New Albany trail network tops 85 miles under code mandate

Walk out the front door of almost any New Albany neighborhood and a leisure trail is waiting. The city's network now stretches more than 85 miles across 22.3 square miles, threading through 2,000 acres of parkland and preserved green space, and every new development is required by code to add connections to the existing system.

Planning Manager Chris Christian said the city treats trail connectivity and green space as mandatory elements of development approval, not optional amenities. The requirement applies to both residential neighborhoods and commercial sites.

"Residential developments dedicate parkland, everyone plants street trees, and everyone provides sidewalks or trails that connect to what's already there," Christian said in a city-produced article published in CityScene Magazine on Aug. 27.

The network protects more than 22,000 trees along the way. The city's 2025 Annual Report, published in March, listed the trail system at 84-plus miles and noted a minimum 20 percent parkland dedication requirement for all new subdivisions.

New Albany holds Tree City USA status with 22,500 street trees, according to that same report.

Gaps remain in some neighborhoods

Not every corner of the city is fully connected. At the March 3 City Council meeting, Troy Johnson of the New Albany Walking Club told council members that residents of the Nottingham Trace neighborhood lack a continuous trail link to downtown and must cross State Route 605 to reach existing paths.

Development Director Jennifer Chrysler responded that the 2026 budget includes funding to plan streetscape and trail connections from Walnut Road to the Hamlet at Sugar Run project. Chrysler said a full streetscape plan could return to council by mid-year for construction in 2027, according to council minutes.

Advisory board shapes trail priorities

The Parks and Trails Advisory Board, which meets the first Monday of each month at 6 p.m., advises council on trail planning. Board member George Stribick described the board's philosophy in the CityScene article: "We're trying to pull this entire community together no matter who you are … the best way to do that is to create connectors."

The board includes four at-large members, one school board representative and one non-voting council liaison, according to the city's boards and commissions description.