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The Paradise Coast Trail (PCT) will connect Naples to Bonita Springs, Collier Seminole State Park, Ave Maria and other areas within and beyond Collier County. It will expand transportation options, improve health and wellness, reduce our carbon footprint and provide a destination to experience the Paradise Coast's unique beauty. The PCT will drive quality of life and healthier lifestyles, yield economic benefits to the county, increases property values, and enable greater safety for walkers, runners, recreational and commuter bicyclists.
We have partnered with Rails to Trails Conservancy and hired consulting firm Kimley-Horn to help us bring this vision to reality. Rails to Trails even selected the Paradise Coast Trail as a Priority Trail. Click here to see their endorsement of the project and read the case study. The Collier County Metropolitan Planning Organization adopted a resolution endorsing the project. NPC applied for a Local Legislative Funding Request for the estimated cost of the study with the encouragement and sponsorship of Senator Kathleen Passidomo. We were thrilled when Governor DeSantis signed this $250,000 funding into the budget for the 2020/2021 fiscal year! The Feasibility Study and Environmental Review began in June 2021. You can read the project charter here. Over the subsequent 12 months, engineers collected and inventoried data, conducted public outreach, and developed an action plan. The Final Pathway Report and Feasibility Study is now complete! This report is now the guide to develop the Paradise Coast Trail. For an easier download, you can click on the Appendix and the Pathway Report separately. Many of the miles of the Paradise Coast Trail are tied to road improvement projects or development of new roads in eastern Collier County. We have champions in the Collier Metropolitan Planning Organization and Collier County Transportation who understand the importance of this trail. The economics of trails are well-documented. Three Central Florida trails were estimated to have a regional economic impact of $42.6 million annually. Greenways, sidewalks, and bicycle facility construction create 17 jobs for every $1 million spent, which has a more substantial employment impact than any other type of transportation facility. NPC has been working diligently to fast-track the trail's development and not wait on the typical improvement project time frame. We successfully shaved five years from the planning process through our fundraising and the Legislative Funding Request. We are grateful to Collier County and the City of Naples for contributing to the required $100,000 Local Match, demonstrating broad community support for the PCT. We understand that just about all State and Federal funding opportunities require local matching funds. To avoid missing out on any possible money coming to our area, we will continue fundraising to assist with local match requirements and move this project along faster than the norm. We invite you donate today so we can all be walking, running and biking on the Paradise Coast Trail in our lifetime, and leave it for future generations to enjoy!
Check out the great press the Paradise Coast Trail has been receiving:
NPC would like to acknowledge all of our incredible donors who are helping us to create safe, bikeable, walkable communities in Collier County and supporting the efforts to fast track the 70+ mile Paradise Coast Trail! Watch the WINK News story from January 24, 2022. |
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