Council reviews $8.5 million in proposed sidewalk and trail extensions, asks for prioritization and outside funding

City Engineer Don (last name not specified) presented a package of proposed sidewalk and multiuse-trail extensions to the Pepper Pike City Council, showing route maps, home counts served and high-level cost estimates and asking council to prioritize which corridors should move into design.

The presentation matters because the projects together would extend the city—s pedestrian network, serve hundreds of households and carry multi-million-dollar price tags that the city expects to offset in part with outside grants and county partnerships.

Don said the maps reflected work the city began in 2023 and public input that favored a mix of 5-foot sidewalks and 10-foot multipurpose trails. He walked council through six priority areas—including Brainerd Road (Cedar to the Fairmount/Kurzdale intersection), several segments of Fairmount, Pine Tree, and a large Cedar Road frontage—showing estimated households served and planning-level costs.

The two corridors Don highlighted as delivering the most homes per dollar were the Brainerd Road segment from Cedar to Kurzdale and a Fairmount extension tying Snowberry and Chestnut streets to Gates Mills Boulevard. Don described the…