Resolution 4492 - Laserfiche WebLink

EXISTING AND PROPOSED TRAIL SYSTEMS IN EACH SUBAREA OF EVERETT PLANNING AREA SUB AREA 1: NORTH END Area Description/Features North Everett includes much of what people traditionally associate with the City of Everett--the working waterfront on Port Gardner to the northwest, the Snohomish river on the east, and the Central Business District in the center. 60% of the perimeter of north Everett is surrounded by water, giving Everett some of the best open space and trail opportunities of any city in the Puget Sound area. Municipal offices and services are located downtown, as are many city parks, the YMCA, and the Library. Residential neighborhoods within this subarea are older, denser, and more established than other areas within the city. At present, five neighborhood groups are organized in this subarea. They are: Northwest Everett,Northeast Everett, Bayside, Greater Riverside, and Port Gardner. Neighborhood level trail plans should be added to each neighborhood's masterplan, as they are updated. Currently there are four elementary schools, one junior high school, and one senior high school within this subarea. Above all, north Everett functions as the urban center, offering many opportunities for a coordinated trail network. Existing trails Several adopted plans, along with the existing sidewalk system, provide a potentially broad based system linking the downtown area with the rest of Everett. The existing proposals have been commissioned at different times over the past 25 years. At present, however, few of the proposed trails have been constructed. The need for safe bicycle/pedestrian linkages between downtown to the harborfront and riverfront has been the primary goal. Currently, topographic changes and years of port-side industry have made pedestrian and bicycle connections difficult. The existing plans provide a network of trails allowing easy east-west bicycle access, directly connecting the Port Gardner waterfront to the Snohomish River trails. North-south connections are also included to link residential and commercial areas with the Central Business District. Plans for a perimeter trail are in place, emphasizing Everett's integral connection to water. The perimeter trail would begin at Bond Street, continue north along West and East Marine View Drive, travel through the eastern industrial sector and end at the proposed Rotary Riverfront park in subarea 2. The trail will connect several view parks with Lowell Riverfront Park and provide access to Snohomish County river trails. The only portions of this trail currently in place are signed bicycle lanes beginning south of Legion Park, continuing north around Alverson Boulevard to the Highway 99 overpass. The other constructed trail within this subarea is the Langus Riverfront Nature trail. Phase 1 of the trail was dedicated in April, 1991, and provides a separated bicycle/pedestrian loop around the Everett wastewater treatment facility and along the Snohomish River. This trail offers both recreational and interpretive components, providing access to the estuarine sloughs which meander throughout the area. An interpretive trail on Jetty Island is accessible during the summer by a shuttle system operated by the Parks Department. W:\PLANNING\TRAILS\COMP96.DOC 12