The Detroit Riverfront Conservancy hosting a Community Forum to discuss the East Riverfront and Dequindre Cut.  It will be held at the Detroit Waldorf School (2555 Burns) on Tuesday, October 28, 2008 from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m.

Refreshments will be served at 5:00 p.m., and the agenda will begin at 5:30 p.m.

The Detroit Riverfront Conservancy is asking attendees to RSVP by Friday, October 24, 2008 via email (rsvp@detroitriverfront.org) or by calling (313) 566-8206.

Link: Community Forum Information

Left photo: Construction of the Antietam Bridge over the Dequindre Cut is progressing.

Center photo: Some additional landscaping has been completed at the south entrance off of Woodbridge.

Right photo: Poetry posted along the trail.  Apparently not everyone is enthusiastic about this trail project.

Riding the Milford Trail (Photo by Bill Herman)

Milford is continuing to push ahead as a major regional outdoor recreational center.  They are combining the quaint, authentic small downtown atmosphere with biking, walking, and equestrian trails as well as the Huron River.

Milford is surrounded by the nearby Milford mountain bike trail, Highland State Recreation Area, Proud Lake State Recreation Area, Island Lake State Recreation Area, Kensington Metropark.

And to sweeten the attraction, they’re working to connect all the trails to the Village.  The Huron Valley Trail and Lakes Community Trail are both nearby.

The latest progress is on the 3-mile trail connecting Kensington to the Village.  Currently under construction, it’s expected to be completed by next Memorial Day.

The Detroit News recently covered this new trail construction.  Note that the article photos were taken by longtime mountain biker Bryan Mitchell.

Detroit News:  Workers blazing a trail for biking, walking, fun

It’s been a long time coming.  The Macomb Orchard Trail bridge over M-53 and just east of Romeo is nearly complete.

A bridge grand opening ceremony is planned for this Saturday, October 11th at 1pm.

Link: M-53 Grand Opening information

Before the bridge, crossing M-53 on bike or foot was dangerous.  Fortunately Macomb County Planning, MDOT and the Friends of the Macomb Orchard Trail spearheaded this effort to make this crossing easier and safer.  So while we celebrate the bridge opening, we mustn’t forget to thank those who made it happen.

This abandoned railway is now a trail through Pontiac

Back in 2001, I was working for the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy and taking photos of what is now the Clinton River Trail in Pontiac.  The rail line passed behind a cul-de-sac of new houses just west of downtown Pontiac.

One of the homeowners approached me and asked what I was doing.  He didn’t seem too enthused about me walking behind these homes and taking photos.

I began by explaining our plan to convert this abandoned rail line into a walking and biking trail.  He didn’t seem too sold on the idea, so I noted that trails increase the property values of surrounding homes.  That worked.

He offered me a glass of cold lemonade and said if there was anything I needed, just ask.

A new trail study out of Ohio only confirms what other studies have found and what I told that concerned homeowner:

Across the United States, many conversions of abandoned railroad rights-of-ways into trails have faced opposition from surrounding property owners. Much of the opposition derives from the fear that developing trails would cause a decrease in property values because of loss of privacy, increase in noise, traffic, litter and crime.

The objective of this study is to assess the impact of the Little Miami Scenic Trail on property values. To accomplish this task, the hedonic pricing technique was employed to measure the impact of the trail on single-family residential property values in southwest Ohio. Several of the variables used in this model were measured using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software.

The analysis suggests that, each foot increase in distance to the trail decreases the sale price of a sample property by $7.05. In other words, being closer to the Little Miami Scenic Trail adds value to the single family residential properties.