As Oxford continues to experience steady growth, city officials are taking steps to ensure that recreational spaces keep pace with development.

The Oxford Board of Aldermen approved a request from the Planning Department on Tuesday to advertise for Request for Proposals, inviting qualified firms to help craft a comprehensive Parks and Trails Master Plan.

The plan aims to address the community’s increasing desire for visible, accessible and engaging public spaces by setting a vision for future parks, greenways and trail connections.

It will serve as a roadmap for developing and enhancing recreational opportunities across the city, according to Director of Planning Ben Request.

“We’re really excited about this,” Request said. “We’ve been working on this for a while. With all the growth we’re experiencing, we need guidance on how to plan future parks and trails, being able to connect those trails to the parks, and offer a variety of park types to our community.”

The city is seeking proposals from firms with expertise in parks and recreation planning, project management, and effective public engagement. The selected firm will work closely with city staff to conduct public outreach, gather input and develop a draft plan to be reviewed by the Mayor and Board of Aldermen.

Proposals are due by June 20.

Also on Tuesday, the Board of Aldermen approved advertising for Requests for Proposals for the renovation of the Avent Park playground.