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Residents urge pause on proposed Jenny Creek trail, raise habitat, safety and maintenance concerns
Summary
At a non‑agendized public‑comment period, neighborhood residents and Friends of Jenny Creek urged planning staff and commissioners to reconsider a planned 12‑foot paved, lit trail through the Jenny Creek greenbelt, citing tree loss, wildlife and salmon habitat impacts, lighting/crime concerns and long-term maintenance liabilities.
At the meeting’s non‑agendized public comment period, multiple residents and a neighborhood conservation group voiced opposition to a proposed Jenny Creek trail through a 30‑acre greenbelt behind Sunset Terrace.
Speakers described the proposal — which they said would include an 8–12 foot paved surface and lighting — as likely to require cutting mature oaks and disrupting habitat. Friends of Jenny Creek and neighborhood residents cited concerns about potential loss of nesting and migratory bird habitat, sedimentation to the creek, removal of canopy shade, and impacts to fish habitat. One commenter said the area supports salmon and steelhead and warned that widened, cut trails could increase sedimentation risks to egg and juvenile habitat.
Residents also expressed safety and maintenance concerns: they said wide, lit trails often attract encampments and increase calls for police and cleanup; multiple speakers questioned whether the city could sustain ongoing maintenance and policing costs. Neighbors said they had not been able to obtain project records through earlier public-record requests and asked for clearer, earlier outreach and for alternatives such as enhancing existing nearby trails (Overhill Drive and Palatine Trail) rather than constructing a new trail through Jenny Creek.
Staff response and commission action: staff confirmed a City Community Services Department trail application for the Jenny Creek corridor is under review and is not yet complete. Planning staff explained that draft materials and incomplete application materials are handled carefully and that a complete application and environmental review will be publicly noticed; staff said they would attach resident petitions and correspondence to the project record. Commissioners and the chair asked staff to coordinate an informational briefing — including Community Services leadership — to present project status, outreach plans and environmental considerations to the commission and public. The planning director later said staff would provide an update during the next Director’s Report and coordinate with Parks/Community Services to bring an informational item back to the commission for public briefing and discussion.
Why it matters: the proposed route crosses a narrow, biologically active creek corridor in close proximity to residential yards. Neighbors said the effects could be irreversible for trees and creek habitat; the item is not yet a formal planning application and will require further public disclosure and environmental review before any approvals.
What’s next: staff committed to return to the commission with a status report and to coordinate with Community Services and the city attorney as the application is completed and publicly noticed. Residents said they will continue to compile petitions and technical information for the record.
