Clark County updates 20-year parks system plan, prioritizes acquisitions, trails and a new level-of-service approach

Clark County staff on Wednesday presented an update to the county's park system plan, saying the 20-year vision will integrate natural-area acquisition, a simplified regional trail network and a more comprehensive level-of-service methodology to guide future investments.

Jenny Coker, deputy director of Clark County Public Works, told the council the update aims to treat parks as infrastructure that delivers climate resilience, economic value and community health and that staff are aligning the vision with concurrent regional funding discussions led by division manager Ross Hoover.

Ross Hoover said the system plan is both a technical document and a community vision: it is renewed on a multi-year schedule for grant eligibility and is intended to guide how the county accommodates an estimated 180,000 additional residents over the next 20 years. "This work is about the future of our parks and natural areas and trails throughout the county," Hoover said, adding that staff want to "meaningfully coordinate and engage with community members and cities and partners throughout the county."

Lindy Wallach, who outlined the plan's current baseline, said the existing document was developed in 2021 and adopted in 2022, and that the county's present level-of-service calculation relies primarily on acres per 1,000 residents. Wallach and Hoover called that metric "blunt," saying it misses quality, amenities, accessibility and usage patterns; staff will consider alternatives such as facilities-per-capita, facility condition and operational funding per acre.

Kevin Tyler reviewed the county's Legacy Lands work and acquisition strategy, noting the program's multi-decade history and that the county has invested about $40,000,000 and conserved more than 5,500 acres since 1985. Tyler said staff will use GIS and a tiered approach to prioritize acquisitions—ranging from high-priority parcels that protect critical resources to longer-term preservation strategies that rely on partnerships.

On regional trails, Wallach said the county will simplify a sprawling 2006 corridor map into a set of clear regional corridors, coordinate across jurisdictions (including Vancouver and smaller cities) and identify three to five priority corridors for concentrated work. "Let's pick our top 3 to 5," Hoover said, urging partners and the public to help choose which corridors would be most beneficial.

The presentation also addressed several site- and partnership-specific questions raised by councilors. Hoover said the county's inventory includes roughly 500 acres within Camp Bonneville and that earlier site planning had identified about 1,000 acres as potential recreational space; staff expect to phase any future development or inclusion. He confirmed the county has been meeting with cities and that most have participated at staff or council level in planning discussions.

On funding, Hoover said the regional parks funding task team has met eight times, will meet once more in April and is finalizing a report that staff plan to present at the May 20 work session with findings and specific recommendations. "A visionary planning document is only achievable and implementable first by solving the funding challenges we're facing," he said.

Councilors urged staff to explore easements and other approaches that avoid outright purchase of land, and to coordinate with the Department of Natural Resources on lands that might be candidates for county-managed park or natural-area functions. The Chair also suggested placing high-value opportunities such as Tri Mountain Golf Course on the engagement list for site-specific analysis given gaps in parkland near Ridgefield and La Center.

Staff described a multi-pronged public engagement approach that will include targeted focus groups, community navigators and youth-specific outreach; Wallach said staff aim to broaden participation beyond the COVID-era process used for the 2022 plan. Transit access mapping and coordination with C-Tran were raised as potential tools to improve equitable access to county parks and trailheads.

Next steps: staff said they will return with a consultant contract, a public-involvement plan and more detailed proposals on level-of-service methodology, funding strategy and land-acquisition priorities. The funding task-team report is scheduled for the May 20 work session; staff said they will use the report's findings to inform funding options tied to the updated plan.