Harrison • Brackenridge • Tarentum
Joint Comprehensive Plan
Key Item #3
Table of Contents
Trails, Parks, Riverfront and Recreation
H-B-T Comprehensive Plan – Key Item #3
Background
The three Allegheny River Valley communities share several important assets and characteristics:
- Riverfront access
- Parkland
- Sidewalks and connectivity
- Trail planning
- Engaged citizens groups that assist with recreation planning
All of these are valuable and important to the communities and create a basis for additional opportunities that could have even greater impact. Therefore, this section of the comprehensive plan represents both “strengths to build on” and “problems to solve.”
The Strengths
- Existing parkland
- Riverfront potential
- Historic and Cultural Assets
- Fish and Boat Commission launch area
- County Park
- Sidewalks
- Trail planning
- Three Rivers Water Trail
- Recreation Committees
The Problems
- No integrated plan for connecting community assets
- Lack of coordination of recreation
- No coordination of park planning
- Under-emphasis of Harrison Hills Park and ALSCO Park
- Lack of open space conservation and planning
- Limited river access
Looking Ahead
We feel that the communities can benefit from increased community connectivity and the assets of river access, riverfront views, parkland and recreation. Next steps should include efforts that:
- Coordinate an approach to planning of park assets and use of parkland
- Coordinate recreation initiatives, programs, events and services
- Plan multi-municipal connectivity and trails within the three communities and with external destinations or routes. This network should include associated features such as wayfinding, promotion, programming, and connection with other community assets.
- Capitalize on river access and riverfront views, which potentially can be a factor for all three communities as they pursue social enterprise, community and economic development goals.
- Recognize parks, greenspace, watersheds and the river as potential learning centers
- Embrace conservation and preservation of open space, greenspace and natural systems or potential planning for an eco-district.