Surrounded by wetlands and wilderness, properties that make up the Greg Cuoio Park & Greenways remain largely undeveloped, which is why the Lacey Board of Park Commissioners commissioned a Master Plan to provide improvements in the area.
What is designated to become Lacey’s largest park is located on both sides of Carpenter Road, north and west of Britton Parkway.
HBB Landscape Architecture’s project consultant Juliet Vong presented alternatives during the Board of Park Commissioners meeting yesterday. These changes are a part of the Greg Cuoio Park & Greenways Master Plan which will guide the board’s eventual recommendations to the Lacey City Council.
The Master Plan anticipates multiple phases of work to make accessible the 537-acre combined Greg Cuoio Park, Pleasant Glade Park, and Palm Creek Headwaters. The project is located between the Crossroads and Hawk’s Prairie neighborhoods, north of I-5.
During the meeting, Vong explained the three alternatives for the Master Plan. The project consultant made it clear that the development process is not about choosing the best alternative, rather, it is about finding the perfect balance between the three alternatives.
“We developed three alternatives, A, B, and C, but we actually presented different variations of elements with each concept, and we are trying to be clear that we are not asking anybody to pick a concept. We are asking you to tell us what you like or don’t like about each concept and we will facilitate a discussion. Because at the end of the day, our job is to create a preferred concept,” Vong shared.
The entire presentation is attached to this story.
Park access and trails
Currently, the staff plans to create a connected trail network, with primary access along Carpenter Road and secondary access. While the staff plans to add additional access points, these would be limited to smaller neighborhood trails.
Based on staff recommendation, each of the alternatives will have a primary and secondary path, parking area, and maintenance facility. The staff is also considering whether to recommend extending 31st Avenue.
Recreational activities
For recreational activities, the city plans to build an 18-hole disc golf course, with a possible additional 18-hole expansion for a gold-level disc golf course. The new developments would also feature a picnic area, a mountain bike trailhead, and play area.
In terms of recreational activities, Vong explained that for the A alternative, they plan to add the following facilities:
For the B alternative, the city plans to add the following facilities
For the C alternative, the staff proposes to build:
Community feedback
To gain more insights and community feedback, the Board of Park Commissioners reviewed the partial results of the city’s online survey for the Greg Cuoio Park & Greenways Master Plan. Based on the results, 40 percent of residents expressed their desire for less developed parks. Most of the respondents also shared that they valued nature, and they also find it important to maintain the biodiversity in the area.
18 percent of the respondents also mentioned that they would like to have more access to paved trails for biking and walking, and unpaved trails for hiking. The partial results also showed that 24 percent of the respondents wanted a disc-golf course among all the other proposed recreational activities. Based on an earlier survey, disc golf is proposed in all three alternatives.
Shift in direction for Lacey Parks
Lacey has, in the past, been in the park acquisition mode. Now we’re shifted to development and usage, to get people using the parks, according to Jen Burbidge, Director, Lacey Parks, Culture & Recreation Department.
Survey available now
City staff invites comment on whether to build disc golf courses, ziplines, tree houses botanical gardens or more.
The online survey for the master plan is available until Sunday, August 15. Residents are encouraged to share their insights.
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Tractor1
Ambitious plan -- just how do the Parks Dept. staff propose funding the costs of the development including the loss of property tax revenue now the area is exempted from property taxes? This is a major proposal that needs careful study yo minimize the impacts on the publics pocketbooks.
Saturday, August 7, 2021 Report this