The Pierce County Regional Trail System will be an accessible and seamless trails network used by people of all ages and abilities for recreation and transportation. Pierce County trails will provide users with the opportunity to experience recreation, solitude or companionship, and provide a practical transportation option. It will offer connections to major developed areas and attractions within the County, provide opportunities for appreciation of nature, and connect the County to the greater region.
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In the summer of 2008, Pierce County began a planning process to improve its existing trail system and prepare for future population growth. The intent of the regional trail system as defined by the County?s Park, Recreation & Open Space Plan, is to provide recreational opportunities, promote healthier lifestyles, create connections to major developed areas and destinations, and enhance non-motorized transportation options throughout the County.
This document serves as Section 7 of the Pierce County Park, Recreation, & Open Space (PROS) Plan. The remainder of the PROS Plan is available under separate cover. Pierce County will be using this Section of the PROS Plan to prioritize financing of County trail projects.
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Pierce County Parks and Recreation plans for and develops the regional trails system throughout Pierce County. The Parks and Recreation Department seeks partnerships with other agencies such as, Pierce County Public Works, Pierce County Water Management, and other cities and towns within the County. The Pierce County Regional Trails Plan (PCRTP) takes into account the issues, needs and opportunities identified during the planning process regarding on- and off-street trails.
It also presents a set of goals and policies, a regional trail concept and a set of trail design guidelines that will assist the County and its departments, as well as other jurisdictions within the County, in creating a regional trails system; improving connectivity between major destinations and throughout the County?s extensive park and recreation system. This section provides an overview of the planning process, the public involvement process and the organization of this document.
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The planning process involved a four-step approach for developing the plan and was guided by input from the project team and the technical working group in research, analysis and development of individual plan elements. This approach, along with the review and refinement of the inventory, maps and reports ultimately resulted in the final plan. Summarized below is an overview of the four phased planning process.
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Phase 1: Planning Context
The first phase of the planning process included a review of existing County policies and planning documents that address trails. The Planning Context Report (November 2008) summarizes the trail planning efforts conducted by multiple jurisdictions and organizations within the County as well as the planning efforts of neighboring counties. This phase of also involved a review of federal, state and local regulations that relate to trail planning, design and construction of trails.
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Phase 2: Inventory & Analysis
Using information and data collected from the previous phase, the planning team created and refined a countywide regional trails inventory, analyzed the existing and planned trails network for gaps, presented alternative trail alignments to close the gaps, classified alignments into a regional trails classification and presented a regional trails system concept. The Needs Assessment Summary Report (May 2009) documents the inventory and analysis phase of the project.
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Phase 3: Plan Development
Based on the first two phases, the planning team developed the core elements of the administrative draft plan. This included the draft regional trail network, trail goals and policies, trail design guidelines and amenities and costs for development. This phase also included the development of trail project prioritization criteria and the development of a public involvement model that will provide guidance for future trail project implementation.
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Phase 4: Plan Refinement and Adoption
After the County?s initial review of the Administrative Draft PCRTP, the final phase of the planning process involves the County?s formal review of the revised Draft PCRTP. This includes Technical Working Group (TWG) meetings and, a meeting of the Parks & Recreation Citizen Advisory Board. The Draft PCRTP is then forwarded to the County Council for inclusion in the PROS Plan.
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