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Developer offers to build alternate trail through Heath Golf and Yacht after easement delay
Summary
During public comment, the developer of Heath Golf and Yacht Club told the Heath Park Board he will fund and construct a section of the planned trail on private property after delays locating a City of Dallas sewer easement blocked the original route.
Rob Whittle, the developer of Heath Golf and Yacht Club, told the Heath Park Board on Sept. 15 that recent delays locating an easement owned by the City of Dallas have stalled a planned segment of the community trail. Whittle said he will pay to build an alternate path across land he owns so the trail can connect to Bethel and then follow the existing trail plan into the city.
Whittle identified himself as a representative of HGYC and the owner of property within the Heath Golf and Yacht development. He said the neighborhood’s original trail alignment routed a path across a causeway and behind lots in Tract 18, but that city public-safety concerns and the inability to secure or locate a long-standing sewer easement owned by Dallas forced earlier adjustments.
“The idea was for us to put our trail on top of it. Period,” Whittle said of the easement route. He then told the board, “Instead, on our own expense, we'll pay for the trail to come all the way through here on our land.” Whittle said he also owns an adjacent 20-acre parcel and would build a connector from his property into the planned Town Center Park trail network.
Board members and staff did not take formal action during Whittle’s comment. Chair Justin reminded the board that items not on the published agenda cannot be decided at that meeting and encouraged Whittle to return with a formal agenda item if he wanted the board to consider an official endorsement or recommendation to council. Whittle said he intended to bring the proposal back for formal consideration.
The developer described the proposal as intended to preserve interconnectivity for the broader city trail system while avoiding prolonged negotiations with Dallas about the easement. He asked for the board’s preliminary “blessing” to proceed with planning and to return later with an action item.
Ending: Whittle’s plan, if advanced as an action item, would require staff review and likely council consideration because it touches public easements and links into the city trail network. The board said staff would work with Whittle to schedule a future agenda item for formal review.
