Greenways: Connecting Communities Regionally


Greenways: Connecting Communities Regionally
Heather E. McCartney, AICP and Judy Lorenzo	© & Author Info

Abstract

Greenways have had a strong presence on the eastern seaboard for many decades. In the past twenty years in Washington state, seemingly unrelated actions have resulted in the arrival of greenways. Washington is now home to 56 state legislatively designated Scenic Byways. Their contribution to planning in the next millennium lies in their potential to increase community involvement and economic viability. Public and private sources are contributing funding while citizen volunteers are assisting with construction and beautification projects. The enthusiasm shared is one way to re-energize communities, and to have them work collaboratively regionally.

Introduction

The breath of planning continues to expand into interdisciplinary issues well into the new millennium. Implementing growth management, responding to the intent of the Endangered Species Act and corridor management are examples of these expanded planning responsibilities. Because the greenways, byways and scenic routes in our state transcend typical local jurisdictional boundaries, planners have the opportunity to consider key issues for communities that are often not covered by traditional comprehensive planning.

When local planners participate in the implementation of a Corridor Management Plan, amazing and often pleasant surprises begin to emerge. In many corners of our state, small communities are being re-energized. It might be with the help of a multi-use rest area - visitor center born by a public-public and private partnership. It could be a viewpoint overlooking a wildlife viewing area, understanding of how wetland mitigation and wildlife corridors impact highway safety, or it might be providing some historical or geological context to visitors on the route. The byway may highlight the "pearl" of each community, thereby creating a string of unforgettable memories.

Viewed in the larger context, suddenly jurisdictional boundaries fade and the corridor is the thread that weaves through many patchworks of local land use, creating the harmony that supports common goals and multiples the benefits yielded from the bridges constructed.. Some of these bridges are for motor or pedestrian travel, while the majority of the human connections are invisible to the eye. They are the backbone of a strong community, strong visions, and the makings for strong citizen involvement and cooperation - they are the bridges of trust, communication and partnership.

A New Planning Approach

Multi-jurisdictional, interdisciplinary issues that cross many boundaries seem to be the level at which numerous problems need to be resolved today and into the future. The Endangered Species Act and its focus on the restoration and preservation of our salmon is a more recent and far reaching issue of this nature. Corridor management planning requires a similar "birds eye view" or aerial shot along a regional corridor and this makes it a model worthy of applying in tackling this tough issues.

In last millennium transportation corridors were our rivers. Then with the advent of rail and later the automobile, our railroads and highways naturally followed banks along the rivers. Corridor management evaluates attributes beyond the highway and right-of-way. It often includes the very fish bearing rivers and adjacent upland forests we so diligently try to plan for in our local comprehensive plans as we examine many elements, evaluate their inter-relationships, and balance competing interests.

The public wants to participate more actively and to have their input considered.. They need to know, as we are all so aware, that the "planner" is really listening and including their input in reports, documents and actions. Citizens want to provide their input in a in a variety of ways, not just at meetings. However, facilitating citizen input and having it weighed equally across traditional boundaries of county lines and city limits continues to be a challenge.

What are "Greenways"

A Greenway that is a designated byway will come in many sizes, shapes and colors. They are often located along a transportation corridor. They can be known by many catchy names, which really only serve as a traveler recognition tool. Their name often communicates a bit about the region you are passing through. More importantly they are lineal in nature. They traverse railroad rights of way, highways, rivers and streams. They are the result of a group of individuals sharing a common interest in the character or sense of place the corridor will have into the future.

Highways are the most common corridor that introduces our community and create the first and lasting impression of our towns. Through this window we don't often see the most significant, unique or beautiful attributes our scenic communities have to offer. Community planners are struggling to maintain or create unique community identities, rather than letting them become "strip highway" - an America with the ubiquitous corporate gas stations, fast foods, chain motels, strip commercial, regional banks and used car/RV lots. Often the only way to reach our destination of scenic views, is to drive highways with a barrage of electronic signs competing for our tourist dollar. We numb ourselves into a catatonic state in order to survive this chaos. Once through the strip highways we can actually feel ourselves relax and stress is relieved. But it takes an effort to promote "softening connections".

Can a greenway's corridor strategies help establish identities that differentiate communities while linking them together into a string of pearls, to tell an interesting regional story? We think this is possible, since each city or town has an identity, shaped by intrinsic values in the natural landscape and from a history of human settlement. By identifying the important values or attributes the community determines how to preserve or enhance these assets and then must visually present these attributes to both residents, businesses and visitors. Knowing the unique attributes along our communities and byway, also helps to draw us closer to the beauty and history of the area, and allows us to belong to the community and to express our concerns about stewardship.

Most of the communities along the corridors chosen for this paper need stronger economic bases, and an ability to maintain and attract new businesses, residents and tourists. The citizens from these communities have also chosen to approach the corridor management process through citizen initiatives (grass roots organizing) versus the approach taken by the well know Mountains to Sound Greenway effort that was organized through political and business leaders.

Each greenway effort is unique in how it is being accomplished. Thus it is hard to replicate another using the same blueprint. The process requires a strong commitment to the concept, not unlike other planning and public involvement processes. The benefits of bringing residents together to consider the broader needs of the region and to consider the similar issues and values, has greater benefits and lasting value. Towns along the corridors are trying to set design standards and signs regulations that will allow their town to redevelop gracefully. This is often necessary when the stakes are so high in order to attract the tourist industry. However, we feel the effort is well worth the lengthy process that takes planners out of our singular community perspective and forces us to broaden our technical skills and vision of planning.

Public-Private Partnerships

Why are public-private partnerships a growing trend in addressing community needs. Their significance lies in their being built upon volunteer efforts. Partnerships maximize volunteer efforts over a sustained period of time and because they focus on results. Most volunteers are result driven, they want to contribute over a short period of time (i.e. one day) for a specific project.

The most successful partnerships create and maintain a balance between private property owner's rights and concerns, the continued operation of extractive resource companies (timber, mining and energy), state and federal resource management agencies responding to political, constituent or user needs, advocacy or tourism groups, local governmental jurisdictions, and the public-at-large. The concept of partnerships has become more common place in achieving community goals and a way to bring more rewarding and long lasting results. The bridges to successful partnerships are trust and communication. This is the bridge for planning in the new millennium.

Greenways in the Pacific Northwest

In the past twenty years in Washington state, several seemingly unrelated actions by state and local officials have resulted in a "Heritage Corridors Movement" or what is more commonly called "the arrival of the Greenways in the Pacific Northwest." Preservation of open space, interpretation of significant historic sites, recognition of geologic hazardous areas, completion of the interstate system, location of high-tech and bio-tech industries in Puget Sound, and the decline of the timber and fishing industries are just a few of the ingredients which led to taking a broader look at issues. People began to look at linear green spaces as a resource. No longer did they just look at the mountain range, but suddenly they were concerned for roadways that traverse over them and about the watersheds and habitats making up the mountainsides and valleys.

The Yakima Greenway

The Yakima Greenway, running parallel to the Cascade Mountains and down into the fertile agricultural valleys of eastern Washington was one of the earliest greenways in Washington. Its success is measured in the number of bicyclists and pedestrians that utilize the trail system and by the fact they reclaimed their riverfront and created a new living room for the city and a hallway to eastern Washington's wineries, vineyards and orchards.

The Mountains to Sound Greenway

The Mountains to Sound Greenway, along Interstate 90, now designated as a National Scenic Byway, is the state's major interstate artery to Puget Sound, and links Seattle's metropolitan area to the western edge of cattle country and the City of Ellensburg, long famous for its annual rodeo. Nearly eight years later with twist and turns, they are recognized as a leader nationally for their innovative approaches to land preservation through land exchanges.

Scenic Byways

Washington is now home to some 56 state legislatively designated scenic byways. They go by names such as the Lewis and Clark highway (the Columbia Gorge), the Cascade Loop - made up of four greenways which takes a traveler through some of the most scenic wilderness areas of the North Cascades, the North Pend Oreille Scenic Byway - the state's wheat heartland, and the Coastal Corridor - Washington's coastal highway. Each is filled to the brim with adventures for all ages and different interests - including many targeted markets, such as museum enthusiasts, wildlife observers, fisherman, white water rafters and vacationers.

Corridor Management

Two very different places in Washington - one legendary (Mount Rainier) and another that has yet to be discovered will be used to highlight the challenges facing the integration of corridor management planning into a community's traditional efforts of comprehensive planning and economic development. Gratefully, these communities are not having to do this alone. Washington State's Corridor Management Program targets federal and state dollars to these local efforts, while requiring only a 20 percent match from state, local or private sources.

The two featured greenways have encouraged cooperation of communities along their routes, and addressed special interest needs. Both efforts have had to address multi-county issues that span both sides of the Cascade Mountains, in rapidly growing areas north and south of Seattle, in addition to the agriculturally based foothills in Eastern Washington.

Both corridors are feeling the impacts of rapid development and the need to diversify their economic base through increased tourism. The citizen boards also are having to wrestle with increasing travel demand on these routes and the widening of these highways for safety and capacity reasons. Will the choices be limited? Will widening damage the traveling experience that is afforded by a two lane road?

The Mather Memorial Parkway - Traversing Chinook and Cayuse Passes from Enumclaw to Naches

Since Seattle is known for its breath taking views of Majestic Mount Rainier, we decided to traverse the sometimes slippery slopes to the Mather Memorial Parkway. This parkway is one of only nine All American Roads in the nation. You will discover how the once cloaked hood of the City of Enumclaw, is now lively and extending itself to embrace the agriculturally based community of Naches. Can improvements be done in keeping with the high standards of the National Park Service? The communities think so and all along this route they are working to develop broad based support for future improvements that will maintain the special character of this national asset.

The Stevens Pass Greenway - Connecting Salmon and Apple Orchards (Everett to Wenatchee)

The Stevens Pass Greenway, is home of the Iron Goat Trail (the passageway of the continental railroad to the Pacific Ocean - the Great Northern Railroad), world class rock climbing and whitewater kayaking opportunities, and European town of Leavenworth. This greenway is a segment of the Cascade Loop which has been a successful effort in the tourism market. The effort along this route is very different than that of the Mather Memorial Parkway, since property rights is a preeminent issue. The Advocacy group has committed to balancing property rights and preservation.

Challenges

The importance of these varied byways lies in the impact they are having, on increasing public involvement in community and regional planning. This is a form of voluntary growth management at its best, because the citizens and elected officials are able to make a significant difference in their community's future. Thus, planners that get involved not only help create the blueprint, but are integral in finding funding and creating collaborative partnerships that solve community problems and get projects completed. When there is a direct tie to helping a community thrive, citizens are interested in contributing to the effort, whether it be with collecting data, sharing ideas and helping make decisions. Their enthusiasm generates momentum for the vision, concepts and projects. Re-energizing communities and the public process goes a long ways in getting property owners and residents involved. This movement is also slowly having a positive impact upon traditional planning. The process of establishing a greenway and developing a strategies in a Corridor Management Plan, is an indicator of whether planners can effectively help communities balance competing interests. Like any process they are unique to each situation. The likely-hood of getting everything right, or pleasing everyone the first time around is not foolproof. It's a process that requires refinement and must be flexible to match those involved while responding to unforeseen situations. One of the greater hurdles to developing a more integrated process will be to try and sync-up Corridor Management Plans with Comprehensive Plans. Without this the process can create a disconnect for communities. Most small communities can not afford both in volunteer time or in local dollars to have any of their planning processes point in different directions. To make this happen the Corridor Management Plan must be a more specific extension of the numerous comprehensive plans of each jurisdiction along the corridor.

Both the Mather Memorial Parkway and Stevens Pass Greenway are suffering from traffic congestion within communities. Until recently the Department of Transportation would only address capacity by widening or bypassing communities. While the smaller communities along the corridors are also trying to figure out how to capture some of the tourism dollar flowing by them on a daily basis, they are also trying to reduce sign clutter and the indiscriminate growth of subdivisions out into their rural communities. This may appear to some residents to be conflicting goals, but in fact they come into sync when tourism is put into the mix of goals. Tourism in the Pacific Northwest is based on our natural beauty and interesting history and quality built environments will determine whether tourism can be sustained.

Another challenge facing small communities is the need to get involved in corridor management when often they do not have a staff planner. Then, if the town is able to afford one planner, their time is taken up with current planning/development review. A concerted effort by board members and by town representatives to be actively involved can help bridge this gap.

Creating a non-profit group and developing a Corridor Management Plan typically takes several years. This stymies the groups momentum since it is hard to identify projects citizens can participate in early-on in order to show successes. Early success generates the momentum needed to get community residents involved and committed to tackle the more difficult problems. There is one very important item to remember, these advocacy groups have no regulator powers and no on going source of funding. These their strength lies in partnering with local communities and helping to access state funding.

Greenway advocacy groups also have to be savvy enough to know how write grant applications. Often the greenway advocacy groups do not have paid staff. Since the small communities don't typically have experienced staff in grants writing, the advocacy group needs to be able to handle these tasks as a partner.

When professional planners are involved on an on-going basis with the corridor management planning process, it is more likely that community plans will sync up with comprehensive plan, regulatory code and capital efforts. But, don't sit back and hope you will be extended an invitation to participate in your local effort, find out what is happening, contact the advocacy group, express an interest and get involved.

Heather E. McCartney, AICP
Planning Director, City of Mukilteo, WA
Stevens Pass Greenway Boardmember and Former President
4480 Chennault Beach Road
Mukilteo, WA 98275
(425) 355-4141, ex. 226
Fax (425) 347-4544
email: hmccartney@ci.mukilteo.wa.us

Judy Lorenzo
Washington State Heritage Corridors Program Manager
WA State Department of Transportation
POB 47393
Olympia, WA 98504-7393
(360) 705-7274
Fax (360) 705-6839
email: lorenzj@wsdot.wa.gov

Greenways:Connecting Communities Regionally