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Preliminary 10-minute walk-shed map shows downtown and Olympus gaps; staff to test park sites
Summary
City planner presented preliminary 10-minute walk-shed maps showing limited park access in downtown and a coverage gap in the western Olympus neighborhood. The commission asked staff to refine access points, test potential park sites (including Sylvan Park), and consider density and elevation in a phase‑two analysis toward the comp plan goal of 100
Brandon, the city planner, told the Community Activities Commission on Nov. 12 that an initial 10-minute walk-shed analysis — defined as “everywhere you can reach within a 10 minute walk, about a half a mile from our existing parks” — shows clear gaps in park access across the city.
The maps, prepared with a consultant, identified three main findings: the downtown core has limited walking connections to parks, a western portion of the Olympus neighborhood lacks trail or park connections leaving a coverage gap, and the previously proposed Sylvan Park site shows gaps in level-of-service that support further study. "This looks at everywhere you can reach within a 10 minute walk, about a half a mile from our existing parks," Brandon said when previewing the maps.
Commissioners pressed staff on technical details and next steps. Chair Nathan Sticks asked how consultants determined walk-time start points and urged staff to check whether known local trails were included. Brandon said the team was updating access points around Lake Boren and that missing access nodes can change parcel coverage calculations: if an access point is omitted, the model assumes residents must walk to a more distant access point and coverage shrinks.
Discussion included whether the 10-minute standard is the right benchmark and which factors should be added in a second phase. Commissioners asked for population density overlays and elevation adjustments to show where steep terrain or low residential density mean the metric is less useful. Brandon said those items were intended for a phase-two analysis and recommended testing a small set of potential park or trail sites to identify locations that would produce the greatest increase in walkable access.
The planner framed the work as an input to decision-making on trails and potential park siting rather than a final policy: staff will refine the dataset (add missing trail access points and correct mapping around Lake Boren) and then run scenarios that place new parks or trail connections where they would most increase coverage. He noted the comprehensive plan’s long-term aim of near‑100% walkable park coverage by 2044 and recommended using the maps to prioritize sites for potential acquisition or easement conversations with homeowners’ associations or neighboring jurisdictions.
Next steps: staff will correct access points identified by commissioners, bring back refined maps, and test candidate park sites (including the Sylvan Park parcel) to show the likely change in walkable coverage. The commission did not take a formal vote on park siting at the Nov. 12 meeting.
