Dayton City Council signals preference for road-side alignment, urges easements over mass property buys for Mississippi River trail

Dayton City — City staff and councilors on the Dayton City Council discussed two alignment options for the West Mississippi River Regional Trail along Dayton Road during a work session and gave staff direction to favor a road-side alignment and pursue easements rather than broad property acquisitions.

Staff member (the presenter) told the council the map shows two alternatives: a brown/red line that mostly follows existing right-of-way and a pink line that would bring the trail closer to the river but would require more land purchases and face steep slopes and floodway constraints. "The red here is what we could do today currently, and this is what they would prefer to see is pink," the staff member said, noting the map colors and slope shading.

Why it matters: moving the trail closer to the river would be more…