The Huntington Beach Trails to the Sea project provides an opportunity to activate and make use of unused space along the Talbert Channel and Huntington Beach Channel. The improvements seek to create a multi-use trail that encourages recreation, provides an additional family-friendly outdoor space and promotes active transportation. The trail looks to provide safe and convenient connections for our residents to schools, churches, parks, neighborhoods and the beach. With the community’s help, we seek to transform an underutilized path with limited accessibility into an activated outdoor space that adds value and connectivity to our City.

We are still in the early phases of this project and are asking the community for their input on this potentially new and exciting recreational amenity. At this point, no decision has been made as to whether the Huntington Beach Trails to the Sea project will move forward. We ask all Huntington Beach residents to participate in our online survey to express their desires and concerns regarding the project. The best way to make your feedback known is by submitting your comments via the online survey. Should the project move forward, we wish to incorporate feedback received into the project plan. Survey questions may include:

• What additions to the path would make it most desirable for you? (i.e. lighting, landscape)
• Should the trail only be open during certain hours, and if so, what should the hours be?
• What improvements would you like to see to maintain the privacy of adjacent neighborhoods? (i.e. security patrols, privacy fencing)
• What areas of the pathways and connections do you believe to be the most useful?

Commonly Asked Questions:

Q: How did this project originate?

A: The Talbert Channel and Huntington Beach Channel pathways can be utilized for more than their current use. The City of Huntington Beach has made it a priority to provide additional mobility and active transportation connectivity throughout the community. This project is in direct response to community feedback in which more trails and neighborhood connections have been requested. Further, improved mobility has been key in the feedback received from the community when building out the City’s General Plan, Parks and Recreation Master Plan, Bicycle Master Plan, and Mobility Plan (in progress).

Q: How is this project being funded?

A: At this time, only limited funding has been identified within the FY 21/22 budget to conduct outreach and survey the community on this potential project. There is no funding designated to continue this project beyond the outreach phase. If there is community support to move the project forward, then the project may be included in the City’s Capital Improvement Program to receive local and grant funds. Future phases such as environmental clearance, traffic studies, and construction would need to be budgeted at that time.

Q: How will the trails be managed and kept safe?

A: As is the case with any outdoor public space, these trails have tremendous benefits for our community, but also potential impacts. One of the primary themes throughout the survey is how to manage and keep these trails and adjacent neighborhoods, safe and secure. You will see various questions throughout the survey relating to this topic, and we look forward to the community’s input. We are also open to all suggestions and hope residents make use of the survey’s open answers to provide additional feedback. Should the project move forward, we would be looking for support and input from the Huntington Beach Police Department and Huntington Beach Fire Department.

Q: How will crossings at major streets be made safe?

A: Should the project advance, each major crossing will be assessed during the design phase. There are various methods and solutions to allow for safe and easy crossing of major streets, which will be explored and discussed with the community during and after the design phase. The Huntington Beach Trails to the Sea project would not progress until crossings, and all other project aspects, were complete and deemed safe.

Q: What are the next steps?

A: The Huntington Beach Trails to the Sea survey was launched on December 13, 2021 and it will remain open through the end of February 2022, as we wish to get as much community input as possible. The input received from residents adjacent to the proposed trail will be prioritized in the review process given the potential impacts. Flyers and door hangers will be distributed throughout the outreach process to these communities encouraging them to participate and make their thoughts known.

Should the project move past this initial survey phase, the City plans to host multiple community meetings to further engage residents and to seek additional information and feedback.

For any additional questions on Trails to the Sea, please visit the project website. You may contact John Nguyen at [email protected] Michael Nilsson at [email protected] with questions.