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Shorewood Trail Report Oct 2011Trail Plan Implementation Report City of Shorewood Prepared by the Ad Hoc Trail Committee October 2011 A speciaLtlu4i4to thv vowMeeslwho spemt hoturS1 vv tlel preparatww of tYk repovt Ad Hoc Trail Committee Debbie Siakel City Council Laura Hotvet City Council David Hutchins Planning Commission Chair Ed Hasek Planning Commission Steve Quinlan Park Commission Bob Edmondson Park Commission Mary Donahue Resident at Large Michael Dodd Resident at Large City Staff Brian Heck City Administrator Larry Brown Public Works Director Brad Nielsen Planning Director 1 I Introduction The Transportation Chapter of the Shorewood Comprehensive Plan includes a Trail Concept Plan map that illustrates a potential system of trails for the City of Shorewood The purpose of that plan is to serve as a guide for development proposals and street construction projects and derives from goals objectives and policies set forth in the Transportation Plan The goal specific to trails is worth repeating here The City should establish a plan for an interconnected system of trails enhancing the safe movement of pedestrians bicyclists and other modes of non motorized travel Although the City constructed several trail segments of varying designs over the years a drastic reduction in land development and limited financial resources have resulted in little trail construction in the past few years The Citysrecent discussions on sustainability sparked renewed interest in implementing the Trail Concept Plan The City has elected to participate in the Minnesota GreenSteps Program sponsored by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency One of the best practices set forth in the program includes the promotion of walking and biking To this end the Shorewood City Council established an Ad Hoc Trail Committee consisting of two Planning Commission members two Park Commission members two members of the City Council and two atlarge residents The Committee was charged with reviewing the current Trail Concept Plan prioritizing trail segments to be constructed and recommending implementation strategy primarily how the construction of trails could be incorporated into the Citys Capital Improvements Plan It should be noted that the term trail as used in the Comprehensive Plan and in this report is intended to include the entire gamut of pedestrianbicycle facilities in Shorewood Considerable thought has been given as to whether these facilities should be called pathways sidewalks trails linear pedestrian ways bike paths etc The consensus is that the term trails addresses all of the various types of facilities Further a trail may simply be a designated route along an existing street in some cases 2 Fivefoot concrete walk Minnewashta Elementary II Comprehensive Plan Update The Trail Committee reviewed the Transportation Chapter of the Shorewood Comprehensive Plan relative to BicyclePedestrian Trails and found it to be uptodate and pertinent As such the Committee does not propose changes to the text of the Comprehensive Plan The Committee does however suggest revisions to the Trail Concept Plan map as follows The title Trail Concept Plan should be changed to Trail Plan A trail should be added along Strawberry Lane A trail should be added along Eureka Road The trail south of Highway 7 on Covington Road should be deleted The segment of trail on Manor Road south of St Albans Bay Road should be deleted Consider changing the legend on the map from Possible Trail to Future Trail The proposed changes are illustrated on the map on the following page 3 Sixfoot bituminous trail near Silverwood Park CITY OF S OREWOOD 1Covington Ct 11 11 Pt itney Cir hestnutTerr hestnutCt 9ckinleyCir Victoria Trail Connection tEaxe minnewasma unannasseni rau Connection Chanhassen Trail Connection Chanhassen Trail Connection Minnetonka Trail Connection Trail Plan k 0 1000 2000 4000 Feet Shorewood Planning Department 1011 Existing Trail Future Trail ParksOpen Space Connecting Points III Trail Plan Priorities Health safety and the general welfare is a phrase that drives much of what the City does These words are quitepertinent in the planning of trail facilities The Shorewood Comprehensive Plan recognizes trails not only as providing an alternative to the use of automobiles but as an important recreational aspect of the community The Trail Plan map found in the Transportation chapter of the Comprehensive Plan shows the location of existing and proposed trails in Shorewood Aside from a process for public involvement the Transportation Plan lacks an implementation strategy for the construction of trails In identifying trail priorities the Committee considered the following issues Health Walking and bicycling are recognized as contributing to the overall health of the community Safety In order to promote walking and bicycling as healthy activities it is critical that these activities be made as safe as possible In this regard the separation of trail facilities from streets should be pursued to the extent feasible Connectivity It is important that trails go somewhere Providing safe routes to schools has been identified as a top priority especially in light of School District policy that eliminates bussing for students within one mile of school Connecting existing trails to other trail systems iethe LRT Regional Trail and trail systems in other communities adds miles to the system that Shorewood can provide on its own Lastly it is important to tie neighborhoods to other neighborhoods and to other destinations within the community With these criteria for guidance the Trail Committee broke the Trail Plan into four priority groups It was suggested that Priority I trails would be completed in the next three to five years Priority II trails would be scheduled for years 5 10 and Priority III trails would happen in 10 15 years Priority IV trails would not be programmed until after 15 years Following is a brief description of the priorities Priority I 35 years County Road 19 Smithtown Crossing to LRT Trail This segment is part of the County Road 19 Corridor Study adopted in 2003 Its high priority is based on availability of existing rightofway anticipated lack of neighborhood resistance and its function of connecting the Smithtown Crossing and Shorewoodscivic campus with the LRT Trail 2 Smithtown Road ShorewoodVictoria boundary to Minnewashta Elementary School This segment enhances safety for people on the west end of Shorewood to walk or bike to school and connects to the trail system in Victoria There appears to be some neighborhood support for this connection Mill Street ShorewoodChanhassen boundary to ShorewoodExcelsior boundary This segment connects Shorewood residents living south of Highway 7 with both the City of Excelsior and the Chanhassen trail system Again some level of neighborhood support has been expressed 5 desrae n Northview Rd abndq Northome Blvd GrovelandoRd cce Togo Rd Brooks Ln Arcola y 0 1250 2500 5000 Elementary oreline Or Yg9rafayeteFeetHighlandAveoNThestArmRdSPRINGPARKPreparedbShorewoodPlanningDeaWestArmDrP Y 9 t 2P Cross Point Rd 0711 F7 IJ aLegend k CD c Schools Rid9eShadyIVt One mile Radius from Schools aa y EEP1iAlN Middle0SE ast1LakeStreetLetExt Parks 2o O One halfmile Radius from Parks West menDeephavenElementary laoradys Ln HanoverRd o j m Devon DrTONBAYA 7 CDO14aBayRdIjIITempleDrNooS3nrisegveTempleOh wr c XCELSIOR 0 per Co Rd 19 Za ZExcelsior Elementary Irra r to NrJ t t Middle School West Hallgren Ln p White Oak Ln sJ EZIRedOakLn co Kings Rd a InterlaKen Y CD a 4T mb 0 co YO tcam G611 TanadOOnaOr s a i svffffl a 1 tiIai4t fir 1 i i ROME OWN iT i ItImu Ili fjvI wr vquq unupll un Gl it1utBunaus1nncMillL1iyamiufiG a L ini y m a 4i1A Int Fez fajlDBhllmtiaTfuxfala94pviIIffnnteof7rJfiittCtq11pefff1tf4Ofs 1 Z a eIwlln 1 1 I 1 1 1 1 1 N COaesdeyeod4 GCOVelandNorthomeBlvdeaAecNorthviewRd140060rrdgeaerooksLnArcy0125025005000ssElementarycyTogoRdorelineDrgcakacPoaFeetfieHighlandAvein West Arm Dr SPRING PARK Shorewood Planning Dept 6 w5 oafaYerve9010EastonRdyestArmRd 0711 Rutledge Rd 3 t 0CrossPointRd c Azure Rd L LnLegendLake Ave JaO9 pan CarlowRd Commercial Activity Centers CAC eS grows HAVE MiddleeDEEPNSrcw12MileRadiusfromCACakeAVePigNrltcreSchoolEastBedfordRdeooaroLakeStreetExt r A ta9 V Manchester Rd 34Mile Radius from CAC s G Hampton Ct 5 ZWO1DeehavenElementarySaddlewoodn ad s LnTuxeTransitRoute01rPrYofYe co Devon Dr pTONKABAY0 n dy v S 0 GCifolse5ovZaPoJeTnSP 1 allay Rd Nay apTempleDrNSorsegvei9a7emPleor1JvjnmfrAveing der Cir Virginia q 0 Dcn D m lnte o Lakeview mPlY IV Elm Minnetonka eoMinne t High 0 CL d 3EdgewOOdRdvtiPatriciaLn3ECD a MINNETONKAIVoble2mELSIO aWOc 13 a Scenic HeighMinnewashtaSCo Rd 19 i Y g 12Elementao mirnrow Elementary II ry n Road vof Cr nRd t Excelsior d o aa a o r Covington Rd CD o r Elementa Vi r a ZlementarylearSrinsOfREWPg T I s6m0jr2rtEA m 1 I EstL0 Q oaleocClearS0cnLeafTrlParkinGt0 6 62nd StW valley Dr P C Q C Townline Rd erry Dr m 62nd St WChytJOctonDrNsPascgA5PemChennaYGoUNSN1ShoreDrpleasant Vie d Shmfpbowhp6Oco G mm3mr Y 6 Qe s ar Fxa FOkFollow o o a M eQeeeCeeucyLnLakeLucyRdcopNT School Wg T c aSCGlendaleDrtmoqWCt CD 3 aHallgrenLnmoQ yWhiteOakLnCOCfANlkASSENGQ m TOpa c m y fRedOakLnosT N m puckLake Td Ba Kings Rd S O 0r Kerb O pr r r r Padons Dr Ywood Ln 3 o mi j 0 6 F Sandy HookE I F y mod r J o PontiacLn yaryn South Lake Minnetonka Area n9 B 17 Commercial Activity Centers andButteCtTaaaaOtinreTransitRoutesnaprprSTerra 4 Galpin Lake Road ShorewoodChanhassen boundary to ShorewoodExcelsior boundary See 3 above Priority 11 5 10 years Lake Linden Drive to Highway 741 intersection This segment is a short connection between the existing trail on Lake Linden with the trail system to the south in Chanhassen 2 Smithtown Road Minnewashta Elementary School to Smithtown Crossing This segment is intended to enhance safety for residents east of the Minnewashta Elementary school connecting with the existing sidewalk system at Smithtown Crossing and providing a loop to the LRT Trail Country Club Road and Yellowstone Trail Smithtown Crossing to Lake Linden This segment connects the existing sidewalk on Lake Linden Drive with the existing pedestrian circulation system at Smithtown Crossing 4 County Road 19 Shore Road to ShorewoodExcelsior boundary This segment extends the sidewalk system at Smithtown Crossing eastward toward Excelsior providing another loop to the LRT Trail 5 Strawberry Lane West 62n to Minnewashta Elementary The Committee recommends adding this segment to the Trail Plan It provides pedestrianbicycle access from adjoining neighborhoods to the Minnewashta Elementary School 6 Eureka Road north This segment has been added by the Committee and provides neighborhoods north of Smithtown Road with access to the Minnewashta Elementary School and to the LRT Trail End of the trail Sixfoot concrete Victoria Priority III 1015 years St Albans Bay Road Manor Park to Highway 7 This segment links Manor Park to the South Shore Skate Park and provides an extension connecting across Highway 7 to the sidewalk system on Old Market Road 2 Howards Point Road Edgewood Grant Lorenz loop This proposed loop would provide area residents with a connection to Smithtown Road and quite possibly could be a designated route on existing streets Vine Hill Road existing trail north to State Highway 7 This segment provides safe access for the Shady Hills neighborhood along a relatively busy collector street Priority IV 15 years Link east of Public Safety facility County Road 19 to LRT Trail Assuming topography issues can be overcome this segment provides a link and a loop from County Road 19 to the LRT Trail 2 Timber Lane County Road 19 to LRT Trail This short segment of trail provides one more linkloop from County Road 19 to the LRT Trail 3 Enchanted Lane Minnetrista border to Shady Island bridge This segment may be limited to road and rightofway improvements to enhance walking and bicycling The Trail Plan map on the following page color codes the trail system into the four priority groups N Family waits to cross County Road 19 CITY OF S OREWOOD Goon ovingtcnCt ElbertPt Vvhitney Cir Chestnut Ter Chestnut Ct MckinleyCir Trail Plan Priorities k 0 1000 2000 4000 Feet Shorewood Planning Department870911 M Existing Trail Possible Trail Parks Open Space Connecting Points Priority I 35 years Priority II 5 10 years Priority III 10 15 years Priority IV 15 years Victoria Trail 1O1 Chanhassen Trail Chanhassen Trail Minnetonka Connection Connection Connection Connection Trail Connection IV Draft Trail Capital Improvement Plan Reserved for Future Use V Public Participation The Trail Committee strongly believes and supports getting residents involved in the trail development process and making sure the affected neighborhoods and property owners receive as much information about the projects as possible To that end the Committee suggests using several approaches to disseminate information gather feedback and garner support for the development of the trail infrastructure in the city City News Letters The City produces a monthly newsletter the ShoreReport and distributes it to each household in the community This is a static method the Committee can use to provide general information on the planning process and as a method to direct interested residents to additional resources and information City Website More detailed information on the trail plan can be placed on the website Some items to include on the website after acceptance of the plan a map of the plan identifying trail segments by priority a listing of segments by priority information on how priorities were determined proposed budget information pictures of trail in other communities and information on the benefits oftrails Neighborhood Meetings The Committee or select members of the Committee would meet with individual neighborhoods affected by planned trail segments This provides an opportunity for the neighborhood to ask questions walk the proposed route and provide input and suggestions on material location potential hazards etc Before these meetings it might be beneficial for the Committee to identify a neighborhood champion to help organize the meeting walk and be a contact person on behalf of the neighborhood a These neighborhood meetings will Sixfoot bituminous trail Covington Road also be beneficial in identifying any potential issues that need addressing 12 Direct Mailing The City could prepare a direct mailing to residents in the affected area outlining the proposed project and include specific information on the planned design location benefits drawbacks and address common questions such as maintenance and winter shoveling These mailings might be more beneficial a couple weeks before a planned neighborhood meeting Public Hearing This is a more formal and traditional method used to garner residential input and may not be the most effective communication and public participation methodology These forums are generally poorly attended unless the issue is contentious and controversial This is not the recommended method for gaining public input or support for the program and plan Targeted Polling This method involves sending a poll or survey questionnaire either paper or electronic to the impacted residents or households asking specific and targeted questions related to the issue oftrail construction This tool can be used prior to a direct mailing andor neighborhood meeting to gather basic information on feelings and possible issues related to the implementation of the trail plan Face to Face individual meetings This process involves Committee members meeting with one or two residents in the neighborhood or having the championsand a Committee member meeting one on one or with a couple of neighbors to informally talk and promote the idea of the trail plan the benefits of a comprehensive trail system to answer questions and provide information and additional resources The benefit ofthis method it is not the government promoting its own plan but residents who are also affected individuals promoting the plan 13 rourioor mruminous Iran wear inouniain VI Trail Implementation Process This outlines the general process the city will follow in implementing the trail plan July September the park commission reviews the trail plan and available funding then makes recommendations to the Council December the Council adopts the final Capital Improvement Plan for Trails as indicated in the plan andor recommended by the Park Commission During the months of January April staff prepares rough cost estimates for the project based on general design standards eg 6 bituminous researches easements conducts preliminary review with the Watershed District and identifies stakeholders May August the proposed plan is reviewed by the park commission and neighborhood meetings and walks are held to go over the project answer questions regarding funding timing maintenance etc September December staff prepares final plans and specifications for the trail segment based on feedback provided by residents and park commission January February staff publishes plans and specifications trail construction March April staff provides recommendation to Park Commission on lowest responsible bidder and Park Commission provides recommendation to Council to proceed with award of the project May August trail construction underway and completed 14