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Residents urge council to slow proposed Northwest Trail after surprise surveying
Summary
Neighbors told the Hampton Township Council they discovered survey stakes and posts in woods behind their homes and asked why residents were not notified; staff said Gateway Engineers is completing early feasibility work tied to the township's comprehensive plan and that formal community meetings will follow design work.
Jeff Potter, a Shady Crest Lane resident, told the Hampton Township Council on Feb. 25 that he and his neighbors were alarmed to find surveyors and posts on woodland they believed to be permanent green space.
"There were people walking through our yards putting up posts and surveying the land," Potter said, and he asked why residents had not been told about the work. He said nearby radio‑tower owners were also not consulted and opposed trail access, citing privacy and vandalism concerns.
Township staff responded that the work Potter observed is preliminary feasibility and surveying by Gateway Engineers, part of a Northwest Trail project identified in the township's implementable comprehensive plan. Staff said the comp plan was developed with resident input and a steering committee that included residents, business owners and local boards.
Manager's office staff told residents Gateway will complete route feasibility and environmental reviews before holding community meetings, and that there are no construction dollars in this year's budget. "The goal is to get answers first — to determine feasibility and potential routes — so we can come back to the communities with a plan," staff said.
Residents asked that the township involve neighborhood representatives early and noted that some parcels in the proposed corridor are held by homeowners' associations or private landowners, meaning easements may be required. Staff offered to review deed records and to meet with residents to show maps and preliminary work.
Council did not vote on the project. Staff said any future decision to construct a trail would be a budgeting and council action in a later year, after design, environmental review and public input.
The next step staff described was completion of Gateway's draft routing and environmental feasibility work, followed by formal outreach and, if warranted, inclusion of construction funding in a future budget.
