Countywide Park Trails Plan Amendment
PROJECT UPDATE
OVERVIEW
YOUR INPUT IS NEEDED
CALENDAR & MEETING NOTES
MEDIA CENTER
CONTACT THE PROJECT COORDINATOR
Project Update
The Department of Parks has been working to amend the current Countywide Park Trails Plan (CWPTP). On Thursday, December 6, 2012 a Status Report was presented to the Planning Board. You can review the Staff Memo (PDF FILE) from the Planning Board archives - item # 5.
Overview
The original Countywide Park Trails Plan (CWPTP) plan was approved by the M-NCPPC Planning Board in 1998. The plan established a county-level vision for natural and hard surface park trails.
The Need for an Amendment
The CWPTP has guided park trail planning, alignment and implementation decisions for the past 13 years. But there have been problems with implementation. This experience has led the Department of Parks to believe the plan needs to be revisited to address various needs and concerns.
Within the past few years, several planning tools have been created to help Staff more efficiently analyze site impacts of proposed/planned park facilities and to also accurately identify potential environmental and natural resource impacts.
Additionally, the Vision 2030 Strategic Plan provides useful and recent data for level of service analysis. This plan will use these tools to conduct more detailed analysis at the countywide master planning level.
This plan amendment will strive to:
- Incorporate recommendations from the Vision 2030 Strategic Plan, and apply current theories and practices for long-range park (and trail) planning
- Identify and recommend solutions to implementation issues
- Adjust or eliminate trail corridor/alignments to rely less on easements
- Align CWPTP recommendations with Area, Sector and Functional Master Plans, identify and propose possible remedies for inconsistencies
- Ensure plan recommendations are consistent with policies of other land management agencies (WSSC, PEPCO, DNR), as well as adjoining counties and municipalities
- Reorganize and clarify the plan language to be more logically and strategically structured
- Clarify the decision making processes for which trail user groups are identified as suitable for certain trail types
- Clarify the role of park trails as recreational facilities versus transportation facilities
Previous Amendments
The following Community Area, Park and Trail Corridor Master Plans have amended the CWPTP.
- Woodstock Equestrian Park Master Plan (2002)
- Muddy Branch Stream Valley Trail Corridor Plan (2002) (PDF)
- Amendment to add a “Trail Planning Process” (2003) (PDF)
- Blockhouse Point Conservation Park Master Plan (2004)
- Rachel Carson Greenway Trail Corridor Plan (2005)
- Little Bennett Regional Park Master Plan (2007)
- Upper Rock Creek Trail Corridor Plan (2008)
- Intercounty Connector Limited Functional Master Plan Amendment (2009)
Your Input is Needed
Ideas from the public will be welcome throughout the process and there are a number of opportunities for early input. Have your voice heard! Send the project coordinator your ideas and feedback as the Plan Amendment progresses. Public meetings will be scheduled beginning this winter to receive comments on the preliminary concepts and recommendations.
On this web site you will find information on the project schedule, upcoming meetings, planning process updates and plan documents. Staff will rely on the web site to keep citizens updated on the Plan. Interested citizens and civic groups are encouraged to become part of our e-mail lists.
For those interested in the plan who do not have e-mail, information will be mailed and press releases will be used to publicized plan meetings.
Outreach Strategy
Public outreach for the CWPTP Amendment was begun during the Vision 2030 Strategic Plan process in 2010. Park planning staff met with representatives from trail user groups to help shape the goals and objectives for the strategic plan. Outreach efforts for the Plan Amendment will continue in coordination with the upcoming update to the Parks, Recreation and Open Space (PROS) Plan.
Staff has also been working with an informal Trails Working Group to help identify and shape the plan objectives and will continue to advise the plan throughout the planning process. This working group is comprised of representatives from park trail stakeholder groups including: Conservation Montgomery, Montgomery Bike Advocates, Mid-Atlantic Off Road Enthusiasts (MORE), Hiking Along, Inc, Park trail volunteers, Trail Conservancy and Trail Riders of Today (TROT).
Staff continues to coordinate closely with the Planning Department and the Montgomery County Department of Transportation and will also seek input from the Montgomery County Bicycle Action Group (MCBAG), environmental groups such as Conservation Montgomery, and the Countywide Recreation Advisory Board (CRAB).
Calendar and Meeting Notes
The calendar will be updated as community meetings and events are planned for this project. Digital copies of the Meeting Notes, Presentations and Planning Board Memos will be attached to each calendar event after it is completed.
DATE | TIME |
Notes and Presentations |
Planning Stage | Topic for Discussion |
Location | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
2011 |
|||
October 6 |
Staff Memo - from the Planning Board archives for this date - item # 7 |
Objectives, Outreach Strategy & Schedule |
M-NCPPC - Montgomery Regional Office (MRO) Auditorium 8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910 |
FALL / WINTER |
Monthly “Trails Working Group” meetings |
TBD | |
Meetings with McBAG, Conservation Montgomery and Countywide RAB |
TBD |
||
2012 |
|||
| January 24 | Upcounty public meeting in coordination with the Park Recreation and Open Space (PROS) Plan update | M-NCPPC - Montgomery Regional Office (MRO) Auditorium 8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910 | |
January 25 |
Downcounty p ublic meeting in coordination with the Park Recreation and Open Space (PROS) Plan update |
UpCounty Service Center, 12900 Middlebrook Rd. Germantown |
|
| December 6 | Staff Memo - from the Planning Board archives for this date - item # 5 | Status Report |
M-NCPPC - Montgomery Regional Office (MRO) Auditorium 8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910 |
| 2013 | |||
|
Staff Draft Plan |
M-NCPPC - Montgomery Regional Office (MRO) Auditorium 8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910 |
|
Public Hearing |
M-NCPPC - Montgomery Regional Office (MRO) Auditorium 8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910 |
||
|
Work Sessions |
M-NCPPC - Montgomery Regional Office (MRO) Auditorium 8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910 |
|
Plan Approval and Adoption |
M-NCPPC - Montgomery Regional Office (MRO) Auditorium 8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910 |
||
Media Center
This is where you will find links to press releases, print articles and community links for your convenience. If you would like to see additional links added to this site, please contact the Project Coordinator.
Contact the Project Coordinator
Submit written comments or request more information, please contact:
Chuck Kines, Project Coordinator
Charles.Kines@montgomeryparks.org | 301-495-2184
back to top - Last update: January 2, 2013
Montgomery County Department of Parks