Piedmont Greenway Master Plan - Town of Kernersville

OVERVIEW AND INTRODUCTION
Since the first city was founded in the heart of the Piedmont, the region has been recognized as one of
the best places to live in the South. The region’s popularity stems from the natural amenities of the Piedmont,
combining the friendly atmosphere of small towns such as Kernersville and the cultural activities of the larger
cities of Winston-Salem and Greensboro. Tourists and other visitors come to see a wide range of attractions,
such as Old Salem Village and Wake Forest University, and many choose to make Forsyth and Guilford counties
their permanent homes, creating a growing urban area.
The development of a comprehensive greenway system will enhance the region’s natural amenities.
Greenways are linear corridors of natural land that serve a variety of purposes, especially when trails are
developed within these corridors. As an alternative transportation route, tourist attraction and natural
resource corridor, a central continuous greenway in Forsyth and Guilford counties affords important
connections between workplaces and homes, shopping areas and neighborhoods, parks and schools,
historic sites and hotels, rivers and ridge tops and lakes and valleys. A central greenway developed as a
continuous link between the cities of Winston-Salem and Greensboro will bring further recognition to
the region for its quality of life. Greenways have also been proven to attract new business.
Today, many of the features that drew new families to the region are threatened by growth and development.
With few exceptions, the region is not a friendly place for bicyclists or pedestrians, especially in
recently developed areas. Once it was easier and safer to travel on foot or by bicycle between neighborhoods
and such destinations as local schools, parks, shops, restaurants and businesses. Today, these connections
have been severed by the development of highways, unsafe intersections, sprawling land uses (increasing distances
between destinations) and other automobile-oriented hazards that serve as physical and psychological
barriers to bicycle and pedestrian travelers. To reach the city from either Greensboro to the northeast or Winston-Salem
to the southwest tourists must negotiate strip commercial development and four-lane roadways, an
unattractive prospect even for motorists. Tourists are often forced to remain in their cars instead of bicycling
or walking around the area. Encouraging tourists to use bicycles or to walk will generate more tourist revenue
for local businesses.
Not only have connections between popular origins and destinations in the region been severed, but the
community’s physical connections to its rivers and ridges have been limited. Many residents are unaware
of the existence of the region’s lakes and creeks, even though they may drive across them on a regular basis.
Encroachment by residences and businesses on these waterways has led to water quality degradation and
increased the potential for flooding. The parks serving the region offer residents and visitors excellent outdoor
recreation opportunities, including trails along the major sites of Salem Lake, Lake Brandt and Lake Higgins.
However, continuous public open space within the central core of the counties is minimal.
Additionally, as is common in many other urban areas throughout the country, Forsyth and
Guilford counties are beginning to experience the problems that accompany rapid growth, including
increased traffic congestion, diminishing air and water quality, a loss of wildlife habitat and
natural lands, and fewer close-to-home recreational opportunities.
Responding to these growth problems, the Piedmont Land Conservancy (PLC) asked
Greenways Incorporated to assist the communities of Forsyth and Guilford counties in developing
a Piedmont Greenway Master Plan. Prior to the initiation of the Master Plan, PLC is already at
work in both counties and the region, negotiating with landowners to acquire land for greenways
and other purposes.
Greenways Incorporated is a nationally recognized multi-disciplinary environmental planning
and design firm that specializes in providing consulting services to government agencies, for-profit
corporations and nonprofit organizations. Their chosen professional focus is greenway planning,
design, development and management and they have provided services to more than 120 communities
in 28 states. Chuck Flink, the president of the firm, participated in the development of the
Bethabara Greenway in Forsyth County and the Bicentennial Greenway in Guilford County prior to
the firm’s producing the Piedmont Greenway Master Plan.
In association with local residents, the cities of Winston Salem, Greensboro and Kernersville
planning offices, parks and recreation departments and other municipal government staff,
Greenways Incorporated has prepared this Master Plan report. The report and associated graphic
elements represent initial investigations and evaluation of the Piedmont Greenway as a future multipurpose
transportation corridor bridging the counties of Forsyth and Guilford and connecting the
cities of Winston Salem, Kernersville and Greensboro.
This report is divided into several sections describing the existing conditions of the project
corridor, incorporating the comments of local residents who participated in the master planning
process, making design development recommendations and estimating probable costs. The report
also includes a recommended phasing strategy for the project and an action plan for involving local
residents in the development and management of the Piedmont Greenway.
The Piedmont Greenway Master Plan offers new opportunities for broadening community
interaction and enhancing the environment in one of the state’s most attractive growth areas.
PIEDMONT GREENWAY
Final Master Plan Report 3