§ 25-373. Jefferson Parish Greenprint results and strategic action recommendations.

The maps in the report are based on the goals and criteria listed in the Jefferson Parish Greenprint model tables. Each goal is translated into an opportunity maps. The maps are color-coded based on the criteria weights that when overlaid identifies where the Parish can most efficiently and effectively direct human, financial, and restoration activities to meet Greenprint goals:

Dark Red = High Priority

Dark Orange = Moderately High Priority

Orange = Moderate Priority

Orange-Yellow = Moderately Low Priority

Yellow = Low Priority

The map summaries provide more detail into how each map can be used for decision-making purposes, as well as provide strategic action recommendations for implementation to achieve a particular goal. Synergy among the maps exists, and implementing one (1) strategy in one (1) goal often improves opportunities in another.

These maps provide an objective representation of Jefferson Parish's valuable natural resources. In reading these maps, it is important to note that they are showing areas of opportunity for new trails, new parks, natural resource protection, and that they are not land-use prohibitions. In all cases, we recommend that private property rights be honored by:

• Maintaining existing zoning and land use designations even if properties are coded as high opportunities.

• Utilizing only willing seller land acquisition programs.

• Employing the full measure of conservation tools, including

• Fee Simple Land Acquisition;

□Conservation Easements;

□Purchase and Transfer of Development Rights.

• Instituting landowner incentives, such as

□Above-Minimum Considerations for Greenspace and Trail Development;

□Expedited Permitting Procedures for "Smart Growth" Developments.

For landowners, these maps provide a guide for how to act responsibly and grow the community with a sustainable environment in mind. From a smart growth perspective, these maps may be helpful in:

• Identifying future areas for restoration when redevelopment occurs;

• Directing growth toward less sensitive areas by transferring development densities away from lands needed for storm mitigation, water quality or recreational connectivity;

• Siting required water storage and greenspace features in areas identified as important to meet those goals;

• Planning for new recreation facilities to meet level of service standards near new development;

• Targeting areas for beautification to enhance business retention and recruitment.

Jefferson Parish Greenprint Model Model Criteria
Goal	Criteria	Criteria Weights	Notes	Data	Data Source
Improve Park Equity and Access	Park Equity	62%	Using known locations for rights-of-way and parks, this model identifies gaps in trails and parks service areas, and ranks the landscape on demographic need (kids, low household income, and density) within those service area gaps. Service areas are 1/8 mile for parks less than 1 acre and ¼ mile for greater than 1 acre. This is a dynamic analysis that uses the road network to determine if a population area is served by a park. It looks at barriers, such as interstates and highways.	Playgrounds Municipality Parks Park Access Locations Trials Jefferson Parish 2000 Demographics	Jefferson Parish NORPC/TPL TPL NORPC Claritas
	Identify Park gap for team sports	28%	Using known locations for rights-of-way and parks within the unincorporated area of the Parish, this model identifies gaps in parks with team sport capacity and hierarchically ranks the landscape on demographic need (density) within those service area gaps. Service areas are 1 mile for parks with many team sport facilities and ½ mile for parks with one team sport facility. This is a dynamic analysis that uses the road network to determine if a population area is served by a park. It looks at barriers, such as interstate and highways.	Playgrounds Park Access Locations Trails Jefferson Parish 2000 Demographics	Jefferson Parish TPL NORPC Claritas
Identify Park gaps in commercial/industrial areas	10%	Using known locations for rights-of-way and parks within the unincorporated area of the Parish this model identifies gaps in trails and parks service areas within commercial and industrial zones and ranks the landscape on demographic need within those service area gaps.	Playgrounds Park Access Locations Trails Zoning (Commercial/Industrial Areas) Jefferson Parish 2000 Demographics	Jefferson Parish TPL NORPC Jefferson Parish Claritas
Protect and Restore Wetlands Outside Levee	Expand marshes in front of levees on lake front	26%	This result ranks lake front marsh areas in front of the levee as important areas.	Marshes	LPBF - Coastal Line of Defense Program
	Protect Coastal Wetlands	31%	This result ranks coastal wetland areas outside the levee and outside the urban growth boundary as important areas.	Land Cover Areas Outside The Levee Urban Growth Boundary	Louisiana GIS 2007 TPL Jefferson Parish
Protect Floodplains	16%	This result ranks floodplain areas outside the levee and outside the urban growth boundary as important areas.	Floodplain Areas Outside The Levee Urban Growth Boundary	GeoComm TPL Jefferson Parish
Protect Barrier Islands	27%	This result ranks barrier islands as important areas.	Barrier Islands	ESRI Street Map
Provide Connectivity	Connect Parks Trails, Schools	80%	This result ranks a 100-foot corridor linking trails, schools, parks as priority areas. The model assessed barriers, such as crossing the interstate, and also prioritized linkages between the river and the lake, as well as between the east and west banks.	Canals Roads Without Highways and Interstates Trails Schools and Colleges Parks Designated Streets	Jefferson Parish TPL NORPC Louisiana GIS 2007 Jefferson Parish Jefferson Parish/TPL
	Connect wildlife corridors	20%	This result ranks areas within undeveloped areas near existing wetlands and forested areas as important corridors for connecting wildlife habitat. Corridors that cut across private property were excluded.	Land Cover	Louisiana GIS 2007
Identify Access	Identify access to lakefront	38%	This result ranks 100 foot buffer areas around potential lake front access locations as important areas. Access locations were identified using aerial photography and consist of vacant property.	Lake Front Possible Access Locations	TPL
	Identify public boat launch area on Grand Isle	11%	This result ranks 500 foot areas around potential public boat launches on Grand Isle as important areas	Grand Isle Possible Boat Launch Locations Grand Isle Access Location	Louisiana GIS 2007 TPL
Identify access to river and waterways	30%	This result ranks undeveloped lands identified through aerial photography with potential access to waterways as important areas. Access locations were identified using aerial photography.	Waterway Access Points	TPL
Identify access to barrier islands	11%	This result ranks access to the barrier island (Isle Grand Terre) as important areas. 5=2.75-4.15 4=4.15-6.15	LIDAR_DEM	NORPC
Identify ferry access across river	10%	This result ranks 500 foot areas around existing boat and ferry landings for potential ferry access as important areas.	Landings for Ferrys	Louisiana GIS 2007

 

(a)

Opportunities to improve park equity and access . The improve park equity and access map assesses the distribution of park and recreation facilities and identifies gaps in people's ability to access them. The areas highlighted in red show the most immediate needs to fill those gaps to provide active recreation opportunity, such as community centers, ballfields and playgrounds, close to where people live. The areas in orange take a longer-term view, but illustrate the need for planning now to address deficiencies that serve future development and commercial/industrial centers.

This greenprint model examines access to park and recreation facilities from three (3) different viewpoints:

Equity — this layer looks at where parks are located compared to where the least-served populations live. All parish and municipal parks were used to measure equity.

Team sports — this layer looks only at unincorporated area parks, because the cities require proof of residency to participate in team sports programs. This model shows gaps in team sports opportunities based on population density in the unincorporated areas.

Business retention and recruitment — this layer looks at the opportunity to create pocket parks, plazas and scenic areas within commercial and industrial areas in an effort to improve business retention and recruitment. Parks and recreation are quality of life factors in business location decisions, and often show up within the top five (5) factors of why businesses moved or established in an area. Employees look for places to eat lunch outside, walk for exercise, and for beautiful places to bring respite to their work days.

Recommended implementation strategies.

• The Jefferson Parish Parks and Recreation Department should compare the park equity gaps with the Louisiana Recovery Authority's Road Home properties turned over to the parish as sites for new parks and recreation facilities that will not require public funds for acquisition.

• The Jefferson Parish Economic Development Commission (JEDCO) should incorporate findings of the Jefferson Parish Greenprint into the Quality of Life element of the JEDCO Edge 2020 economic development plan. Currently, flood protection, crime abatement and beautification have been identified as quality of life measures. The provisions of parks, recreational open spaces, trails and greenways, and waterfront access are missing from that analysis. The greenprint identifies specific areas to support connectivity and recreational opportunities in commercial and industrial areas.

• While the greenprint identifies areas for new park creation based upon socio-demographic characteristics and connectivity, the Jefferson Parish Parks and Recreation Department should conduct further assessment of the distribution of recreational facilities, including basketball courts, tracks, community centers, athletic fields, playgrounds, and swimming pools to determine the desired level of service to meet future recreational needs. This step will require a recreation interest survey of all parish residents and businesses. This tool coupled with the greenprint will provide the planning mechanism for growth of the parks system.

• The parish council and the Chamber of Commerce should create a vehicle for an Adopt-A-Park program to address local/neighborhood park development, operations and maintenance, and security needs.

• Maintaining and improving the parish's tree canopy represents a key objective of the Envision Jefferson 2020 plan. To meet this objective:

• The parish parks should serve as points of distribution for public information materials on types of trees to protect, beneficial plantings for homeowners, and requirements for adopting neighborhood tree ordinances.

• The parish web site should include a section about urban forestry and beautification programs.

• The parish should partner with Friends of Jefferson the Beautiful, the Tree School and LSU's Cooperative Extension Service to increase public information regarding urban forestry and beautification programs.

• The parish should target key neighborhoods for increasing awareness of tree protection regulations in place in certain neighborhoods to further opportunities for tree canopy preservation.

Park Equity and Access Map available from Jefferson Parish Planning Department

(b)

Opportunities to provide connectivity . The opportunities to provide connectivity map highlights key priorities for the creation of a comprehensive greenways and trails network that maximizes existing public rights-of-way and roadways. This model assessed barriers and the most cost effective way of connecting existing trails so that neighborhoods would be better able to access the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain, parks and preserves. The trails also serve to promote alternative modes of transportation (pedestrian and bicycle) to commercial areas.

Recommended Implementation Strategies.

• The Chamber of Commerce's Bicycle Commission should serve as the citizen-driven committee to prioritize greenway segments, to apply for non-government grants, and to seek corporate and foundation support and sponsorship. Representatives from the Parish's Public Works and Parks and Recreation Departments, Louisiana Department of Transportation (LaDOT), the municipalities, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Drainage Departments, the Levee Districts and the Utility Companies should serve on the Chamber's Bicycle Commission to provide technical support and follow through with implementation of the comprehensive greenways system.

• The parish public works department should work with LaDOT to create pedestrian access points to the riverfront as part of the design program for the widening of the Huey Long Bridge.

• The parish planning department should work with the regional planning commission to include the parish greenways system within the regional bikeways plan.

• The parish council and administration should adopt new guidelines for its streets program to incorporate principles that improve pedestrian and bicycle safety, encourage physical health and improve the beauty of the parish. The complete the streets coalition (www.cOmpletestreets.oRg) provides examples of the guidelines, such as wide sidewalks, designated bicycle lanes, wide shoulders, additional crosswalks, refuge medians, bus pullouts, audible pedestrian signals and sidewalk bulb outs.

Provide Connectivity Map available from Jefferson Parish Planning Department

(c)

Opportunities to increase access to waterfronts . The identify access map focuses on opportunities to improve access to waterfronts. The areas identified along Lake Pontchartrain and the Mississippi River focus on areas to access the levee trail system for pedestrians. Areas identified in the southern part of the parish provide opportunities for improved access for pedestrians as well as boaters and paddlers.

Recommended implementation strategies.

• The Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) should build trails on the hurricane protection levees and along flood walls to provide improve connectivity as well as waterfront access. In these areas, too, when the integrity of levees and floodwalls is not compromised, the ACOE in concert with the East and West Levee Districts should plant shoreline vegetation that naturally filters water, provides for wildlife habitat protection and restoration, and improves the visual beauty.

• The Parish should incorporate trails and platforms along its drainage canals to create waterfront access.

• The parish should assess street ends, rights-of-way, and batture areas in neighborhoods along Lake Pontchartrain and the Mississippi River for walk-to-access areas for those residents. Areas of greater public visibility that can support increased infrastructure for walking, biking or driving should be assessed for waterfront access.

Identify Access Map available from Jefferson Parish Planning Department

(d)

Opportunities to protect and restore wetlands outside levees . The protect and restore wetlands outside levees map focuses on prioritizing wetlands for protection and restoration that could further minimize damage from storm events. The areas along Lake Pontchartrain show opportunity for restoration in the future, or where current landowners can improve the viability and health of wetland systems.

Recommended implementation strategies.

• The State Levee Boards, the Louisiana Recovery Authority, the Coastal Protection Restoration Authority, and the ACOE should coordinate efforts with the support of environmental groups, such as Save America's Wetland, Coastal Erosion Agencies, Restore or Retreat and the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation to identify and secure additional funding sources for the acquisition, restoration and protection of the wetlands.

• The parish should make the implementation of the parish coastal zone management plan one (1) of its top priorities for funding and implementation.

Protect and Restore Wetlands Outside Levee Map available from Jefferson Parish Planning Department.

(Ord. No. 23686, § 1, 11-4-09; Ord. No. 24734 , § VII, 4-30-14)