Old Capitol Site Bike Park Initiative
NEXT UP – Time to SHOW UP February 12
February 12 Parks & Rec Commission Meeting: 5:30pm @ Monterey City Hall
This is the meeting our MTB community has been waiting for. Parks & Recreation staff in collaboration with BFS Landscape Architects (the vendor the city hired to facilitate surveys and draft the site plan) will present an updated Old Capitol Site Master Plan to the Parks & Recreation Commission. Will the updated plan include bikes?!?!
If the seven-member commission approves the plan, their recommendation will go to Monterey City Council for final approval at a City Council meeting sometime in the coming weeks.
If the updated plan does not sufficiently include bikes, this meeting is our last chance to convince the commission that they should not approve the plan, and instead send it back for more revisions.
THIS IS WHY WE NEED YOU TO SHOW UP ON FEBRUARY 12
WE NEED TO FILL THE ROOM WITH BIKE PARK AND BIKE TRAILS ADVOCATES!!!
When the plan goes to City Council for final approval, we may have one last chance to convince council it does not satisfy the will of our community, and that they should kick it back to Parks & Rec for revisions. In anticipation of this City Council meeting, MORCA has already begun attending City Council meetings to frontload important context, research, and community input so council members can make an informed decision. You can read the letter we sent to Mayor Williamson, City Manager Uslar, and City Council Members.
MORCA’s reasonable expectation is that the updated plan puts bikes first to reflect nine months of community input including definitive survey results that demonstrate a clear majority opinion:
- Nearly 800 people responded to the City of Monterey’s surveys, significantly more than most city surveys
- These surveys clearly demonstrate: A) Next to walking and hiking, biking is the most popular activity among respondents, B) The overwhelming majority of respondents want to see a bike park and/or dedicated mountain bike trails in the Old Capitol Site Plan
As our MTB community has stated time and again: with no disrespect to hikers or walkers, they have unrestricted access to hundreds of dirt roads and trails within city limits. Bikes have zero access. This needs to be fixed, it does not reflect equitable access to nature within city limits. Surely, mountain bikers deserve part of just one of the city’s 37 park spaces.
If the city is going to spend time and money on a new park space, how can it justify spending money on more hiking trails before it spends money on bike resources that do not exist? More hiking trails will not result in any incremental social, health, or economic benefits for our community.
Increasing hiking access in the City of Monterey from 100 trails to 103 trails, for example, will have little to no impact on our community, but it will impact the city’s limited budget. Using those funds to create a new, dedicated space for a user group that has zero access will have an immediate and incrementally positive impact on our community. And in the long run, a bike park and dedicated bike trails will contribute to our local economy, community development, sustainable tourism, and multimodal transportation infrastructure.
What MORCA is Saying, and What We’re Hearing
Over the past nine months, MORCA and members of our MTB community have shared valid opinions and credible research that demonstrate the proven social, health, and economic benefits that mountain bike trails deliver, along with many other benefits. This is not hypothetical, it is a proven formula that is helping youth, adults, communities, and public lands across our state and nation thrive.
Those opposed to bikes in the Old Capitol Site Plan have three common complaints that can be easily and sensibly addressed:
- Bikes can’t share trails with others: Anybody who mountain bikes in Monterey County knows this is simply not true; most of us ride responsibly and coexist peacefully with all other trail users. But we do agree on one thing – dedicated bike trails would improve safety for all trail users and reduce user-conflict on other trails. If we create purpose-built MTB trails, those are the trails mountain bikers will gravitate towards.
- Bikes damage trails: The reality is, mountain biking has become a powerful force for conservation. In the context of modern trail building and trail maintenance, ongoing efforts to minimize environmental impacts and preserve open space are central themes for mountain biking. Examples include adopting trail designs which eliminate soil erosion, avoid sensitive habitat and archaeological areas, and protect streams and wetlands. Research shows that when trails are properly planned and designed, mountain bikers have no more impact on the natural environment than hiking and far less than many other recreational uses.
- The Old Capitol Site should be a sanctuary not a playground. Research and surveys show that most mountain bikers enjoy trails for the same reasons that hikers do; to immerse themselves in nature and get some exercise. Parcel 1 of the Old Capitol Site, the same parcel that MORCA is recommending for dedicated MTB trails, borders Highway 1 and sits a few hundred yards from a shopping center, hotel, and gas station. Our sense is, those who truly seek sanctuary in nature can and would find it elsewhere. Mountain bike trails can be integrated into the natural surroundings just like hiking trails can be.
The bottom line is, no user group should have a monopoly on every dirt road and trail within city limits. MORCA is not putting the burden of solving this inequity on the City of Monterey alone. We have offered support with funding, planning, building, and ongoing maintenance and we have recommended other reputable, high-impact community organizations that could be part of a community-wide initiative. We have also identified regional, state, and federal resources that could save the city time and money.
Providing a dedicated space for bikes and applying MORCA’s proposed use of the Old Capitol Site will satisfy stated goals within the City of Monterey’s Parks & Recreation Master Plan that more hiking trails simply cannot satisfy.
Our greater MTB community deserves trail access within city limits, and we deserve a seat at the table so we can have open and productive dialogue that honors the will of our community.
MORCA’S Proposal
MORCA proposes a balanced approach to this new park site that gives mountain bikers the dedicated space they deserve within city limits – dedicated space that improves safety for all trail users – while preserving the largest parcel for hiking-only trails.
This approach puts bikes in the parcels that already have fire roads which could easily be converted to safe, multi-use perimeter trails. It also allows the largest and most peaceful parcel that is furthest from Highway 1 with wetlands and the highest incidence of Special Species Status to be preserved for hiking-only trails.
Parcel #1 (mid-sized acreage)
- Utilizing existing fire roads, create a primary, multi-use perimeter trail that gives all trail users access to the upper reaches of property. *Designate this trail as “uphill only” for bikes.
- From higher points on the primary multi-use trail, create three dedicated bike trails of approximately 1 mile in length each for beginner, intermediate, and advanced riders that branch out to corners of the site and bring riders back to the main trailhead.
- These dedicated bike trails would include popular features like berms and jumps to attract riders, promote skills enhancement, provide an exhilarating ride, and keep bikes off other trails *Designate some or all of these trails as “downhill only” for bikes.
Parcel #2 (smallest acreage)
- Adjacent to the city’s proposed parking area, build a beginner/intermediate skills zone or beginner/intermediate loop trail(s) that cater to young and beginner riders. Include fun and safe skills features like bicycle balance beams and teeter-totters.
Parcel #3 (largest acreage)
- Dedicate all of parcel #3 – the largest parcel – for hiking-only trails
Our Community Has Spoken – BIKES BELONG in the Old Capitol Site Master Plan
- Bikes are prohibited on every dirt road and trail in the City of Monterey
- Hikers and walkers have unrestricted access to hundreds of trails – bikes have zero access
- Bike riders deserve at least part of one park space within city limits
- Mountain biking is more popular than ever – especially among youth
- The National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) develops mountain biking programs and competitions for more than 25,000 participating high school and middle school student-athletes across 32 states. How do our own children participate if they can’t even access trails?
- Local student-athletes were so determined to participate in NICA that they started their own composite team outside of school, but still they rely on being driven to accessible trails
- The Old Capitol Site is the ideal location for a bike park and dedicated bike trails, within riding distance to neighborhoods and close to safe, designated bike routes
- Cyclists of all ages and ability levels deserve a safe, dedicated space to ride
- Bike parks foster stewardship, community connection, youth empowerment, improved bike safety, skills enhancement, and even a boost to tourism
- Dedicated mountain bike trails reduce trail-user conflicts in other areas
- MORCA and our greater Monterey cycling community can assist the city by bringing funding, planning, building, and maintenance resources
- For additional information about the benefits of mountain bike trails, including valid and cited research, read the letter that MORCA sent to City of Monterey leaders
July 10 Meeting Recap & MORCA’s Stance Going Forward:
Our MTB community mobilized and showed up BIG TIME. Passionate, thoughtful, informative comments in support of a bike park filled the room and clearly had an impact on the Parks & Rec Commission. The city asked for public input, and they got it. Via the online survey and public meetings like this, our greater Monterey community has spoken overwhelmingly in favor of a bike park.
Parks & Recreation Department and Commission Need Our Ongoing Support
MORCA recognizes that our Parks & Rec Department and the commissioners are not trail-building experts nor conservationists. The presentation provided by BFS Landscape Architects, whom the city hired to support this phase of the project, made clear some of the environmental limitations of the property.
For city staff or commissioners who are less familiar with trail development, environmental limitations such as Special Species Status or meeting CEQA requirements could be perceived as insurmountable obstacles rather than opportunities. We need to continue supporting the Parks & Recreation Department and Commission as this initiative moves closer to review and (hopefully!) approval by the Monterey City Council… likely in August.
Safety Concerns Expressed by Hikers and Bikers
At the meeting, there were some concerns expressed by hikers regarding safety on shared trails but no overt concerns about the environmental impact of mountain bikes, which is affirming of both MORCA’s outreach efforts to date and the realities of modern trail building practices. Safety concerns regarding shared trails were also expressed by some members of the MTB community. Suffice to say that everyone on the commission and in the room supports dedicated trails for bikes.
Current Master Plan Concept Does Not Align with Community Input
MORCA is disappointed that BFS Landscape Architects did not present a master plan concept that included bikes, and clearly some of the commissioners were too. Despite our community’s input over the past few months and a clear majority in favor of a bike park, BFSLA presented the same concepts we saw on April 23. It felt like a dismissal of the community input they were hired to incorporate.
Contrary to one of the BFSLA presenter’s comments at the podium, moving to engage directly with the bike community does not mean the city has to then engage with everyone else all over again. With due respect to all our community, the surveys and public meetings served as engagement with our entire community. Now is the time the city should move forward based on that input. This means the next meeting and the final recommendation to city council for approval should be focused on a master plan concept that includes a bike park – our community has spoken.
MORCA Recommends Formation of Bike Park Advisory Council
Clearly, the Old Capitol Site’s environmental limitations make it suitable for trails-based recreation and not much more… and only on approximately 1/3 of the site. This should not deter the city from inviting our hiking and cycling communities to the table to draft a plan that reflects the will of our community and the potential of this incredible park site.
MORCA recommends that the City of Monterey establish an advisory council made up of stakeholders and subject matter experts that can help guide this project in line with our community’s will. We recommend hosting a workshop anchored by community input to date that allows for open conversation, ideas, and creative solutions to any limitations that exist.
BACKGROUND
The City of Monterey Parks & Recreation Department is developing the master plan for a new park space; a 135-acre parcel of forested land located across Highway 1 from the Del Monte Shopping Center. Initial plan concepts include hiking trails and amenities – unfortunately, bikes are not in the plan. MORCA is engaged with the city, but we need your help getting bikes into the proposed Old Capitol Site Master Plan.
According to city’s own surveys, biking is the most popular activity next to walking and hiking. However, bikes are prohibited on all dirt roads and trails within City of Monterey Parks. Bikes deserve a safe, dedicated space to ride and equitable access to trails within city limits.
The Old Capitol Site is in an ideal location for a bike park and fits naturally into existing bicycle infrastructure. Within safe riding distance to many neighborhoods, this site is just blocks from a designated bike route next to Munras Avenue. It also sits alongside a safe cycling corridor on Iris Canyon Road that connects to the Monterey Bay Recreation Trail via El Estero less than two miles away.
Bike parks foster stewardship, community connection, youth empowerment, improved bike safety, skills enhancement, and even a boost to tourism. Dedicated bike trails also reduce trail-user conflicts in other areas.
TAKE ACTION
Building a bike park takes community action and collaboration – but just one person can make a difference. MORCA encourages everyone to find a way to support the Old Capitol Site Bike Park – it won’t build itself!
Here are steps you can take to support the Old Capitol Site Bike Park:
- Spread the word far and wide through your own social network. MORCA will provide updates via social media and this web page.
- Consider submitting written (via email) or oral public comment at an upcoming Monterey Parks & Recreation Commission or City Council Meeting.
- Subscribe to Old Capitol Site Master Plan updates through the City of Monterey. Visit https://haveyoursaymonterey.org/oldcapitolsite to sign up.
- Consider sending a letter of support to Monterey City Council. The City Council will make the final decision about the Old Capitol Site Master Plan, based on recommendations from the Parks & Recreation Commission and the Parks & Recreation Department – and input from community members like you!
- Join MORCA to support our Monterey County trails community and all MORCA projects and initiatives.
UPDATES
- February 24, 2024: City of Monterey Old Capitol Site Plan Community Outreach Kick-Off Listening Session
- March 9, 2024: City of Monterey Old Capitol Site Plan Survey 1 of 2 OPENS
- March 27, 2024: City of Monterey Old Capitol Site Plan Survey 1 of 2 CLOSES
- April 23, 2024: MORCA Board Members and members at large attend Old Capitol Site Plan Update Community Outreach Listening Session to make public comment advocating for bike park and dedicated mountain bike trails within the Old Capitol Site Master Plan
- May 12, 2024: City of Monterey Old Capitol Site Plan Survey 2 of 2 OPENS
- June 6, 2024: Monterey County Weekly publishes story about the Old Capitol Site and MORCA’s advocacy efforts for bike park
- June 7, 2024: City of Monterey Old Capitol Site Plan Survey 2 of 2 CLOSES
- June 12, 2024: MORCA Board Members and members at large attend the Parks & Recreation Commission Meeting to make public comment advocating for bike park and dedicated mountain bike trails within the Old Capitol Site Master Plan
- July 10, 2024: Monterey Parks & Recreation Department present to Parks & Recreation Commission regarding public input and updated plan concepts
- July 11, 2024: In response to July 10 meeting, MORCA recommends that the City of Monterey form a Bike Park Advisory Council made up of stakeholders and subject matter experts that can help guide this project in line with our community’s will and with the project goals
- August 14, 2024: Monthly Parks & Rec Commission Meeting Cancelled
- September 11, 2024: Monthly Parks & Rec Commission Meeting Cancelled
- September 30, 2024: MORCA sends letter to Mayor Williamson, City Manager Uslar, and City Council Members requesting support for Bike Park Initiative
- October 1, 2024: MORCA attends Monterey City Council Meeting to make public comment re: Bike Park initiative
- October 9, 2024: Old Capitol Site Plan removed from Parks & Rec Commission Meeting Agenda; PRC states staff need more time to review
- November 5, 2024: MORCA attends Monterey City Council Meeting to make public comment re: Bike Park initiative
- November 13, 2024: Old Capitol Site Plan Removed from Parks & Rec Commission Meeting Agenda; PRC states staff need more time to review. MORCA attends meeting to make public re: Bike Park Initiative.
RESOURCES
Old Capitol Site Master Plan Project Schedule
