Greenway Trail acquisition moves forward after NEPA pause; planning says funds now exceed acquisition price

Council members pressed planning staff for a clear timeline for the Greenway Trail’s next steps after years of planning and limited physical progress.

Councilman John Bullock asked for the immediate next steps for the Greenway Trail and said he was disappointed about past delays and about roughly $1.5 million in state funds that were previously allocated but not spent. Bullock asked how the city would get “shovels in the ground.”

Planning Director Chris Ryer provided historical context: the Greenway Trail is part of the Green Network Plan, a department project dating to about 2015 that aims to stitch together newly created open spaces and rights of way. Ryer said the acquisition of Norfolk Southern property was a key requirement for creating a continuous loop and that Planning had led acquisition and appraisal work.

NEPA and funding pauses

Ryer said a federal earmark triggered the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review, a federal environmental review that froze certain project actions while it ran. “The federal NEPA process...is roughly a two‑year process,” Ryer said, and during that review the city could not expend or use some federal funds, including restrictions on direct communications with the railroad about leases. Ryer told the committee the city lost access to about $1.5 million during the freeze but later recovered funding from the state delegation and other Greenway accounts.

Current status and next steps

- Planning staff said they have now exited the NEPA process, gathered additional state grants and “are well north of $7.5 million,” which Planning said exceeds the current acquisition price. The department expects one final outside appraisal before beginning negotiations with Norfolk Southern.

- Ryer said the Mayor’s Office of Infrastructure Development (MOID) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) have “stepped up” from an implementation perspective: DOT will handle right‑of‑way acquisition work and MOID will coordinate the multiagency aspects. Any remaining funds after acquisition are expected to be used to advance 30% design and produce construction cost estimates.

- Ryer warned that a temporary HUR increase ends after FY27 and that construction funding for the trail will likely require continued state advocacy or additional local funding once acquisition and design produce a construction estimate.

Council request for written update

Councilman Bullock asked the administration for a written update to the committee documenting current partners in the Greenway network, the delivery status of the project in each geographic segment and how the current $14 million allocation for the year will be spent. Nina (an administration staff member) said she would consult the implementing agencies and provide a reasonable timeline; Bullock requested at the hearing that a timeline be provided to him and the committee.

Background and timeline

Ryer said the Green Network Plan grew from earlier trail projects and noted that comparable cities have completed more trail mileage over the same period. He described the property negotiations with Norfolk Southern as protracted and complicated by frequent railroad staff turnover and lease issues discovered during due diligence.

Ending

Planning staff said a final appraisal and the beginning of negotiations with Norfolk Southern are the immediate next steps; the committee also requested a short written status report on partners, per‑segment delivery status and spending plans for the $14 million allocated in the current budget year.