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EVERETT 2044 <br />COMPREHENSIVE PLAN <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> 6/17/2025 <br />COMPREHENSIVE PLAN <br />PARKS, RECREATION, AND OPEN SPACE ELEMENT <br /> Page 140 <br />Community, Neighborhood, Urban/Downtown, and Linear Parks. Remaining sites are Special Use, <br />Natural Areas/Greenways, and Garden Gateways predominantly for single purpose recreation or passive <br />use. <br /> <br /> <br />Regional parks, usually over a hundred acres, provide visitors with access to unique regional features <br />and attractions. Regional parks often accommodate large group activities and have infrastructure to <br />support special events and festivals. Contributing to economic development through tourism, regional <br />parks can enhance the economic vitality and identity of the entire region. <br />Community parks are usually more than five acres, preferably ten to 15 acres, providing visitors with <br />access to high and low impact recreation opportunities. Community parks should be designed to <br />enhance community identity and preserve community open space. <br />Neighborhood parks provide daily convenient access to basic recreation opportunities for nearby <br />residents by foot or bicycle. Generally small, neighborhood parks are developed primarily for <br />spontaneous and non-structured recreation activities. <br />Urban parks offer outdoor space in an otherwise built environment, are a special type of open space <br />serving the unique lifestyles and recreation needs of those who live or work in or close to downtown <br />and designated centers. While urban parks often serve as neighborhood parks for nearby residents, they <br />may also provide opportunities for community events and district-wide gatherings. They contribute to <br />place-making by enhancing the quality of life and the identity of the urban core and the mixed-use <br />districts. <br />Linear parks or trails serve both a recreation and an active transportation function. Walking and <br />bicycling provide many benefits to individuals as well as to the community. In Everett, trails provide <br />opportunities for walking, bicycling, jogging, in-line skating, dog walking and wildlife watching. An <br />integrated, safety-oriented multi-purpose trail increases mobility choices, reduces reliance on single- <br />occupant vehicles, provides convenient access to schools, centers, transit, parks, and other destinations, <br />and encourages regular physical activity to enhance health and wellness. <br />Special Use Parks are focused on a single purpose, such as golf or boat launching. <br />Natural areas and greenways are areas that support, nurture, and preserve natural and wildlife habitats <br />and native vegetation. These parks usually contain environmental assets, such as wetlands, streams, <br />wildlife, native and forested habitats, that are managed for stewardship and conservation via best <br />management practices. These lands often provide opportunities for environmental research and <br />interpretative programs, in addition to low-impact recreational activities. <br />Garden-Gateway Parks provide landscape features along roads. <br />Around 64% of Everett residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park. Most North Everett residents <br />live within one-half mile of a park. South of 41st Street there are areas of the city where the distance to <br />a park exceeds one-half mile.