Title
Resolution to Grant a Pathway Easement and Grading Permit to the Charter Township of Ann Arbor in Marshall Nature Area (8 Votes Required)
Memorandum
The Charter Township of Ann Arbor is requesting a pathway easement from the City of Ann Arbor to complete the Matthaei Botanical Gardens Trail, a critical north-south connector to the B2B Trail. This portion of the trail will connect Marshall Nature Area and Matthaei Botanical Gardens to Parker Mill and the B2B Trail, which goes through Gallup Park. Phase 1 of this trail, completed in October 2018, connects Matthaei to Parker Mill County Park. It won the SEMCOG Regional Showcase award and is widely used.
The trail is designed to provide two safe non-motorized crossings of busy roads:
? mid-block on Dixboro Road, near the Botanical Gardens and the Fleming Creek subdivisions, and
? signalized on Plymouth Road at the intersection with Dixboro Road.
The trail is designed to minimize environmental impacts and provide universal access. It is funded in part by Transportation Alternative Program funds, so it must meet MDOT standards. That means it will be an ADA-compliant, 10-foot-wide, paved trail with 2-foot-wide shoulders. This wider trail design makes it safer for multiple users.
The easement is needed to allow the trail to be routed along the southeastern corner of Marshall Nature Area, adjacent to Dixboro Road, because there is not sufficient room within the existing road ROW to locate the trail there. This is due to the planned addition of a right turn lane on southbound Dixboro Road at Plymouth Road. The pathway easement and grading permit are requested to allow for the creation of the new trail on park property. The design team is making every effort to minimize the environmental impact and use of the park and will also address drainage issues where the trail connects with the Marshall Nature Area driveway. The portion of Marshall Nature Area that would be subject to the easement is already kept clea...
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