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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPARKS AND TRAILS PLAN CHAPTER FINAL - 18-00177 - City of RexburgChapter 10: Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Introduction The City of Rexburg aspires for all Rexburg residents to have adequate access to high -quality, clean and safe park and recreation facilities. The City’s parks, open spaces, and recreation facilities contribute to the health of the community’s residents; enhance the integrity and quality of the life for residents; and attract visitors to the community. The master planning process is designed to ensure that the City of Rexburg’s legacy of par ks and open spaces will continue into the future and that community resources will be dedicated to programs and facilities that are desired by and will be utilized by the public. Residents of Rexburg have chosen to live here because they enjoy the current quality of life, aesthetics, recreational opportunities, mix of land uses, and patterns of development that the City provides. Rexburg views itself as a city where residents, tourists, businesses, and government come together to create an attractive, safe, and well-maintained community where people can live, learn, work, and recreate. A network of urban parks and trails is a desire of the City and its residents. Public places should be linked to residential neighborhoods, and commercial areas by a well-maintained trail system and streets featuring multimodal features such as bicycle lanes and pedestrian ways, so that the community’s amenities are noticeable and convenient for visitors and residents. A system of parks and open spaces should be preserved, maintained and expanded as the City grows, to provide residents with opportunities for recreation and relaxation. Use of public and/or civic property for trail alignments should be prioritized as funding becomes available and as suggested in this Plan. Further, trail alignments should not require removal of housing units or condemnation of private property. The intent of this chapter is to outline the themes contained in the Parks and Trails Master Plans, and to broadly state the goals and objectives outlined therein. For specific details regarding Parks or Trails please refer to the City of Rexburg Parks Plan or the City of Rexburg Trails Plan. Park and Trails Plans Vision Statements Both the Parks and Trails Plans contain Vision Statements which reflect goals and objective outlined in the 2020 Comprehensive Plan, as well as the desires of the community which were collected as part of the Parks and Trails Plans process, and which guided the overall direction of these Plans. These are: Community Wellness Statement The City of Rexburg believes in working with community health partners and private and public entities to promote healthy habits and lifestyles. Opportunities for promoting healthy behaviors and practices can contribute to the overall quality of life for our citizens. A healthy population, with lower health costs, with less days lost to illness, means greater worker and student productivity, higher wages, higher educational attainment, and makes Rexburg a more competitive city. Parks & Trails Statement Being active depends on living healthy. All Rexburg residents should have access to high -quality, clean and safe park and recreation facilities (2020 Vision). The City supports the development of an integrated trail network connecting Rexburg neighborhoods to parks, recreation areas, and community amenities to provide residents with the tools to be active and thrive. Living well is being well. Recreation Mission Statement The Rexburg Recreation Department, in conjunction with various private sports organizations, fulfills the community’s recreational needs by offering high quality programs, events and facilities to enhance residents’ quality of life. The recreation department will work with residents and community partners to ensure the success of recreation and to stay current on recreational trends. Park and Trails Plans Themes This chapter contains descriptions of the major themes in the Parks and Trails Plans adopted by the City of Rexburg in May of 2018. It is intends to serve as a synthesis of the Parks and Trails planning process, and a guide for public and private decision makers as they consider investments and policies affecting change and growth within the City over next several decades. The City of Rexburg has identified six themes that will help shape the City's approach to Parks, Community Wellness, Recreation and Trails, and serve as the defining lens for strategies and policies. These themes are the foundation for success because each one is rooted in economic and demographic realities, as well as the desires and expectations of Residents, Elected and Appointed Leaders. Most importantly, the themes express the vision and aspirations that Rexburg has for the community. These themes are: 1. Responding to Resident's Desires 2. Access to Park and Recreation Facilities 3. An Active, Healthy Population 4. Parks and Recreation Needs 5. Building a Complete System a. Connections: Pedestrian and Bicycle Routes b. Planning for Open Space 6. Community Partnerships 1. Responding to Resident's Desires The Parks and Trails Plans follow in the footsteps of other planning efforts, most importantly, Envision Madison. Over 4,000 unique responses were recorded between open houses, online surveys, and community outreach. These efforts found that residents were generally happy with the quality of Rexburg’s park system. Residents indicated that the following items be given priority as the City plans for future park and trail development (in no particular order):  Outdoor Winter Recreation Opportunities  Opportunities for Indoor Rec During the Winter Months  Fully Functioning Amenities  More Trails, and trails that connect  A Dog Park  An Indoor Pool  More Trees in Parks The Parks and Trails Plans recognize that Rexburg’s Parks serve more than just Rexburg residents, and that Rexburg’s Trail system should be connected to County and Regional trail systems. Rexburg is a regional destination for the Upper Valley. In addition, as expressed in the county-wide online survey, which ran from December 12, 2017 to February 23, 2018, a large portion of respondents were in favor of more recreational opportunities during the winter months. Some of these activities require ad ditional facilities and others, such as sledding and cross-country skiing require a natural outdoor setting. 2. Access to Park and Recreation Facilities Easy access to parks is associated with increased park use. Park visitation is much more frequent and physical activity levels are much higher for those who live within walking distance of a park. The Parks Plan recommends that parks should be within walking distance of neighborhoods, and parks to each other through a network of trails. The Trails Plan addresses this connectivity. The Parks Plan classifies parks as: Mini Parks (1 acre or less); Neighborhood Parks (2 to 5 acres); and Community Parks (5 to 10 acres), as well as Specialty Parks (such as the skate park or Eagle Park). In addition, the Plan assigns walking radii to different classifications of Parks: Mini Parks 5 to 7 minutes (1/4 mile); Neighborhood Parks 15 minutes (1/2 mile); and Community Parks 20 to 25 minutes (3/4 mile). Generally, Mini and Neighborhood Parks serve local neighborhoods, while Community and Specialty Parks serve larger portions of the community. The Parks Plan recommends the creation of a community-wide Regional Park, which at over 100 acres would have a service radius that would cover the entire City. Trails offer both aesthetic and recreational opportunities, as well as commuter options for traveling to and from destinations within Rexburg. Residents who wish to walk or bike to work, go for family outings, travel to school or to the university, will benefit from safe, connecting trails. Research has shown that trails often help raise property values, provide common space for social interactions, improve community safety, and encourage healthy lifestyles. The Rexburg Trails Plan uses the term “trail” to describe shared use paths, multi-use paths, multi- use trails, sidewalks, and hiking pedestrian paths designed for non -motorized usage. Sidewalks or paths directly adjacent to roadways are included when they provide a link between trails or between a trail and a destination. Trail users may include but are not limited to: bicyclists, non- motorized scooters, roller skaters, users of other wheeled devices like Segways or electric assisted-bicycles, wheelchair users (both non-motorized and motorized), walkers, and runners. 3. An Active, Healthy Population Many park and recreation sites are becoming places to improve health through physical activity. Nationally, seven in ten Americans can walk to a local park, open space or recreation center. Park visitation is much more frequent and physical activity levels are much higher for those who live within walking distance to a park (Source: National Recreation and Park Association, 2016). Recreation is a strong part of our personal, family, and civic lives and the City of Rexburg takes pride in its strong sense of family and community. The City of Rexburg places significant value on its recreational opportunities and has seen how parks and trails increase property values as well as quality of life. Parks provide a place for family and community gatherings where positive social interactions can occur. Rexburg recognizes that creating an environment where residents can be active requires a commitment to create spaces for healthy living. The City’s Wellness Statement acknowledges this. By providing parks and open spaces, with trails that connect to neighborhoods, and neighborhoods to other community spaces (such as schools, shopping, business and educational spaces), the City can provide opportunities for a variety of activities, and modes of transportation which encourages residents to be active. According to the 2016 American Community Survey, nearly a quarter of Rexburg’s population is below the age of 18, making it the Youngest City in America. Having a young population, with large families, combined with the presence of over 30,000 college students, means that Rexburg’s parks need to accommodate a variety of recreational needs. The Parks Plan reviewed trends in parks and recreation facilities. The Plan found that Rexburg currently meets or exceeds nationally recommended statistics for football, baseball, soccer and other field sports. With the addition of Community Fields, Rexburg will have sufficient sport fields through the Plan timeline (2038). 4. Parks and Recreation Needs The Parks and Trails Plans documented every City-owned park and recreational facility, as well as the facilities owned by Madison County, the City of Sugar City, Madison and Sugar-Salem School Districts as well as privately-owned facilities. The Plan inventoried assets owned or maintained by the City of Rexburg and assigned it a level of service (LOS) ranking: Excellent, Good, Poor, Unusable. With over 200 amenities recorded, over 75% of these assets were in Good or Excellent condition. The National Parks and Recreation Association (NRPA) standards recommend one softball/baseball field per 5,000 residents. Based on the findings of the Parks Plan , the City is comfortable with the current balance of supply and demand. As of 2018, NRPA research shows that cities within the City of Rexburg’s population range (20,000-49,999 residents) have a median of 9.6 acres of park land per 1,000 residents. The current LOS for Rexburg was determined by dividing the acreage of existing public park acres by the 2018 population, which was then divided by 1,000 to reflect the number of park acres currently provided for every 1,000 residents. The resulting level of service is 2.87 acres per 1,000 residents (103.64 / 36,095 x 1,000 = 2.87). The 2018 Parks Plan recommends a revised LOS of 3.5; this LOS better reflects expectations in Rexburg. A total of 188 acres of public park land is necessary to meet a LOS of 3.5 through 2038. Subtracting the 103.64 acres of existing public park land from this figure, an additional 85 acres are required to meet projected needs by the end of the twenty-year planning horizon. This can be achieved by adding: 17 Neighborhood Parks or 5 Community Parks, or the creation of a Regional Park, or a combination of these. The public has indicated that the area around the Teton River should be preserved and made available for public use. Extending the greenbelt along the Teton River would connect: the Teton Lakes and Legacy Golf Courses, Nature Park, Eagle Park, Riverside Park and additional public lands as well as the area around Walter’s Pond, which would accomplish this goal. Acquiring this area for park or open space, would add approximatively 104 acres to Rexburg’s park inventory and create a contiguous greenbelt along the Teton River. 5. Building a Complete System Ensuring that all residents of Rexburg have access to parks and open space was a key component of the Parks Plan. The Parks Plan anticipates that the City will continue to expand geographically as its population grows (anticipating 57,000 residents by 2038), and this growth will necessitate the addition of parks within walking distance of these new neighborhoods. The Parks Plan identifies the general locations of five neighborhood-sized parks as well as two community-sized parks and suggests the location of a potential regional park located along the Teton River. Together these new parks will add over 150 acres of parks, if built out completely. Residents of Rexburg have indicated, in Envision Madison and again in the Trails Plan, that they wish to see an expansion of the current trail system to better connect the co mmunity. Schools, parks and commercial nodes should be connected to neighborhoods and other residential areas. There are several small trail systems located in parks and along the Teton River in the City of Rexburg. However, much of the sidewalk and bicycle lane network is incomplete or nonexistent, making it difficult to walk or bicycle to these trails. Many of the existing trails lack amenities such as lighting, signage, and benches to invite users. A complete trail system has been identified in the Trails Plan. This system assumes that the existing sidewalk and street system should connect individual homes, businesses and public spaces to the proposed trail system. The Trails Plan recommends that priority be given to these identified trails, that gaps in them be filled, and that new development be meaningfully connected to this system. Connections: Pedestrian and Bicycle Routes The Rexburg Trails Plan proposes to create a series of interconnected trail routes throughout the City of Rexburg, which connect to Sugar City and Madison County, as well as other regional trail systems. This concept enables trail users to connect to most destinations on a variety of trails: from nature trails, to sidewalks, to paved shared use paths. This concept also allows recreational trail users to create personal loops, depending on how long or far they wish to travel. This Plan proposes that the trails identified should be part of a hierarchical trail system that integrates regional trails and county trails to the Rexburg Trail System. The Rexburg Trail System is integral to neighborhoods and destinations, both public and private, thro ugh an established network of sidewalks, which connect residences and businesses to each other. The Trails Plan also acknowledges resident’s desires for: a trail network along the Teton River; increased pedestrian safety; the development of additional walking and bike paths to reduce the number of vehicles on City roads; enhancing recreational opportunities. The Conceptual Trails Plan Map included in the Trails Plan shows trail locations as well as proposed trailheads. Where trails are shown, the expectation is that a complete street with a pedestrian path and on-road bike lanes should be built. Planning for Open Space The 2020 Comprehensive Plan identifies the open space in the City of Rexburg (see p.71). The Parks Plan has further identified open parcels that are commercially undevelopable due either to terrain, or flood plain issues, or being owned by a public entity. The Parks Plan recommends that the City of Rexburg should do the following:  Preserve views with existing open space  Protect open space that is important to the community  Connect open space with access to State and Federal lands  Acquire open space where possible, especially along water ways In addition, the Rexburg Development Code has designated zones for Open Space and Public Facilities. It is recommended that developed parks be zoned Public Facility, and that the proposed areas shown as open space be zoned Open Space. Private Property Rights This chapter acknowledges the importance of Private Property Rights as it pertains to the development and planning policies regarding parks and trails. Chapter 3 of the Rexburg 2020 Comprehensive Plan contains language which states the City of Rexburg’s commitment to preserving and protecting the rights of private property owners. Please refer to Chapter 3 for specific details. 6. Community Partnerships Wherever possible, the City should work with and look for, opportunities to partner with private and/or public entities to accomplish the goals outlined in the Parks and Trails Plans. Best practices have shown that an individual city, or a group of communities, acting cooperatively, with a private developer or other government or quasi-governmental agency, may cooperate on a facility that services the public, yet also is a benefit to an entrepreneur or another partner. To accomplish the goal of providing opportunities for park s and trails space for all residents, the City should work with landowners and developers to create trails and/or private parks, which will serve these new neighborhoods, where identified on the proposed park map. The City should also seek non-traditional sources of funding for parks including grants, donations and partnerships. Parks and Trails Plans Goals and Objectives Each of the previous themes can be realized by defining and fine-tuning the following goals and objectives, further elaborated in both the Parks and Trails Plans. The following goals for the Parks and Trails plan are: Parks Plan Goals GOAL 1  Create a 20-year capital improvement plan, consistent with the objective of the Parks Plan. GOAL 2  Ensure that residents have adequate park, trail and open space access or distribution as outlined in the Parks Plan. GOAL 3  Create a good first impression of the City through entryway areas. GOAL 4  Beautify and enhance the urban appearance and environment. GOAL 5  Evaluate and master plan existing parks, trails or athletic venues. GOAL 6  Ensure public venues are safe, cost effective, functional and have desired amenities. GOAL 7  Establish maintenance standards for recreation facilities and equipment. GOAL 8  Encourage relationship building and coordination among government and nonprofit entities. GOAL 9  Provide sports and recreation programs, which adequately meet community needs. GOAL 10  Provide sufficient recreation, wellness and fitness facilities for desired community programs. GOAL 11  Adequately inform public of programs and available activities. GOAL 12  Connect paths on the City trail system and bike master plan. GOAL 13  Implement innovative recruitment and marketing of major events. GOAL 14  Find new revenue sources to achieve goals.  Look for opportunities to engage the private sector (public/private partnershi ps). GOAL 15  Create a City of Rexburg Open Space Plan. Trails Plan Goals: GOAL 1: An Integrated Trail Network  The development of an integrated trail network connecting Rexburg neighborhoods to parks, recreation areas, and community amenities such as the Teton River corridor, BYU- Idaho, and downtown. GOAL 2: Trail Development and Regional Connections  A trail system that connects Rexburg to Sugar City, Madison County and regionally significant trails to local trails  Ensure that new development and subdivisions connect to this system. GOAL 3: Access  A trail system for pedestrians and bicyclists. GOAL 4: Community Linkages  Link:  Residential Neighborhoods  Community facilities  Parks  Schools  Downtown  BYU-Idaho  Commercial and Retail Centers GOAL 5: INTIGRATED TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM  The trail system should connect to current and future planned transportation systems.  Develop multi-modal strategies to enhance transportation options. GOAL 6: AMENITIES  Locate trailheads at or in conjunction with community facilities to increase local access to the trail system.  Furnish trail systems with directional signage systems and other appropriate amenities GOAL 7: PRESERVATION  Provide trail access along the Teton River corridor.  Preserve existing public right-of-way and other easements for future trails and access ways, particularly power line and utility corridors.