Moraga residents can review draft recommendations for the town's parks, trails and open spaces before a joint meeting Wednesday, Sept. 9.

The Moraga Town Council and Parks and Recreation Commission will hold a joint study session that day to discuss the draft Parks, Recreation, and Open Space (PROS) Master Plan. Parks and Recreation Director Mackenzie Brady posted the staff report and draft recommendations on the town's website Friday, Sept. 4, and invited public feedback.

The draft organizes its proposals around seven goals: reinvest in existing parks and facilities, expand recreation opportunities, expand walking and trail connections, advance open space stewardship, strengthen recreation programs and community events, strengthen operations and maintenance, and build a diversified funding model. Park-by-park proposals follow.

What's proposed for each park

At Moraga Commons, the plan calls for replacing the splash pad, improving the basketball court, adding shade and seating, upgrading the bandshell and expanding walking connections.

Rancho Laguna Park would get a new playground and restroom improvements along with walking loop upgrades. No new sports fields or lighted facilities are proposed there. That tracks with a June 24 Town Council vote in which Mayor Kerry Hillis led a thumbs-up, thumbs-down poll and councilmembers rejected pickleball courts, stadiums and stadium lighting at the park, according to Lamorinda Weekly reporting in July.

West Commons could see a central irrigated lawn, a small pavilion, shade and seating, improved entrances, creek restoration and small-scale recreation elements.

For Hacienda de las Flores, the draft stops short of a specific redevelopment concept. Instead it recommends an updated site and facility master plan that accounts for the property's dual role as a public venue and private event space.

Indoor recreation and a community center

The recommendations propose exploring a partnership with Saint Mary's College for access to indoor recreation facilities, including potential shared use of the Joseph L. Alioto Recreation Center. Longer term, the plan envisions a dedicated multi-generational community center for recreation programs, senior activities and civic meetings.

No site has been selected.

How the plan was shaped

The plan draws on more than a year of outreach. A statistically valid survey mailed to 3,000 households in December 2025 and January 2026 collected 415 responses. A "Moraga Plays: Park Social" workshop on May 1 drew about 328 participants and generated more than 1,000 comments. An online survey from May 1 through June 12 drew roughly 230 respondents and more than 2,800 individual answers.

Rancho Laguna Park drew the most public attention. Fifteen residents and non-residents commented at the June 10 Town Council meeting, and staff afterward mailed outreach to households within about 500 feet of the park, including properties in unincorporated Contra Costa County.

As Brady wrote in a June 24 staff report to the council, reported by the Lamorinda Weekly in July, staff conducted "additional targeted outreach to the park's nearby residents … households located within approximately 500 feet of Rancho Laguna Park to provide an additional opportunity for direct neighborhood input …"

What happens next

Wednesday's session is a study session. It will not approve capital projects, select a community center site, authorize new trails or commit funding. The consultant team, led by Wallace Roberts & Todd under a $345,036 contract the council approved on June 25, 2025, will revise the draft based on council and commission direction and additional public input. The full draft PROS Master Plan will return for another round of public review before the council takes a final vote.

The next regular Parks and Recreation Commission meeting is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 14, at 6:30 p.m. at 335 Rheem Blvd. Residents can read the draft recommendations and submit feedback before the Sept. 9 meeting.