The Fairbanks Borough is in the early stages of updating its Comprehensive Plan and now is the time to speak up for trails and greenspace.
The borough recently released a survey. It is available online and will be open for submissions until February 28 (extended to March 2 at 11:59pm). While the questions offered don’t have anything to do specifically with trails and greenspaces, there is a place to comment at the end. You are limited to 1000 characters (including spaces), but that’s enough to let your voice be heard. (See my comments below.)
Take the survey HERE.
About the Comprehensive Plan
The plan is a “a big-picture guide” for the next 20 years, covering things like housing, land use, economic development, and transportation. All those things have some relation to trails and greenspace.
A plan like this is so huge it seems overwhelming, but don’t be intimidated. Just think of what you would like the borough to look like in 20 years. Feel free to comment with a big brush. You can comment on all the things you want to include in one comment, or you can comment on issues one at a time in different, focused comments. Right now, planners just want to get a sense of what’s important to borough residents.
To find out more about the Comprehensive Plan and to comment, go to this PAGE.
The Survey
Here’s a message from the borough about the survey:
To better understand how interested Borough residents are to potential implementation ideas that either the FNSB or the larger community can take, a short, 10-minute survey was developed around five of the major drivers. The survey tests how respondents feel on a scale of 1-7 with 1 being strongly opposed to 7 being strongly supported. Topics include ideas around energy, housing, safety, the military, and land use conflicts.
The survey is available online and will be open for submissions until February 28, 2026.
Paper copies of the survey are available at the FNSB Community Planning Department located in the Borough Administrative Building at: 907 Terminal Street in Fairbanks
My Comments on the Survey
Here’s what I submitted for my comments on the survey. I also include non-motorized transportation, which is another passion of mine.
I would like to see an emphasis on trails, greenspaces and non-motorized transportation.
These encourage people to get outdoors and exercise, important for our physical and mental health. Trails and greenspaces make it easier for people to access natural resources, offer a place for local tour operators and draw visitors here to experience Alaska’s wilderness.
Non-motorized transportation infrastructure encourages people to move in ways that give them exercise. It also reduces air pollution, automobile traffic, the need for parking, and wear and tear on roads.
The comprehensive plan should encourage:
–Overall spacing of greenspaces and trails so that they are easily accessible to neighborhoods and places of work.
–Connections between our existing trail systems.
–Developed trailheads with ample parking and signage.
–More separated and/or protected infrastructure for non-motorized transportation.
–More infrastructure that makes youth cycling safer.
My original comment was much longer. I finally pared it down. This comment leaves about 20 characters.
Take the survey HERE.
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