

Urban Alchemy Collective approached Melissa in Motion as a collaborative planning process rather than a technical exercise. Instead of asking residents to react to finished ideas, we invited them to help shape the vision from the beginning.

Community engagement

Landscape architecture

Urban planning

GIS analysis

Recreation planning

Demographic research

…to transform thousands of individual voices into one cohesive roadmap for the City’s
future.

UAC’s team brought energy, creativity, and empathy to every meeting, while still being incredibly responsive, professional, and grounded in municipal realities. They earned the trust of City Council, staff, and residents alike—and ultimately helped us deliver a 10-year vision that is clear, actionable, and deeply reflective of our community’s character and values.

Terrell Smith

Assistant City Manager

City of Melissa