Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Trails Master Plan topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Park board adopts updated master trail plan, adds 10-foot trail standards and proposed alignments
Summary
The Heath Park Board voted to amend the city's master trail plan to show proposed 10-foot trail alignments, codified cross sections, and several map corrections; TxDOT and City of Dallas easements noted as external dependencies.
The Heath Park Board voted to approve amendments to the City of Heath master trail plan, moving the city’s guidance from the 2018 map to an updated 2025 plan that shows proposed 10-foot trail corridors, cross-sections and several route changes.
"This 2025 plan…updates the master trail plan and codifies that whenever somebody comes into our city to do a future project, a future development, whether it be residential or commercial, we have a vision for what the city wants to look like from a trails perspective," Chairman Holland said while introducing the item.
Staff explained the update replaces older 5-foot sidewalk designations in multiple areas with proposed 10-foot trail corridors, clarifies cross-section standards for new trail construction and removes a private gravel road (Kaiser Springs Road) from the municipal plan. The board discussed prioritization: members said the plan establishes standards to require 10-foot trails when developers build along mapped corridors, while in-place five-foot sidewalks would be upgraded only through council budget decisions or developer commitments.
The plan also adds two proposed tunnel crossings under FM 549 and FM 550 to improve safe crossings; staff emphasized that any tunnel project would require TxDOT coordination and engineering to address drainage and long-term maintenance. Board members raised the potential for drainage issues and noted the tunnels do not exist today.
The board discussed an alignment change near the Heath Golf and Yacht area that shifts a trail route off the golf course into take/easement areas; staff said the city is in ongoing easement negotiations with the City of Dallas and that easement reviews have been underway for about 20 months in some portions.
After discussion, the board voted to approve the amendments and forward the item to the city council for final action.
Ending: Board members said the updated map and codified trail standards will guide development review and future capital decisions, but construction timing and some alignments depend on developer agreements, easements and TxDOT approvals.
