BOARD AGENDA MEMORANDUM
SUBJECT:
Title
Joint Use Trails on District Property: Status and Updates.
End
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
Receive information and provide direction to staff to proceed with the recommended outreach and next steps.
Body
SUMMARY:
At its May 23, 2017 meeting, the Board requested that staff present information and updates on the joint use of District property for trails. The following information was to be provided:
* Status of trail development along creeks within Santa Clara County;
* Balancing trail development with stream stewardship interests and the District's operational costs;
* Current collaboration efforts with cities on trails;
* Recent Board of Directors' involvement;
* Future outreach and next steps on trail-related topics.
Status of trail development along creeks within Santa Clara County
Over the last 35 years, trails have been constructed countywide along many creeks and rivers in Santa Clara County. Most of these trails were constructed upon maintenance roads (levees in some instances), recreational in nature and limited to daytime use. The District enters into joint use agreements with other public agencies to support and facilitate trail development and public access for recreational purposes on District property. As one example, the District and City of San Jose developed 35 miles of recreational trails since 2003. The District supported 70.89 miles of trails from FY01 to FY 13 and exceeded the Clean, Safe Creeks and Natural Flood Protection Program goals to provide 70 miles of trails along creeks within the south bay cities.
Challenges of balancing trail development with stream stewardship and District's operations
As the south bay region continues to develop and become more densely populated, there is increasing demand for additional trails, transportation corridors, bridge crossings and undercrossings, and inclusion of urban amenities such as artwork, kiosks, and lighting within the stream...
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