Resident urges Rowlett to revive Pecan Grove 8-mile mountain-bike trail

Martin Malloy, a Rowlett resident, urged the City Council on Aug. 19 to revive a proposed 8-mile mountain-bike trail at the Pecan Grove site, saying the volunteer group behind the plan would build it free of charge and that the project would bring health, recreation and economic activity to the city.

“My name is Martin Malloy… I have for a year now been proponent for a mountain bike trail on the Pecan Grove site,” Malloy told the council during the public-comment period. He said the trail “is an 8 mile trail, which would put you in the upper ranks” among area trails and that “it is built will be built for free.”

Malloy described contractual and ownership history he said have hindered progress. He told the council the volunteer group’s contract contained a 30-day termination-at-will clause and a provision allowing removal of a trailer from a staging area. He said Garland ISD bought the property about 30 years ago, kept the acreage needed for the high school, and that the city has owned and largely left the remainder—some 73–90 acres—undeveloped for decades. “You’ve done largely nothing with it,” he said.

Malloy invited council members to visit the site and argued that the terrain along a creek bed offers strong topography for a trail. He said the existing disc-golf amenity sees only modest use and that a mountain-bike trail would be a “signature” asset for Rowlett.

The council thanked Malloy for his comments and asked him to submit a comment form to place his remarks into the official record. The council did not take action on the Pecan Grove project during the Aug. 19 work session.