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Parks department says 10‑minute walk coverage in Boise rose to about 73% since 2017
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Summary
Parks staff updated the commission on the city’s 10‑minute walk to a park initiative, saying coverage rose from about 60% in 2017 to roughly 73% in 2025, adding about 30,000 residents through park purchases, donations and partnerships.
Parks staff told the Boise Parks and Recreation Commission that the city’s 10‑minute walk to a park initiative has expanded park access from roughly 60% coverage in 2017 to about 73% in 2025, adding park access for roughly 30,000 residents.
Sarah Arkel, Parks Resources Superintendent, briefed commissioners on acquisitions and partnerships that contributed to the increase, saying the initiative—launched in 2017 in collaboration with the Trust for Public Land—remains the department’s guiding principle for park property acquisition. “Our commitment, today as it was in 2017 is to provide every family with access to a park or an open space reserve within a 10 minute walk of their home,” Arkel said.
Arkel outlined several recent actions the department said contributed to the gain: a Northwest Foothills purchase of 29 acres for about $630,000 from open space and clean water levy funds; a land donation at Goddard Road that will become a linear park adjacent to Capital High; a 2023 below‑market purchase in a high‑need area; Primrose Park’s conversion, which the department said added more than 2,000 residents to coverage; and a West Boise acquisition that city staff said will open this spring as the Peaslee Stairway Connection, which the department estimates provides almost 2,000 nearby residents safer walking and biking access to Anne Morrison Park and the greenbelt.
Arkel said the Trust for Public Land helped develop a matrix of socioeconomic and demographic criteria used to prioritize acquisitions, including population density, underserved household density, communities of color and environmental‑justice considerations. She also described the funding approach: the department seeks a combination of open space levy money, impact fee dollars, general‑fund allocations, neighborhood investment grants, donations and philanthropy to acquire and then develop park sites.
When a commissioner asked about the Peaslee Stairway opening timeline, Arkel said the department is awaiting contractor fixes and final inspections and is “really hopeful that we’ll be able to open up in the next month,” but cautioned weather and construction factors could affect that schedule. Arkel closed the presentation by saying the city will continue to evaluate high‑need areas—singling out West Boise, Southwest Boise and Southeast Boise—and pursue opportunities to add small parks or safe connections.
The department’s presentation ran as an informational update; no formal action or vote on policy or funding was recorded during the meeting.
