Comprehensive Trail Planning 4/21/2018 Comprehensive Trail Planning Andy Hubley, AICP

What is a Comprehensive Trail Plan? 4/21/2018 What is a Comprehensive Trail Plan? County level plans, or larger cities Review all trails and trail ideas, regardless of jurisdiction or designed use Motorized and non-motorized Also addresses trail amenities In some cases, even trail related private businesses Involves all stakeholders (trail administrators, users, tourism promoters, neighbors, elected officials)

What is ARDC? Arrowhead Regional Development Commission 4/21/2018 What is ARDC? Arrowhead Regional Development Commission 7-County regional planning entity in northeast Minnesota Legislatively authorized in 1969 Small tax levy – leveraged at a rate of 10 to 1 in 2017 Offers senior services, transportation planning, and general planning services Trail planning (initial stages) is a specialty Unique GIS and mapping skills

County Comprehensive Trails Plans 4/21/2018 County Comprehensive Trails Plans Lake and Cook Counties – Complete St. Louis and northeast Koochiching County – just getting underway

County Comprehensive Trails Plans 4/21/2018 County Comprehensive Trails Plans Process steps Process organization Conditions and Opportunities Assessment (Inventory) Visioning and Goal Setting Recommendation and Action Step Development Prioritization, Implementation Plans, Costs and Funding Document Development

County Comprehensive Trails Plans 4/21/2018 County Comprehensive Trails Plans Process Organization Who will oversee the planning process? County Board Task Force Major trail administrators, public land managers, user group representatives Public/Users/User Groups

County Comprehensive Trails Plans 4/21/2018 County Comprehensive Trails Plans Conditions and Opportunities Assessment (Inventory) What trails exist today? Designed use, allowed use, location, associated facilities, administrative structure What trail expansions, improvements, or changes are being considered, planned? Are there threats or concerns about trails? Survey Associated facilities GIS mapping Summary report

County Comprehensive Trails Plans 4/21/2018 County Comprehensive Trails Plans Set Vision and Goals Oversight organization Vision statement Major goals Cook County Connected. Collaborative. Multi-use. Integrated at Trail Hubs. Safe. Manageable. Economically Beneficial.

County Comprehensive Trails Plans 4/21/2018 County Comprehensive Trails Plans Recommendation and Action Step Development Prioritization, Implementation Plans, Costs, Funding What should be done? Where will it be done? Who is going to do it? When should it be done by? How much will it cost and how will it be funded? Which efforts are most important?

County Comprehensive Trails Plans 4/21/2018 County Comprehensive Trails Plans Document Development Summaries, maps, vision, goals, recommendations, implementation matrix Presentation of draft document to public, stakeholders Make necessary changes Approval by Oversight Organization and County Board New - Creation of a Story Map Web based distribution of document https://ardc.org/interactive-maps/

County Comprehensive Trails Plans 4/21/2018 County Comprehensive Trails Plans What are the benefits? Ensures interaction amongst trail stakeholders regarding decisions Creates a single point of information for all trails Provides elected officials with key information when making decisions, determining their level of support “Vetted” Demonstrates to funders that applications for trail funding have wide-spread support, including public support Guides decisions regarding more detailed planning

County Comprehensive Trails Plans 4/21/2018 County Comprehensive Trails Plans Successes The Plans have been cited as a reason for funding success in Lake and Cook Counties Cooperative decisions between ATV user groups, Lake County, and the US Forest Service were efficiently made (before the plan was even complete!) Trail projects have been expedited New ideas have moved forward (mountain biking and winter biking) Ongoing relationships were created

County Comprehensive Trails Plans 4/21/2018 County Comprehensive Trails Plans Example http://www.arrowheadplanning.org/CookCountyTrailsPlan Interested? Andy Hubley, ARDC - ahubley@ardc.org Reference: Matt Huddleston, Lake County – matthew.huddleston@co.lake.mn.us