Parks board forwards trail master plan to council, urges wider paths and intercity coordination

The Rockwall Parks and Recreation Board voted unanimously to forward a draft trail master plan to City Council with the board’s comments, including requests for wider trail widths where feasible, landscaping and coordination with neighboring municipalities.

Travis, a City of Rockwall parks staff member, said the plan is intended to guide future trail, sidewalk and hike-and-bike routing to improve connectivity across the city and to surrounding communities. "The goal would be able to walk from the North End of Rockwall all the way to the South End," he said, stressing continuity to schools, parks and regional attractors.

Board members pressed staff for clearer information on what trails currently exist versus what is proposed and asked about coordination with Fate, Royce City and Hunt County. A member of the strategic planning committee told the board trails were among the top community priorities gathered in outreach. Jenny, a Parks and Recreation Board member who moved the recommendation, emphasized landscaping and cross-jurisdictional coordination in her motion.

The board approved the motion 7-0 and asked staff to include the board’s comments when the plan is forwarded to council and when staff reviews future development proposals for compliance with the plan. Staff said the trail master plan will be a living document posted on the planning department website and used in development reviews.

Next steps: staff will post the plan, return to council with the board’s recommendation and provide follow-up materials showing existing vs. planned trails on a future schedule.