ANN ARBOR, MI - The Ann Arbor City Council is meeting Monday night, June 12, to discuss the latest plans for a new trail following the historic alignment of a creek that was buried underground nearly a century ago.
That trail could become known in the coming years as "The Treeline: Allen Creek Urban Trail," and there's a vision to have it completed by 2024.
Monday's meeting is a joint session of the City Council and the city's Planning Commission.
The city's staff will be giving an overview of the progress on creating a master plan for what's been referred to for years as the Allen Creek Greenway, or what could become known as "The Treeline" if the new name sticks.
The meeting is scheduled to last from 7-9 p.m. inside the Community Television Network studios at 2805 S. Industrial Highway.
It will air live on CTN Channel 16 and will be available to watch online, including a live stream, at https://a2ctn.viebit.com.
After many months of extensive planning with the help of community members and consultants, the city has a draft preferred plan for the 2.75-mile trail, with an estimated price tag of roughly $55 million, or $3,800 per linear foot.
The trail would generally follow the path of the Ann Arbor Railroad, going north and south through the city, from the intersection of State/Stimson, past the University of Michigan's athletic fields, past downtown and the Old West Side, past the Water Hill neighborhood and over North Main Street to Argo Pond, where it would connect with the Border-to-Border Trail along the Huron River.
The cost analysis includes design, engineering, permitting, surveying, geotechnical work, contingencies, project management and administration.
It does not include potential property acquisitions or easement costs, major utility modifications, environmental remediation, flood mitigation or floodplain enhancement, ongoing maintenance or other related trail opportunities.
Amenities and features include a primary trail and connector paths, bridges and elevated ramp sections, trees and landscaping along the trail, benches and other furnishings, stormwater management for the trail area and runoff, pedestrian-scale lighting and security call boxes, ornamental security fencing where needed, grading, retaining walls and some utility modifications as needed.
After the city's staff and consultant give a presentation of the latest plans Monday night, City Administrator Howard Lazarus is expected to talk about a potential implementation strategy. Lazarus has said he wants to move quickly to implement the greenway plan, rather than have it sit on a shelf and collect dust. The master plan could go to the City Council for adoption in early 2018.
At a recent meeting, Council Member Jane Lumm, an independent from the 2nd Ward, said she wants the city to explore options for possibly using some of the city's greenbelt and parkland acquisition millage dollars to fund the trail, rather than levying an entirely new tax.
Lazarus also has said the city will be looking for private partners to potentially help fund it. It's also likely the city will pursue state and federal grants.
The city's staff plans to talk Monday night about the next steps, including the timeline for approving the final greenway master plan, seeking cooperation from the railroad's owner, and working with the nonprofit Allen Creek Greenway Conservancy on a branding and rollout strategy.
According to a Sept. 22 city staff memo included in the meeting packet, the conservancy's board adopted a new name and logo for the greenway, proposing it be called "The Treeline: Allen Creek Urban Trail."
A letter from Joe O'Neal, the conservancy's president, articulates a mission, vision and objectives for implementation of the trail. The city's greenway project team supports the conservancy's branding and strategic plan.
The conservancy worked with Phire Group, a local creative-branding agency, to come up with the branding strategy.
A possible name and logo for a proposed urban trail in Ann Arbor included in a letter from the Allen Creek Greenway Conservancy to the city's staff. The conservancy worked with Phire Group, a local creative-branding agency, to come up with the branding strategy.
O'Neal said the conservancy has been concerned since its founding more than a decade ago about the confusion created by the word "greenway," saying some people confuse it for the "greenbelt." Through the city's longstanding greenbelt program, the city purchases development rights to farmland and open spaces outside the city to preserve them and prevent urban sprawl.
Aside from getting the greenway and the greenbelt mixed up, to many the word "greenway" sounds more like a vast boulevard or sea of grass, O'Neal wrote in his Sept. 22 letter to the city.
O'Neal described the "Treeline" name and tree-themed logo by saying Ann Arbor loves its trees and prides itself on being "Tree Town."
"The logo features a quiet 'A' and Michigan's state tree - the eastern white pine," O'Neal wrote in his letter. "The route of the trail basically follows a line of trees. The word 'Treeline' is easy to say, easy to remember and goes directly to the point. It says it all without a lot of fanfare."
O'Neal went on to say the conservancy feels it is important to keep the Allen Creek front and center, since it is named after one of Ann Arbor's founders, John Allen. And even though it is hidden from view, he said, "it is why we are here and how our city was shaped. A lot of history is buried where it now flows."
Lastly, O'Neal said, the conservancy for more than four years has discussed the importance of the word "trail."
"One normally relates the word 'trail' to a forest setting, but here it brings all of the natural features of the outdoors to an 'urban' setting," he wrote.
Thus the name, "The Treeline: Allen Creek Urban Trail."
The conservancy's stated mission is to foster the creation of an urban trail for pedestrians and cyclists that becomes an integral connector of people and places in Ann Arbor, bringing access to Ann Arbor's river and park system through the heart of downtown along the railroad corridor and Allen Creek floodway.
The conservancy believes the trail can benefit the community by providing positive economic impact, improved aesthetics, enriched community engagement, rehabilitated stormwater management and enhanced quality of life.
The conservancy's vision statement includes a goal of having the trail completed by 2024, with the trail and neighboring parks buzzing with activity most hours of the day, and cyclists and pedestrians on the existing Border-to-Border Trail along the Huron River using the new trail to reach downtown destinations.
"It provides a comfortable and safe place for neighbors of all ages to connect with each other and to their surroundings," the vision statement reads, speaking in the present tense in the year 2024.
"On football Saturdays, thousands of fans use the trail to walk safely between the Stadium and downtown. Natural and community-created amenities along the trail provide different ways to experience and learn about the community's history, arts scene and environmental ecosystem. The trail has positively impacted stormwater quality in the Allen Creek valley. Rain gardens and stormwater rehabilitation have improved water flow during flooding events. The urban trail has become an important part of Ann Arbor's identity, enjoyed by residents and visitors alike. It is impossible to imagine Ann Arbor without the trail."
While the city is completing the master plan for the trail, the conservancy has vowed to support the implementation by building partnerships, encouraging protection and acquisition of key properties along the route, identifying possible funding sources, raising funds to support the mission and vision, strengthening public awareness and building operational and volunteer capacity.
"These are exciting times - let's make it happen!" O'Neal wrote.