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Council told sinkhole affecting Urbandale trail is on private property; city will monitor
Summary
Councilors raised safety concerns after vehicles began using a trail to access a private property sinkhole; city staff said the site is privately owned, owners are arranging repairs and city involvement is limited to monitoring and public‑safety barriers.
Councilors discussed a sinkhole adjacent to a local trail that residents and media have reported is being used by vehicles for ingress and egress. Several council members asked for an update at the end of the meeting.
A council participant said, "They are driving on the trail, and there's probably some damage being done to the trail," noting trail surface and egress concerns for motorists and pedestrians.
City staff told the council the section is private property and that the property owners are obtaining quotes to address the collapse; staff said the city’s role has been limited to public‑safety measures (barriers) and monitoring.
"Our involvement is minuscule," a city staff speaker said, adding that the city will check with engineering and the water utility and share any substantive updates with the council. Jan, a city staff participant, confirmed the trail section is not park property and said staff will coordinate internally to determine next steps.
Councilors requested staff follow up with property managers and engineering to clarify what repair work and trail restoration might require, and flagged potential safety concerns where vehicles are entering from the trail onto public streets.
The council did not authorize city repair of the privately owned section during the meeting; staff committed to report back with any substantive developments.
