The Josephine Planning & Zoning Commission voted to recommend the draft Parks and Trails Master Plan to the City Council after a presentation by consultants from Kimberly Horn & Associates.

The plan, presented Oct. 16 by Ignacio Mejia and Anna Raider of Kimberly Horn & Associates and introduced by city planning staff Miguel McGill, outlines a strategic framework for parks, trails and open-space priorities, documents public engagement and identifies funding and timing steps the city can use to apply for state and regional grants.

Kimberly Horn representatives described the plan as a strategic tool to guide future parks and trails development as Josephine grows. "This is a strategic plan that really guides a community for future development of trails, parks for your community," Ignacio Mejia said. Anna Raider explained the plan's structure and community input, noting the team held an open house and an online survey to shape priorities: "We hosted an open house in conjunction with the opening of the new community center. There were around 50 total participants...the survey had 123 participants and about 35 fully completed surveys." The consultants said survey responses emphasized natural areas and open space, more walking and biking trails, and shade and seating.

The draft includes an inventory of existing parks and trails, a level-of-service analysis using national benchmarks and regional trail standards, and an implementation matrix. Key findings the consultants reported: Josephine has about a 13-acre park acreage deficit within the city limits for 2024 and, using a 4% growth projection, that deficit could grow to roughly 25 acres by 2040 if no new parks are added. The plan estimates total trail mileage in the city limits and extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) at 3.39 miles, but only about 0.5 mile lies inside the city limits; recommended minimum trail width is 8 feet for multiuse paths. The presentation also highlights opportunity areas such as railroad right-of-way corridors and floodplain greenways for trail connections and neighborhood parks.

Consultants and staff emphasized the plan’s role in unlocking grants. Mejia said Texas Parks and Wildlife Department grant programs and other regional funding sources look for an adopted plan as part of eligibility. The consultants noted some grant cycles open in August and others in February, and that the plan may support revisions to parkland dedication or fee-in-lieu policies.

Commissioners asked about scope and next steps, including whether grants apply to ETJ properties (staff said eligibility depends on the grant), maintenance responsibility for new facilities (staff said HOA-owned parks remain the HOA’s responsibility; city-maintained parks would be the city’s responsibility), and whether private HOA parks were included in the inventory (consultants said they were included but noted many are not publicly accessible, making the city’s deficit estimate conservative for residents without HOA access). One commissioner noted the draft’s detail and thanked staff and the consultants for community engagement.

After discussion, the commission moved and seconded a recommendation to forward the draft parks and trails master plan to the City Council for adoption; the motion carried by voice vote.

The consultants said they will incorporate commission feedback and present the plan to council at a public hearing scheduled for Nov. 10. The plan document and the appendix include full open-house materials, the survey results and an implementation matrix with priority levels and estimated cost ranges.