TRAIL MASTER PLAN

> PHILADELPHIA TRAIL PLAN

2 35

PHILADELPHIA

PHILADELPHIA TRAIL MASTER PLAN

Cobbs Creek Trail

> INTRODUCTION

6 | Why Plan? 7 | Process 8 | Analysis Results 10 | How to Use This Plan 6 | Inventory 7 | Relation to Bicycle Network and Parks 8 | Expanding the Network

> EXISTING TRAILS

> PROPOSED TRAILS > ANALYSIS AND PRIORITIES

6 | Inventory

26 | Factors 7 | Criteria 8 | Weighting 8 | Results

> IMPLEMENTATION

64 | Using the Priority Rankings 65 | Starting a New Project 66 | City of Philadelphia Coordination 72 | Updating the Analysis 77 | Toolbox

> APPENDIX

72 | Analysis Methodology 72 | Toolbox 78 | Acknowledgments

Philadelphia Trail Master Plan

INTRODUCTION AND SCOPE

Philadelphia is known for watershed parks, such as the Wissahickon Valley Park and Pennypack Parks, waterfront passive recreation areas, and multi-purpose trails. The City and non-prot trail development entities are expanding the existing trail network along the Schuylkill and Delaware Rivers, within watershed parks, and through neighborhoods. This Plan will dene priorities for future trail development in Philadelphia. > Why Plan? The Citywide Trail Master Plan process began in the Spring of 2011 as a joint effort of the Philadelphia City Planning Commission and Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, in collaboration with the Mayors Ofce of Transportation & Utilities. Due to limited funding for trail and park projects, the City recognized the need for prioritizing proposed trail projects to serve Philadelphians citywide and best use available planning, design, and construction funding. The Trail Master Plan is a recommendation of Philadelphia2035, Philadelphias Comprehensive Plan in the Renew section under Goal 6.1 Watershed Parks and Trails: Complete, expand, and connect watershed parks and trails in the city and the region. There is great need and momentum for trails in Philadelphia. In the past two years, several miles of trails were renovated or completed and 7 miles are under construction with an additional 8.5 miles in design and 13.2 miles in the planning and feasibility stages. Recent construction projects and feasibility and design studies were funded by the federal Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) Discretionary Grant Program, the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission and William Penn Foundation Regional Trail Program, PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources grants, and City of Philadelphia capital dollars through Philadelphia Parks & Recreation and the Department of Commerce. The push for design and construction is fueled by an awareness of the positive impact of public open space and linear parks for exercise and transportation, as well as local, state, and federal leadership and funding. While each project that offers the public access to recreation space has a notable positive impact, in the development of trail projects in Philadelphia, there is no central entity charged with prioritizing areas where trail amenities are most needed or the demand and support for proposed projects. The expanding trail network puts increasing pressure on City resources for long-term maintenance as well as repairs after storm damage. The key goals of this Plan are to quantify and inventory existing trail facilities, identify the alignment, demand, and City priority for proposed trail projects, and clarify the process of trail development and construction in Philadelphia.

Philadelphia2035 Citywide Vision Goal 6.1: Copmlete, expand, and connect watershed parks and trails in the City and the region. Objective 6.1.1: Create a citywide trails master plan to coordinate the planning and construction of trail systems within Philadelphia. Objective 6.1.3: Create a trail cooridor network that connects parks, neighborhoods, and trails citywide.

Introduction

On-going Trail Projects, December 2012

PARKS & TRAILS

19 Frankford Creek Greenway 20 Spring Garden Street Greenway 5 58th Street Greenway 6 Port Richmond Trail 7

Falls Bridge to Ridge SRT Bartrams Garden Trail Grays Ferry Crescent Manayunk Canal Towpath
SINCE 2011

1 2 3 4

8 9 10 11

Poquessing Creek Trail Delaware Ave. Extension Sidepath Schuylkill River Parks Connector Bridge Baxter Trail Schuylkill South Street Boardwalk K & T Trail Tacony Creek Park and Trail Penn Street Trail Navy Yard Trail Cobbs Creek Connector Shawmont to Port Royal West Bank Greenway Zoo Trail Schuylkill River Trail

12 21 Ivy Ridge Trail 13 22 Manayunk Bridge Trail 14 23 Sugarhouse to Penn Treaty Trail 15 24 Wissahickon Gateway 16 25 Reading Viaduct A 17 26 Delaware River Trail 18 27 West Bank Greenway 28 Broad Street Sidepath

EXISTING TRAILS

WATERSHED

10

15

20

25

30 12

2.1 miles
Completed and Renovated

6.9 miles
Under Construction

8.4 miles
In Design

13.2 miles
In Planning

11

14

21 22

Tacony Creek Park and Trail Nicetown Skate Park

9 Lardners Point Park 15

Collazo Park

19 13

William Dick Elementary School and Gathers Recreation Center

18 Paines Park

Dilworth Plaza 20 Penn Park

16

23

Shoemaker Green Grays Ferry Crescent 5 2 Hawthorne Park

Greenfield School 26

Race Street Pier

NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS & RECREATION

Green2015 identified 205 acres to
Completed Under construction Identified for greening

28 17 Navy Yard Parks 10

P
Philadelphia Trail Master Plan

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green by 2015. 100 acres are completed or under construction and another 105 acres are identified for future greening projects.

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LARDNERS POINT PARK increases neighborhood and waterfront recreation opportunities on a former industrial waterfront

Photo: Delaware River City Corporation

> Process The Plan effort included City staff, a Steering Committee of key City agency representatives, and an Advisory Committee of advocacy, regional, state, and trail development entities. Over 1.5 years, the Steering and Advisory Committees met several times to guide the development of Plan analysis and results. The resulting analysis is a list of seventy-ve proposed trail projects citywide in stages of development from vision to planning/ feasibility study to pre-construction, each with an associated priority ranking. The proposed trail alignments are shown on Map 1. Each of the alignments was scored in ve main factors: Project Status, Demand, Connectivity, Feasibility, and Cost. Under the factors were 28 criteria, such as Close to Schools, In area of Zero Auto-Ownership, Major Riverfront Spine Trail, Part of a MultiAgency Project, or Investment Needed to Make Connection. The project team assigned a score under each criteria for each project and tallied and weighted the values with guidance from the Steering and Advisory Committees. The analysis matrix with the criteria scores for each project will be updated yearly as many of the projects are moving through the development process and criteria may change with time. The result of this analysis matrix is a three-tiered list of highest, medium, and lower priority proposed trails, based on the extensive analysis described in this Plan, shown on Map 2. > Analysis Results The resulting list of high, medium, and low priority proposed trails will shape how the City of Philadelphia demonstrates support for trail projects, through funding, letters of support, involvement on Steering Committees, and maintenance and operating agreements for long-term maintenance of trails. This Plan will serve as a guide for City departments and non-City trail development entities alike and shape trail development in Philadelphia. The Plan includes a description of each proposed trail alignment analyzed

> Steering Committee

Philadelphia City Planning Commission Philadelphia Parks & Recreation Mayors Ofce of Transportation & Utilities Commerce Department Streets Department Philadelphia Water Department Philadelphia Redevelpment Authority Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation Mayors Ofce of Sustainability

> Advisory Committee

PA Department of Conservation & Natural Resources Montgomery County Delaware County Bucks County Lower Merion Township Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia SE Pennsylvania Transit Authority Schuylkill River Development Corporation Delaware River City Corporation Delaware River Waterfront Corporation Clean Air Council East Coast Greenway Alliance Del. Valley Regional Planning Commission Pennsylvania Environmental Council The Schuylkill Project Friends of the Wissahickon Friends of Cresheim Valley Trail

here as well as information benecial to groups interested in developing trails, such as communication guidelines for groups proposing new trail concepts, standard trail design and waynding signage guidelines. The Steering Committee for this Plan will remain the City Committee for Philadelphia Trails, a group of City employees with a lead staff in the Planning Commission. Using this Plan as a guide, the group will organize the Citys response to proposed trails, such as support letters, capital funding for design, construction, maintenance, and operation. The group will hear proposals from non-prot development entities for proposed trails not included in this analysis. Finally, the committee will coordinate regular updates of this Plan, as needed.

> How to Use This Plan City employees who deal with environmental or health issues, planning, parks and recreation, or specic neighborhoods can use this plan to determine which trail concepts will impact the departments area of focus. Non-prot environmental and trail development entities will use this plan to determine the status of proposed trail projects and how projects rank on the City priority list. Entities can cite this Plan as proof of City priority of a proposed project. If an entitys focus project does not rank as a high priority, City staff can work with the entity to explain the methodology behind City priority areas or strategize potential alternative proposed projects, as appropriate.

Introduction

Existing and Proposed Trails

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Philadelphia Trail Master Plan