Thornton Parks and Recreation Open Space Master Plan

Charlier Associates, Inc. was part of a consulting team that originally integrated Thornton’s existing parks and open space plans into a vision for developing a continuous local and regional trail network. In 2000, our firm developed initial GIS planning and mapping tools for the community, a functional classification system to organize and plan for future facilities, and a uniform set of design standards for trails and associated amenities. In 2012, CAI was retained to update the Parks and Open Space Master Plan (POSMP).

The current effort, led by Studio CPG, includes a large revision/addition to the trails chapter to incorporate a vision for developing a Heritage Trail system, address Thornton’s new Complete Streets policy, and integrate on-street bicycle facilities with the community’s robust offroad trail network.

The expanded focus addresses a wider variety of user types and needs, revises POSMP facility classifications, and focuses on priority project implementation within key corridors. Our work brought together various City departments to craft a new, unified approach for enhancing bicycling and walking in Thornton by comprehensively addressing Infrastructure/Traffic (complete streets initiatives), City Development/Planning (new neighborhoods and private projects), and Parks/Open Space (trails planning).