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SUB AREA 5: SOUTH POINT Area Description/Features The South Point subarea encompasses all areas south of Highway 526, east of Airport Rd., north of 128th St. And west of I-5. The subarea is comprised of a mix of medium to large multiple family complexes, the Everett Mall area, Evergreen Way commercial corridor, single family neighborhoods and industrial development near Airport Road. Several industries are found in this subarea, including GTE and Fluke Manufacturing. Two regional parks are also found here-- Kasch Park and W.E. Hall Park--which provide ballfields and a golf course. There are six elementary schools, one junior high school, one high school and one alternative high school. Sno-Isle Skill Center is located near Walter E. Hall Golf Course. The Everett Mall, at the eastern portion of the subarea, offers a logical destination from points west. Due to industrial expansion, the demand for residential development is increasing. The residential areas themselves are in transition, as higher density developments replace lower density residential housing. At present, there are only two neighborhood groups--Walter E. Hall and Cascade View. Despite the anticipated growth, little attention has been given to community and neighborhood parks and trails. There is a definite need for both community and neighborhood parks and trails. The need for both commuter and pedestrian trail systems will continue to increase as time goes on. This subarea has the largest population of all 6 subareas. Existing trails Few official trails exist in this subarea, despite its flat topography which is advantageous for commuter bicycle travel. The long, straight distances with few stoplights provide optimum conditions for fast, efficient commuting. Bike lanes along West Casino Road have been constructed between Evergreen Way and Airport Road. The 1972 Everett Comprehensive Plan identified Evergreen Way as a designated bicycle route. A section of Holly Drive has widened shoulders to facilitate bicycle transport. Comments from the 1991 Boeing expansion Environmental Impact Statement indicate, however, that this route is considered unsafe by some due to the narrowness of the street and the high traffic volumes. Bicycle and pedestrian safety is an important factor to this subarea due to the number of destinations and quantity of traffic passing through each day. While the residential tracts generally have sidewalks, few crosswalks exist to allow pedestrians across roads which are frequented by high speed traffic. Proposed trails The potential exists to create a well used trail system to take pressure off the roadways. Trails within this subarea will have a strong commuter focus, linking bus stops, park and ride lots, and regional trails. This plan recognizes the need for many additional trails, in addition to existing linkages. More east-west routes are needed to provide alternate commuter routes which avoid concentrating the impacts in one neighborhood. The grid layout of this area makes this task easier. North-south linkages are needed to connect subareas#2 and#3 to the Interurban Trail at 112th Street SW, and the southernmost linkage at 128th Street SW. Improvements to Evergreen Way and Everett Mall Way, making them more bicycle friendly would provide fast, convenient access to popular commercial areas. Health-promoting pedestrian thoroughfares should be developed in the industrial area for use, given the number of people working here during the day. W:\PLANNING\TRAILS\COMP96.DOC 19