By Jane McClure
The Como Regional Park Long-Range Plan will soon be en route to Metropolitan Council for final review and approval.
Metropolitan Council action is needed because Como is a regional park. Having the plan in place sets the stage for future funding and improvements including changes to streets and trails, modifications to the pavilion, added lighting and park fixtures, wayfinding improvements and other changes. Plans are meant to shape a park’s development for 20 or more years.
The city council vote ends more than two years’ work on the plan. Work began in January 2022 with schematic design. That was followed by community engagement and work on a draft plan. The final document was completed in May of this year, with parks and recreation commission review and an approval recommendation this summer.
Como is the largest and most visited regional park in the city. It had almost 3.8 million visitors in 2022 and 4.5 million visitors in 2021.
The last long-range park plan was completed in 1984. Plan goals implemented include the Lexington Parkway reroute, adding pedestrian spaces near the pavilion, turning East Shore Drive into a one-way street, and adding native vegetation along Como Lake.
The new draft plan is more than 70 pages long. It includes an overview of past history and current park conditions, and details the many groups the plan was shared with. The plan also draws on an array of city plans, ranging from the 2040 comprehensive plan to the climate action plan.
The draft plan gives detailed demographics about park users and what activities are enjoyed at the park. One key point is that the park needs to be designed for users that are becoming older and more diverse.
The new draft plan identifies opportunities and issues in the park, and outlines future projects and how those should be prioritized. Enhancing lake water quality and improving safety and accessibility for all park users are emphasized.
PAVILION CHANGES
Not all of the changes have unanimous community support. Pavilion changes are seen as forcing some longtime users out of the facility.
Priorities were ranked. Highly ranked are changes to the trail system ($894,000), possibly consolidating trails, removing unneeded pavement, resurfacing and widening paths where needed and improving access to the lake’s shore and other features. Increasing pedestrian lighting and adding benches, bike parking, picnic tables and drinking fountains where needed would cost $900,000.
Also ranking highly is the idea of planting and maintaining trees for shade ($85,000) and adding more native plantings ($20,000 per year). That is joined by seeding and stabilizing the shoreline with native planting to reduce erosion ($20,000 annually). Various safety and accessibility improvements at trail crossings and transitions has a price tag of $950,000.
One of the most costly high priorities is that of updating and changing the lakeside pavilion, at a cost of $38.4 million. Another big ticket high priority is considering the closure and/or removal of East Como Lake Drive to improve water quality and bicyclist/pedestrian safety, at a cost that could reach $12 million.
One medium priority that is already being implemented is to add more seasonal programming at the park. An example, which has costs to be determined, is grooming trails for winter sports.
Other medium priorities include implementing two-way bike traffic along the Grand Round route and around the lake ($14.5 million), improving wayfinding signage ($680,000), incorporating stormwater best management practices in park improvements ($66 million). Designing paths for improved snow plowing is a medium priority with no cost attached pending further planning.
More medium priorities include working with public works to improve sidewalk connections to the park at a cost of $3.1 million, and adding seasonal restrooms to meet demand. The latter priority has costs ranging from $12,000 to $1.2 million.
Low priorities include connecting incomplete trail segments on the west side of Lexington Parkway and adding a trail connection to the golf course club house, and a sidewalk along Beulah Lane ($568,000). Another low priority, which also no cost estimate, is to reserve areas for unprogrammed green space.
Additional low priorities are updating Nagasaki Road to provide more space for an off-street pathway and improving the intersection at Como Avenue ($1 million as a stand-alone project and $6.8 million when paired with other improvements). Other low priorities include various bicycle accommodations including storage and e-bike charging stations ($120,000) and amenities for recreation options such as disc golf, skills park, bike pump track, fitness stations, pickleball courts and a dog park ($65,000 to $800,000). Yet another low priority is public art, which has no cost attached.
Several projects are outlined but aren’t ranked. One of those is to acquire the area south of Jessamine Avenue to support facilities on the west side of the park, at $422,000. The land is owned by the BNSF Railroad.
Other unranked projects include expansion of the parks operations and maintenance facility ($3 million), improve parking area ($380,000), constructing a warming house for winter activities ($1.92 million), conducting a cultural landscape study ($500,000), updating the path from Chelsea Street ($590,000), providing a path connection to the Wolf Lot ($60,000) and increasing seating at Como Pool ($166,000).
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here