REGIONAL TRAILS INITIATIVE FINAL REPORT & ACTION PLAN PHASE 2 – NON-TMA REGION PREPARED BY: PREPARED FOR: CLARK PATTERSON ASSOCIATES GENESEE TRANSPORTATION COUNCIL NORTHEAST GREENWAYS TROWBRIDGE & WOLF MARCH 2004 Acknowledgements Regional Trails Initiative Steering Committee William Nojay * Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority Keith Ashby Seneca County Matthew Balling Genesee County Peg Churchill Wayne County John DiMura New York State Canal Corporation Ed Doherty City of Rochester Wayne Hale, Jr. Orleans County Kristen Mark Hughes Ontario County Anne Humphrey Wyoming County Paul Johnson Monroe County Greg Marshall Greater Rochester Visitors Association Charles Moynihan New York State Department of Transportation – Region 4 Robert Multer Yates County David Woods Livingston County * Steering Committee Chair Genesee Transportation Council Staff Richard Perrin, Executive Director Kristin Bennett, AICP, Bicycle/Pedestrian Program Manager Consultant Team Clark Patterson Associates Northeast Greenways, Inc. Trowbridge & Wolf Landscape Architecture Cover Photo/Image Credits (clockwise from top left) Ontario Pathways Trail (Ontario Pathways, Inc.) Trails for the 21st Century, 2nd Edition, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy Ontario Pathways Trail (Ontario Pathways, Inc.) Canalway Trail in Orleans County (NYSDOT – Region 4) Genesee Transportation Council 1 Regional Trails Initiative – Phase 2 March 2004 Final Report Table of Contents 1. Introduction and Purpose .......................................................................................................... 3 2. Project Development Process ................................................................................................... 7 3. Existing Conditions..................................................................................................................... 9 4. Needs Assessment and Public Input ........................................................................................ 20 5. Regional Trails Initiative – Phase 2 Goals................................................................................. 22 6. Regional Trails Initiative - Phase 2 General Recommendations............................................... 23 7. Phase 2 Location-Specific Recommendations.......................................................................... 28 8. Priority Trail Project Fact Sheets ............................................................................................. 43 9. Implementation Strategies ....................................................................................................... 72 Appendix A – Public Comments Appendix B – Trail Design Guidelines Appendix C – Roadway Treatment Guidelines Appendix D – Adopt-a-Trail Examples Exhibits and Tables Exhibit 1: Nine-County GTC Planning Region............................................................................... 6 Exhibit 2: Existing Trails and Trails Under Development Map.................................................... 10 Table 1: Existing Trails Outside the TMA.................................................................................... 11 Table 2: Trails Projects/Improvements Currently Under Development..................................... 18 Exhibit 3: Near Term Trail Projects Recommendations Map ..................................................... 31 Table 3: Near Term Trail Project Recommendations................................................................. 32 Exhibit 4: Mid-Term Trails Project Recommendations Map ....................................................... 35 Table 4: Mid-Term Trail Project Recommendations................................................................... 36 Exhibit 5: Long-Term Trail Project Recommendations Map....................................................... 40 Table 5: Long-Term Trail Project Recommendations................................................................. 41 Table 6 : Overview of Funding Resources................................................................................... 86 Genesee Transportation Council 2 Regional Trails Initiative – Phase 2 March 2004 Final Report 1. Introduction and Purpose The Genesee Transportation Council (GTC) is responsible for transportation planning in the nine-county Genesee-Finger Lakes region, which includes Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans, Seneca, Wayne, Wyoming, and Yates Counties. Trails represent a growing segment of the regional transportation network, driven primarily by demands for alternative transportation options, close-to-home recreational opportunities, and improved quality of life in the region. The Genesee-Finger Lakes region is already home to over 135 miles of multi-use trails, including: 40 miles of Canalway Trail in Wayne and Orleans Counties, Over 50 miles of the Genesee Valley Greenway, a trail that will eventually connect Monroe, Livingston, and Wyoming Counties with the Southern Tier, Almost 25 miles in the Ontario Pathways trail system in Ontario County, and Numerous other local multi-use trails in area communities. In addition, there are over $4 million of multi-use trail projects under development as of Fall 2003 in the non-TMA region. These projects will create nearly 30 miles of new multi-use trail, increasing the non-TMA region’s multi-use trail mileage to 166 miles. Trails play an integral role in the quality of life of a region and, specifically, have provided significant recreational, economic, transportation, and ecological benefits to the non-TMA region. Trails can: Provide off-street routes to walk or bicycle to work, school, local stores, and services Provide a variety of close-to-home recreational opportunities for residents of communities Create an economic development tool for attracting tourists, new businesses, and new residents Be an important resource for those who are concerned with maintaining or improving their health (studies conducted by the Center for Disease Control) Preserve community character and natural heritage, offering residents and visitors a new way to discover special places within our communities Provide an enjoyable place for people of all ages to experience the great outdoors and presents opportunities to teach young people about the natural environment Provide critical routes for wildlife and protects stream corridors and ridge lines Strengthen community cohesion by bringing people together to plan, build, and use trails Numerous trail organizations in the area work with communities and local and state agencies to develop and maintain trails for use by residents of and visitors to the Genesee-Finger Lakes region. Genesee Transportation Council 3 Regional Trails Initiative – Phase 2 March 2004 Final Report However, despite this existing system of trails and high level of community support, this region lacks a coordinated strategy to develop an interconnected trail system. Additionally, recent air quality concerns related to this region’s potential designation as a non- attainment area for ground-level ozone (a chief component of smog) have precipitated a landmark shift in the Genesee Transportation Council’s transportation investment priorities. Central to these new investment priorities is the development of alternative modes of transportation, including safe and convenient bicycle and pedestrian transportation facilities. For these reasons, GTC determined the need for a cooperative trail planning effort, the Regional Trails Initiative (RTI), encompassing the entire nine-county region. Phase 1 of the Regional Trails Initiative was completed in August 2002. It focused primarily in the Transportation Management Area (TMA), which is limited to the City of Rochester, Monroe County and the urbanized areas of Livingston, Ontario and Wayne Counties. Phase 2 of the Regional Trails Initiative considers the existing and future trail needs of the entire non-TMA region (see Exhibit 1 for a map of the nine-county GTC planning region). The purpose of the Regional Trails Initiative is to develop a comprehensive and achievable action plan for community leaders to create and maintain a safe, accessible, and highly functional regional trails system that is fully integrated with the existing transportation system, and constitutes a nationally recognized distinguishing feature of this region. This Initiative will provide community leaders with both short-term and long-term recommendations as well as a framework to systematically create a regional trail system that: Provides safe, healthy, and economical transportation options for all ages, abilities, and incomes as well as close-to-home recreational opportunities, Contributes to this region’s efforts to improve air quality, and Constitutes a critical element of overall efforts to improve the attractiveness of this region and its ability to attract and retain the skilled workforce it needs to prosper. The Regional Trails Initiative defines a coordinated strategy for expanding the existing trail network at the local municipal level while supporting regional trail system connectivity and accessibility. Goals and General Recommendations have been developed to guide the improvement and expansion of this region’s trail network. Additionally, location-specific trail project recommendations have been developed. Exhibit 2/Tables 1 and 2 provide an overview existing trails and trails currently under development within the Phase 2 study area. Exhibits/Tables 3, 4, and 5 outline potential trail projects that could be developed in the Phase