Ukiah council adopts IS/MND for Lookout Peak Trail, OKs negotiation of donated construction work

The Ukiah City Council on the night they considered the Lookout Peak Trail project voted to adopt the project’s California Environmental Quality Act initial study and mitigated negative declaration and to authorize the city manager to negotiate a donation of trail construction work from the Ukiah Valley Trail Group.

Community Services Director Neil Davis told the council the project would create up to 22 miles of non‑motorized trails inside the Western Hills Watershed Protection Area, and said staff conducted an extended public review that produced 68 comment letters. “We had 68 comment letters submitted, 59 of those were letters of support,” Davis said. “We had 9 letters of either opposition or concern. We made changes in the scope of work, we added additional mitigation measures, and we decided to go ahead and include the road and fire‑break maintenance plan, all based on comments that we got during the public comment period.”

Davis described specific mitigations the city added after local feedback: removing a proposed second trailhead on a neighbor access road, additional signage and pavement markings to direct parking at the Doolin Canyon trailhead, incorporation of “fire‑hardened” trail design where appropriate, and a road and fuel‑break maintenance plan for existing access roads to support both public use and hazard reduction.

Supporters and opponents packed the chamber during a long public hearing. Opponents who live adjacent to the project raised concerns about trespass, privacy, decreased parking, erosion and runoff, and whether the initial study adequately addressed impacts. Kyle St. Pierre, representing a property owner group, said the project encroached on parcels zoned for very low density and asked council to reject the IS/MND. “I just propose that you do not accept this ISMND,” he said. Other neighbors said county zoning and lack of direct outreach to some landowners left unresolved issues.

The Ukiah Valley Trail Group and many residents countered that trails provide public‑health and economic benefits, reduce illegal dumping and illicit activity, and would be built and maintained with careful design. “When there’s people actually walking on the trails, people aren’t gonna think to go up there and do a pot grow or for homeless people to come up there,” Mike Cannon, president of the trail group, said.

Councilmembers pressed staff about safety and design: whether mountain‑bike and walking uses would be separated (staff said roughly 80% of the network would be shared use with targeted bike‑only sections), trail surface type (natural, compacted dirt), the absence of steps on steep sections to avoid encouraging off‑trail cuts, and potential wildlife encounters (staff noted occasional mountain‑lion sightings and tick risks). Staff said the first phase aim is to construct a roughly 4‑mile loop within about a year and to monitor impacts before expanding further.

After deliberation and assurances from staff to continue direct outreach to nearby property owners, the council voted to adopt the IS/MND and authorize the city manager to negotiate the donation arrangement with the Ukiah Valley Trail Group. The roll call recorded the five council members voting in favor.