Connect Ada Trail Plan

PROJECT SUMMARY: Since 2006 Ada Township—a growing suburb of Grand Rapids, Michigan—has built over 15 miles of trails, providing safe access for walking and bicycling between residential neighborhoods, schools, and public parks. Non-motorized infrastructure in Ada Township is funded through a 0.5 mills annual property tax (“millage”). With its Trail Network Millage up for renewal in 2020, Ada Township contracted Nelson\Nygaard and Progressive AE to develop the Connect Ada trail plan. Connect Ada is the township’s plan for improving non-motorized connectivity and safety through a prioritized list of projects, to be funded by the 2020 Trail Network Millage renewal.

Through the Connect Ada planning process, Nelson\Nygaard supported the Township trail committee in formulating a vision for the plan, conducted a situation analysis of existing opportunities and barriers, and documented existing conditions. To get input from the public on trail system needs and prioritization of projects, Nelson\Nygaard facilitated two public workshops and an online survey, engaging over 300 residents. Public voting was combined with five additional quantitative evaluation criteria to prioritize 26 proposed trail projects for future investment decisions. In addition, Nelson\Nygaard produced a neighborhood crossings and signage toolkit, providing tangible references for best-practice designs and applications. Nelson\Nygaard also forecasted trail fund revenue scenarios based on alternative tax rates to support the Township’s understanding of what projects could be supported at different tax rates.

The Connect Ada trail plan provided Ada Township a clear vision and menu of options to put before voters in their 2020 trail fund ballot measure. The plan provides voters clarity on what trail system improvements their tax dollars would fund, and informs Township staff on the opportunities and trade-offs in future trail investment decisions. The Trail Network Millage renewal was approved by voters on August 4, 2020, with 67.2% support.

TEAM: Nelson\Nygaard and Progressive AE

ROLE: As a member of Nelson\Nygaard’s project staff, I led project task development for all stages of the Connect Ada planning process. This included drafting all written deliverables for project, conducting a situation analysis, documenting existing conditions, facilitating in-person and online public engagement, developing and applying quantitative evaluation criteria, forecasting trail fund revenue scenarios, and producing maps and graphics.

TOOLS USED: ArcGIS; Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator and Indesign); Google MyMaps and Streetview; SurveyMonkey; Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and OneDrive