PRESENTER: Presenter
Garry Ford, Transportation and Capital Improvements Director
Body
SUBJECT: Title
Presentation and possible direction on the West Alligator Creek Trail Project.
Header
DEPARTMENT: Transportation and Capital Improvements
Body
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: 4
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The West Alligator Creek Trail Project includes approximately 1.1 miles of ten-foot-wide hike and bike trails, with pedestrian low water crossings and associated amenities along Alligator Creek from Goodwin Lane to the Oak Creek Estates neighborhood on either side of the creek. Amenities will include neighborhood connections with trail signage, seating areas, trash receptacles and mile markers.
Vickrey & Associates is the design engineer, and the project is currently at 90% design. The current schedule has final design being completed in the fall of 2023 with construction to follow in early 2024. The Goodwin Lane Reconstruction project is expected to begin construction in summer of 2024 which includes a new bridge over Alligator Creek. The goal is to complete the trail project prior to the beginning of the Goodwin Lane Project to limit conflicts between construction activities.
A public open house was held on June 5, 2023, at the New Braunfels Utilities (NBU) Service Center Training Room. Approximately 57 people attended, including city and consultant staff. The open house included displays of the proposed trail as well as images of what the trail could look like. Eighteen public comments were received at the meeting and online through the public comment period from June 5th through July 5th.
Overall, the public supported the trail and there are three main areas of concern based on the comments, including public access to the community, security and safety, and trail lighting. Three of the 18 respondents stated they were not in favor of the trail.
Public access to the community was the most frequently referenced concern. The original public access to this segment of trail was planned to connect to the future Goodwin Lane sidewalk via the future bridge abutment. In order to provide public access to the trail prior to the completion of the Goodwin Lane Project, it is necessary to incorporate “spur” connections to the public right-of-way within the Oak Creek Estates neighborhood, which is proposed to be accomplished through property owned by the HOA. These HOA properties contain the neighborhood pool and a neighborhood park. Another consideration for these connections is the delay in amenities being constructed by Sunflower Ridge on the opposite side of Goodwin Lane. The main trail head is planned to be installed by the Sunflower Ridge Development but will likely be delayed in construction several years due to the required restoration work being done by Sunflower Ridge. City Staff met with the current HOA board, prior to the Public Meeting, to explain these additional public connections and the board is in favor of the two connections and are prepared to work with City Staff to grant trail easements if directed by Council to proceed. While the concerns are noted, City Staff feels that until a connection is made outside of the Oak Creek Estates neighborhood, the proposed trail and connections serve as a local amenity that will not draw a significant number of users from other areas of the City.
The second concern is related to security and safety. This is a concern that is often brought up regarding trails not only in New Braunfels, but in surrounding communities as well. Unlike many trails, the proposed trail is contained within City property along the Alligator Creek between the Oak Creek Estates neighborhood, so the trail requires no trail easements from private property owners and only requires trail easements across the two HOA properties previously discussed. The trail will be regularly maintained by the Parks and Recreation Department Staff who monitor the trail areas for evidence of safety issues or suspicious activities. Similar to the concerns regarding public access to the community, the initial phase of the trail will have no connections outside of the Oak Creek Estates neighborhood.
The final concern that was raised was regarding lighting along the trail. The City currently does not have any lighting planned on the trail as the trail is in the floodway so improvements are being kept to a minimum. While lighting is generally perceived by the public as a benefit to trails, it also creates additional maintenance for the Parks and Recreation Staff and can cause use of the trail outside of the posted hours of operation. To present Council with a solar lighting option, Staff has investigated the City of San Antonio and the San Antonio River Authority trail lighting standards for their greenway trails and trailheads, which will be included within the presentation given by Staff.
ISSUE:
Continue an ongoing program of infrastructure construction and maintenance.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Staff will evaluate any cost implications based on the direction received by Council on the items being considered.
Recommendation
RECOMMENDATION:
City Staff is seeking direction from Council on how to proceed with the completion of the West Alligator Creek Trail based on the comments received through the public comment process specifically relating to public access to the community, security and safety, and trail lighting.