Southeast Greenway Campaign Good News

Community Rights, News, Public Lands / April 21, 2020

Southeast Greenway Campaign Good News

Taylor Mountain Park Addition to Provide Connectivity
with SE Greenway

We want to share the good news reported in the March 30th Press Democrat. Sonoma Land Trust, in partnership with Sonoma County Regional Parks and Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District, has acquired a 54-acre addition to Taylor Mountain Regional Park and Open Space Preserve, extending the park closer to neighborhoods in South Santa Rosa. In addition to providing people with an easy access to Taylor Mountain, it will also protect important wildlife habitat near Cooper Creek, a tributary of Matanzas Creek.

According to Regional Parks Director Bert Whitaker, future park plans call for 17 miles of trails in Taylor Mountain Regional Park including a mile-long connector to the Cooper Creek addition. In the article Whitaker says that he is “particularly excited” about the long-term prospects of how the addition might fit in with the Greenway Project. “In my mind, that’s one of the really big things about this, is it really fulfills that goal we have of connections between open spaces throughout the county, with good regional trails.” Read the full article here and be sure to watch Sonoma Land Trust’s wonderful short video, which is embedded in the article: https://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/10862729-181/addition-to-taylor-mountain-park?artslide=1&sba=AAS.
 

City Council Requests Special Designation
for Southeast Greenway
On April 7, the Santa Rosa City Council approved a request to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and the Association of Bay Area Governments to designate the Southeast Greenway as a Priority Conservation Area, known as a PCA. PCAs are locations designated for the protection of natural habitats, restoration, public access and the preservation of open space for future generations.

Established in 2012, a program was formed to tap federal funds to maintain MTC’s commitments to regional transportation priorities while also advancing the Bay Area’s land-use and housing goals. MTC has created an opportunity to support parks, green spaces and recreation specifically in a program called OBAG (One Bay Area Grant program).

Specific projects within designated PCAs may be eligible for future funding through the OBAG program. Currently there are 17 PCA’s in Sonoma County, which are all located in unincorporated areas of the County. If ABAG approves the designation, the Southeast Greenway will be the first PCA within city limits. To date, OBAG has provided Sonoma County with $3.25 million.

We want to give a shout out to City Staff and City Council for recognizing the importance of this designation and the future opportunities it will provide for Greenway funding. We will keep you informed on the application status.

Sonoma Land Trust, a 501(c)3 public charity, is the fiscal sponsor of the Southeast Greenway Campaign. Contributions to the Southeast Greenway Campaign are fully tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.