Residents to love boardwalk and trails that will serve as Lakeside’s “lifeblood”

Lakeside planner Dan Quinto shares insights on the Lakeside Boardwalk and trails

Story originally published in 2012

“The boardwalk and trails will be the lifeblood of Lakeside,” suggested Dan Quinto, planner for Lakeside DFW in 2012, “and a signature amenity for residents.”

High on the list of amenities recommended by Flower Mound residents in the Lakeside DFW survey, the boardwalk and trails have grown steadily in importance as planning turned from concepts to blueprints.

“In addition to providing a beautiful place to walk and run,” Quinto said, “it will unify all of the diverse parts of the project, from the single-family homes to the apartments, condominiums, the commercial area in Lakeside Village and on Lakeside Parkway, and, of course, the adjoining neighborhoods.”

The trail will link up with the existing neighborhoods to the west where Heritage Lane abuts Lakewood Park. In addition, the trail will connect on the east with the Flower Mound trail system at Surrey Lane.

“Designing a successful trail involves a number of basic principles,” Quinto pointed out.

“The most basic principle is safety. Users of the trail must feel secure. So, where possible, the trail is visible and in the center of things so that users will be visible to a lot people.”

In many areas (including the first phase of the single-family section), the trail will travel in a 29.5-feet-wide linear park surrounded by trees and homes.

“It will be highly visible and accessible,” Quinto added. “Those attributes will attract more users and contributes to the safety of the trail.”

“The boardwalk and trails also must be fairly level and flat so that those on skates or with strollers will not endanger themselves and others,” Quinto said.

“Finally, variety and beauty play key roles in attracting users and keeping them coming back.”

Quinto points out the Lakeside trail will be especially loaded in this category.

“It will go from the wide open spaces of Lakewood Park to the narrower linear park segment through the single-family area,” Quinto explained. “Then it will migrate out to the Corps area before coming back briefly through the neighborhood.”

“Then it opens up along the part of the trail that offers lake views.”

The trail also will wind back through the eastern section of the project where it will connect with the town’s trail system.

“Its beauty and variety will attract lots of people and make it a social mixing bowl, a great place to see and be seen.”

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