Greenways Program

The Tallahassee-Leon County Greenways Program was created in late 1993. The original goal of this program was to build a community-wide greenways system intended to protect and manage riparian corridors, floodplains, and other environmentally sensitive areas, as well as scenic areas, vistas, places of historic and cultural significance, and native plant and animal habitat. This program also sought to connect greenways and parks to neighborhoods, schools, shopping, and work destinations through a system of shared use paths and trails.

This program has had many successes since its inception. Using a combination of donations, grants, and other funds, approximately 7,463 acres worth an estimated $67.3 million have been voluntarily acquired as of early 2013 using $21.6 million of local funds. (The 502-acre Miccosukee Greenway and the 876 acre J.R. Alford Greenway were acquired by the State of Florida, but are managed by Leon County.) There are several greenway acquisitions that have not yet been opened to the public, pending funding for improvements such as parking areas and trails. However, several of these projects are currently underway as of early 2013.

Planning Process

The first edition of the Tallahassee – Leon County Greenways Master Plan, adopted by the Tallahassee City Commission and Leon County Board of County Commissioners in July 2004, was intended to provide guidance to local government for the continued implementation of environmental land acquisition activities to protect large-scale ecosystems, water quality, and floral and faunal habitat, and to provide passive (resource-based) recreational areas for residents and visitors to the Tallahassee/Leon County area. The Greenways Master Plan implements Policy 6.1.3 of the Conservation Element in the Tallahassee - Leon County Comprehensive Plan:

Policy 6.1.3:[C] (Effective 6/25/9; Revision Effective 7/20/05)

Local government shall prepare specific management plans for lands acquired, preserved, or otherwise included in the greenways network. The management plans shall address natural resources protection, public access, recreation, education, and opportunities for economic development that is complementary to maintaining the network. The management plans shall identify the anticipated costs and departments responsible for implementation of the plans.

Since adoption of the original 2004 Master Plan, local goals have shifted from acquiring new lands to connecting and adding amenities those lands already in public ownership. To that end, the draft 2013 Tallahassee – Leon County Greenways Master Plan Update describes 29 proposed greenway trail projects, including trail length, surface, width, related improvements and amenities, and an estimated cost. The total length of all proposed trails is approximately 139 miles (78 miles within unincorporated Leon County and 61 miles within the City of Tallahassee). These proposed trail projects originated from the 2004 Plan, Blueprint 2000, the Leon County Department of Public Works (including the Division of Parks and Recreation), and City of Tallahassee’s Department of Parks, Recreation, and Neighborhood Affairs. Previous public input was also considered in each of these organizations’ submittals, and a public meeting of user groups and other organizations and individuals was held on March 14, 2013 to review the proposed projects and to solicit additional proposals for evaluation. Invited groups for this meeting included 1,000 Friends of Florida, the Capital City Cyclists, the Southern Trail Riders, the Tall Timbers Land Conservancy, the State Office of Greenways and Trails, the Gulf Winds Track Club, the Council of Neighborhood Associations, and the U.S. Forest Service. Additional input has been gathered from neighborhood associations, Visit Tallahassee, the Chamber of Commerce Leads Group 8, and the City/County Bike-Ped Working Group.  Additional comments on the proposed Master Plan Update are welcome.

The 2013 Tallahassee – Leon County Greenways Master Plan Update is scheduled for adoption by the Leon County Board of County Commissioners and the Tallahassee City Commission at their regular meetings on May 14 and May 22, 2013, respectively. Any changes to the adoption schedule will be posted on this website. If you plan to attend, please check back to verify the meeting date has not changed.

If you have any comments on the draft Plan, please submit them in writing to:

Stephen M. Hodges, AICP
Senior Planner
Comprehensive/Environmental Planning
Tallahassee - Leon County Planning Department
Renaissance Center
435 N. Macomb Street
Tallahassee, Florida 32301
850.891.6408 work
850.891.6404 fax
Email

Where are the Greenways?

Information on parks and greenways managed by Leon County
can be found on the Leon County Government website.

Information on parks and greenways managed by the City of Tallahassee
can be found on Talgov.com.