LGA is a program of Community Open Land Trust
Mission:
Creating greenway corridors and trails throughout Lexington County, encouraging healthier lifestyles; providing transportation options to surrounding destinations and offering opportunities for environmental conservation and education.
HEALTH BENEFITS
A region’s trail network will contribute to the overall health of residents by offering people attractive, safe, accessible places to bike, walk, hike, jog, and skate.
Trail networks create better opportunities for active lifestyles. The design of our communities affects people’s ability to reach the recommended 30 minutes each day of moderately intense physical activity (60 minutes for youth).
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Physical inactivity causes numerous physical and mental health problems, is responsible for an estimated 200,000 deaths per year, and contributes to the obesity epidemic”
ECONOMIC BENEFITS
Apex, NC: The Shepard’s Vineyard housing development added $5,000 to the price of 40 homes adjacent to the regional greenway – and those homes were still the first to sell.
Front Royal, VA: A developer who donated a 50-foot-wide, seven-mile-long easement along a popular trail sold all 50 parcels bordering the trail in only four months.
Morgantown, WV: The 45-mile Mon River trail system is credited by the Convention and Visitors Bureau for revitalizing an entire district of the city, with $200 million in private investment as a direct result of the trail.
Tallahassee, FL: The Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Office of Greenways & Trails estimate an economic benefit of $2.2 million annually from the 16-mile St. Marks Trail
Pittsburgh, PA: Mayor Tom Murphy credits trail construction for contributing significantly to a dramatic downtown revitalization.
Case studies performed by the U.S. Department of Transportation have shown that trails increase the property value of adjacent real estate, can provide tourist income for communities, spur the development of new businesses, increase sales tax revenues and create new jobs to serve trail users.
CONSERVATION BENEFITS
Greenways can provide for mitigation of flooding, protection of water quality, conservation of wetlands, and protection of wildlife habitat.
Savings from reduced flood damage claims can offset the expense associated with the establishment of a greenway system.
Improving surface water quality in streams by preserving the floodplain can benefit numerous forms of wildlife that depend on streams for their habitat and improve water quality of surrounding watershed.
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